Validity considerations ensuing from examinees’ perceptions about high-stakes national examinations in Cyprus

Abstract

Student examinees are key stakeholders in large-scale, high-stakes, public examination systems. How they perceive the purpose, comprehend the technical characteristics of testing and how they interpret scores influence their response to the system demands and their preparation for the examinations; this information relates to intended and unintended consequences of testing and is a component of an expanded notion of test validity. The research reported in this paper investigates examinees' perceptions about the secondary school graduation and university-entrance national exams in Cyprus. Interviews with recent examinees reveal the versatility and complexity of their perceptions about the fairness and appropriateness of the system, which are influenced by design features of the exams and by the local context. There are important, mostly unintended, consequences on their in-and out-of-school experience, on school curricula and on instructional practices. Empirical evidence about consequential aspects of examinations contributes to the validity argument needed to support such programmes.

Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment: A Global Phenomenon or a Global Localism

“…Consequently, the assessment function within the Cypriot education system is relatively low stakes (Michaelides, 2014). In primary school, assessments are mainly classroom-based with grades recorded by the teachers for each student primarily for internal monitoring of student progress achievement rather than for formal reporting.…”

“…Grade 12 culminates in high stakes national examinations that certify high school graduation and generate scores for access to public universities and tertiary institutions in both Cyprus and Greece. Unsurprisingly, these end-of-high-school national exams are favorably evaluated by students and the public in general (Michaelides, 2008(Michaelides, , 2014.…”

The fairness of internal assessment in the GCSE: the value of students’ accounts

“…Previous research has found that students believed that a broader range of skills was required than what was specified on the examination syllabus (Xie, 2011). Furthermore, some of this research has argued that student perceptions should be considered in evaluations of the fairness of assessments (Elwood and Lundy, 2012;Michaelides, 2014). Students' views and experiences can make a particular contribution to our understanding of the fairness of the task-taking and preparation stages of internal assessments.…”

“…It has already been recognised that the perspectives of test-takers on the skills necessary to succeed on an assessment can help inform validation processes (Kane, 1992;Michaelides, 2014;Murphy, 1995;Ryan, 2002). Previous research has found that students believed that a broader range of skills was required than what was specified on the examination syllabus (Xie, 2011).…”

Testing Writing: The Washback Effect on English Courses

“…These studies have investigated the ongoing effects of established testing programmes or looked into how changes in systems of assessment affect education practice. Recently the focus has shifted and authors such as Cheng and Deluca (2011), Gosa (2004), Green (2006b), Lumley and Stoneman (2000), Michaelides (2014), Mickan and Motteram (2009), Stoneman 2006 2009, and Robb and Ercanbrack (1999).…”