What "Being Wrong" on Classroom Assessments Means to Students

• In Event: 31.091 - Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 31.091-14 - Student Roles and Voice in Classroom Assessment

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to understand the perspectives of students in the context of their assessment-related learning errors and mistakes, and the impact of these perspectives on subsequent learning. Semi-structured interviews of 63 elementary and middle school students focused in part on their thinking and feeling about being wrong on assessment tasks. Students' were keenly interested in whether their answers were correct, not distressed when not being correct, and motivated by mistakes to study and learn. The findings suggest that self-regulation is enhanced when students experience learning errors on challenging assessments.

Authors

• James H. McMillan, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Amanda Turner, Connecticut State Department of Education

• Amy C Hutton, Virginia Commonwealth University