Examining the Relations Between Emotions, Importance, and Expended Effort During a Low-Stakes Institutional Accountability Test

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Student Experience and Assessment in Higher Education

Abstract

Results from tests students complete for institutional accountability purposes are high-stakes for universities but often low-stakes for students. Thus, assessment practitioners seek to understand variables related to test-taking effort. We examined whether fluctuations in test-taking emotions and perceived test importance during an institutional accountability test related to fluctuations in expended effort. Data were collected from 768 students during a 29-item knowledge test. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we examined within-examinee relations between emotions, importance, and effort during the test. Anger and boredom were significant within-examinee predictors of effort. Furthermore, the within-examinee relation between emotions and effort varied significantly between examinees. Implications for assessment practice consider the influence of emotions on the quality of inferences made regarding student learning from assessment data.

Authors

• Beth Perkins, Association of American Colleges and Universities

• Dena A. Pastor, James Madison University

• Sara J. Finney, James Madison University