Is Standardized Testing an Effective Method to Measure Student Learning - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal: To Determine if Standardized testing is an effective method to measure learning April 14, Research Proposal: To Determine if Standardized testing is an effective method to measure student learning Introduction Standard testing offers a basis for comparing students’ academic potentials, and according to Wood, Eichner-LeFrank, Wood, S., and Braus (n.d.) are valid and reliable. Approach to development of the tests, according to the authors, which include empirical testing and elimination of possible threats of bias are some of the factors to quality of standardized tests. Despite existing controversy on standardized tests, they were initially developed to measure intelligence for considerations in academic set ups. Harvard University was the first institution, according to Barton (2008), to use SAT, a form of standardized test for evaluating scholarship applicants. Application of the SAT test later extended to evaluation for entry into colleges and universities, becoming popular among the institutions. The tests are however not limited to application for entry purposes into colleges and universities, as use of common standards in the education curriculum requires standardized tests for evaluating students. While standardized testing may offer a basis for evaluation, consideration of such factors as disabilities and special needs undermine the equal opportunity concept. Disparities in environmental factors are also threats to standardized tests. A study, for example, noted that students may perform poorly in a standardized test that is developed in a foreign environment with such factors as language barriers being significant (Wood, Eichner-LeFrank, Wood, S., and Braus, n.d.). Research problem Standardized tests are used to evaluation students’ intelligence for grading and comparison with other students. While need for equal opportunities is one of the reasons for standardized tests, allowing for evaluation on the same baseline, differences in potentials, some of which may be induced by natural factors, undermine the fairness objective. Relative significance of the factors to performance in mathematics identifies the need to understand effectiveness of standardized tests in understanding students’ potentials in mathematics. Mathematics, according to Claro, Cabello, San Martin, and Nussbaum (2015), is more sensitive to environmental factors than reading is and this suggests difference in effectiveness of standard tests between the two. Economic, social, and cultural statuses, among students from Chile, have greater effects on mathematics skills than on reading skill and this means that the factors influences effectiveness of standardized tests for mathematics among the students and others. Students with similar level of competence in mathematic but from different economic classes, are therefore likely to realize different scores from standardized tests and this identifies unreliability. Self-efficacy is another factor to mathematics performance and is therefore a threat to validity and reliability of standardized tests for mathematics (Wendell, 2015). The effects of environmental factors on mathematics performance, some of which may be more significant to mathematics than to other subjects, suggest that standardized tests may not be effective for mathematics. Purpose statement The study seeks to investigate effectiveness of standardized tests in measuring students’ learning in mathematics. In measuring intelligence, the tests measures learning outcomes and understanding their effectiveness will inform effectiveness of currently applied evaluation approaches and need for possible changes. Students’ performance in standardized mathematics test will be the study’s dependent variable while economic environment and self-efficacy will be the study’s independent variables. Performance in mathematics and economic environment will be measured on numeric scale and through observation while self-efficacy will be measured through a self-efficacy questionnaire. Research questions The study will explore the following research questions. Does economic environment determine a student’s score in mathematics? Does self-efficacy determine students’ performance in mathematics? The questions will help in solving the research problem because identifying significance of economic environment and self-efficacy on students’ performance in mathematics would mean bias, and therefore ineffectiveness, of standardized tests in measuring students’ learning in mathematics. Research hypothesis The following sets of hypothesis are tested for the research questions. H10: µ1 = µ2, Economic environment does not affect students’ learning and performance in mathematics H11: µ1 ≠ µ2, Economic environment affect students’ learning, and performance in mathematics, Where µ1 is the mean performance for students in the control group and µ2 is the mean mathematics performance for students in the treatment group. H20: β=0, There is not significant relationship between self-efficacy and students performance in mathematics H21: β=0, A significant relationship exists between self-efficacy and students performance in mathematics Justification of research method Quantitative research methods are proposed for implementing the study. Experimental design is proposed for investigating effects of economic environment on students’ performance in mathematics while survey design is proposed for investigating effects of self-efficacy. Advantages of the designs and their suitability for the scope of the variables inform the design selection. Experimental design is proposed because of the ease in controlling the environment, especially among people from low economic classes. Immobility across economic classes (Wolberg, 2013) allows for control of economic environment to aid implementation of the design. The design also ensures internal validity and is effective in investigating differences across groups. Survey design is weak for investigating cause effect relationships but is easy to implement in social research, especially in cases where control of treatment is difficult of impossible to attain (Morra-Imas, Morra, and Rist, 2009). A high school will be selected at random, from schools that have been identified with students from poor families and a sample selected from its first year students. The sampled students, if they have attained the majority age, or their parents, will be contacted and scope of the study explained to them with focus on extending long-term economic benefits to the families for improving academic outcomes of their children, and informed consent obtained. Scholarships and extended benefits to the student’s families will be the treatment. While students in the experimental group will begin receiving benefits immediately, those in the control group will begin receiving benefits after the study. Standardized test will be administered at the beginning of a term before commencing the financial help to the treatment group. Another standardized test will be administered after two months, together with administration of self-efficacy questionnaire. Data will then be analyzed for difference in performance between the two groups and for relationship between self-efficacy and performance in mathematics score. Mathematics score is a measure of students’ ability to learn the subject. Using standard test to measure it alongside other factors informs on possible effects of the factors on students’ ability to learn the subject and therefore on effectiveness of standardized tests to measure students’ ability to learn the subject. Experimental and survey designs are suitable for the scope and objective of the study and this justifies the methods that also guarantees reliability and validity of the study’s results. The proposed methods also ensure ethical research through informed consent and eliminated bias that are potential concerns. Literature Review Perceptions Towards Standardized Testing Mixed opinions exist on effectiveness of standardized tests. Magee and Jones (2012), in evaluating consistency of a tool for measuring attitude towards standardized testing, identified the tool’s internal consistency and an indication that respondents supported the use of standardized testing. The authors did not however investigate opinion on the tests and their recommendation that diversified opinions should be considered in the debate over the test identifies their assumption that the possible diversified views are significant to the debate. The case of a parent who appealed for her daughter’s exemption from standard computer that O’Brien, Russell, and Kirsten (2014) reported, test is an example that demonstrates opinion against standardized testing. In the case, state laws provided for the tests that aimed at evaluating students’ competence in math and reading but the parent argued that schools took more time conducting the tests than teaching students. Validity of the claim would mean that standard tests are not effective for both math and reading because of lack of desired learning that can be evaluated. A poll on people’s attitude towards standardized tests, amidst increasing number of requirements for tests and as Bushaw and Lopez (2013) report, shows that standardized tests are not popular among the public. According to the collected data from the United States, most people believe that available tests have not helped in improving students’ performance. Parents also disregards students’ standardized tests results as measure of teachers’ performance and this suggest unreliability of the tests and political stakeholders such as teachers unions and politicians in the opposition politicians have reflected significance of the parents’ opinion (Edwards, 2015; Levine, n.d.). Colleges have also shifted from reliance on standardized tests for admission and the trend suggests weaknesses of the tests (Roach, 2014). Confounding Factors to Effectiveness of Standardized Tests A comparative study on standardized tests in a diversified school population noted that cultural orientation influences students’ performance on standardized tests. Focusing on an industrial set up, Richards, Vining, and Weiner (2010) noted that non-aboriginal students responded to quality of education than did aboriginal student and that concentrated population of non-aboriginal students enhances performance of aboriginal students. Diversity, in another study, however reported an opposite result with minority populations being disadvantaged (McNeal and Lawrence, 2009). Difference in learning concepts, which may depend on every individual teacher or school is another factor to performance and therefore undermines reliability of standardized tests. A study by Kim et al. (2014) investigated effects of an Integrated Curriculum Model on performance, based on standardized tests, and noted that the model improved students’ performance. The results, if inferred to other learning models that may be different across teachers, means that standardized tests are not appropriate. Availability of facilities such as computer and the internet also influence students’ performance on standardized tests (Zhou et al., 2012) and standardized tests remain inaccurate in the presence of such disparities. Confounding factors to effectiveness of standardized tests on testing mathematics A test is reliable if it is free from confounding factors but this may not be the case with standardized tests. Empirical results suggest that environmental factors affect students’ performance and conducting standardized tests under different environmental factors induces bias on results. Economic, social, and cultural factors are examples of environmental factors to tests and are particularly significant to performance in mathematics. The factors, according to Claro, Cabello, San Martin, and Nussbaum (2015), are less significant to reliability of standardized tests on reading. Self-efficacy is another identified significant factor to students’ performance in mathematics and is therefore an underlying threat to reliability of standardized tests (Wendell, 2015). New Developments on Effectiveness of Standardized Tests for Mathematics Development of new types of standardized tests could undermine the identified weaknesses. Newer standardized tests have been effective in evaluation of math teachers, though not in evaluating teachers in other subjects and this suggests possible effectiveness of new tests in evaluating students’ competence in math (Gray, 2010). In what appears to be a correction of previous bias of old standardized tests, especially with respect to gender, new tests shows better performance among girls in math (The Globe and Mail Inc., 2014). Other programs can also be incorporated into the curriculum to moderate such bias as technological bias that could affect performance in math (Verizon, 2014). The literature review identifies negative attitude towards standardized tests, many factors to validity and reliability of standardized tests in general and standardized tests for math, and possible improvement in effectiveness of standardized tests for mathematics. The current study seeks to validate effectiveness of current standardized tests for math with the aim of informing policy makers on decisions on the current tests. References Barton, M. (2008). A study of the response to accountability and standardized testing in a state university system: Predictive models, gatekeeping strategies, and intervention in teacher education. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest. Bushaw, W. and Lopez, S. (2013). Which way do we go? American policy makers are forging ahead with education initiatives, but they may be leaving Americans behind and out of the loop. Phi Delta Kappan 95(1), 9-25. Claro, M., Cabello, T., San Martin, E., and Nussbaum, M. (2015). Comparing marginal effects of Chilean students’ economic, social, ad cultural status on digital versus reading and mathematics performance. Computers & Education 82, 1-10. Edwards, H. (2015). Leaving tests behind: The backlash against standardized tests has left lawmakers searching for ways to keep parents happy yet still hold schools, and students, accountable. Time 185(5), 28-31. Gray, J. (2010). Are principals good at identifying effective teachers? A comparison of teachers’ principal ratings and residual gain on standardized tests. University of Kansas. 1-67. Kim, K. et al. (2014). Assessing science reasoning and conceptual understanding in the primary grades using standardized and performance-based assessments. Journal of Advanced Academics 25(1), 47-66. Levine, J. (n.d.). The test: Why our schools are obsessed with standardized testing-But you don’t have to be, Anya Kamenetz. Publishers Weekly. 81. Magee, R. and Jones, B. (2012). An instrument to access beliefs about standardized testing: Measuring the influence of epistemology on the endorsement of standardized testing. Australian Journal of Educational & Developmental Psychology 12, 71-82. McNeal, K. and Lawrence, S. (2009). Teachers from the “neighborhood”: Standardized testing as a barrier to certification of minority candidates. Online Yearbook of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research. 1-12. Morra-Imas, L., Morra, L., and Rist, R. (2009). The road to results: Designing and conducting effective development evaluations. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications. O’Brien, J., Winn, R., and Currier, K. (2014). Not all tests are created equal: Parental rights and standardized tests. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership 17(2), 41-48. Richards, J., Vining, A. and Weiner, D. (2010). Aboriginal performance on standard tests: Evidenc and analysis from provincial schools in British Columbia. Policy Studies Journal 38(1), 47-67. Roach, R. (2014). Teaching to the test: Concerns about the use of standardized tests persist in American education. Diverse Issues in Higher Education 31(3), 32-34. The Globe and Mail Inc. (2014). Girls close the gap; New standardized test show grade 8 girls are making gains in reading and math. However, educators and industry leaders are still struggling to understand how to attract more women to careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Kate Hammer reports. Globe & Mail. Verizon. (2014). New national research indicates teacher professional development program to integrate mobile technology may have positive impact on students’ standardized math test score. PR Newswire. Wendell, K. (2015). The moderating effect of self-efficacy on normal-weight, overweight, and obese children’s math achievement: A longitudinal analysis. Social Science & Medicine 128, 168-177. Wolberg, L. (2013). Psychotherapy and behavioral sciences: Contributions of the biological, psychological, social, and philosophic fields to psychotherapeutic theory and process. New York, NY: Elsevier. Wood, D., Eichner-LeFrank, L., Wood, S., and Braus, J. (n.d.). Environmental education in the schools creating a program that works. Washington, DC: DIANE Publishing. Zhou, L. et al. (2012). The relationship between computer and internet use and performance on standardized tests b secondary school students with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness 106(10), 609-621. Read More