Background: Although the generation of errors has been thought, traditionally, to impair learning, recent studies indicate that, under particular feedback conditions, the commission of errors may have a beneficial effect. Aims: This study investigates the teaching strategies that facilitate learning from errors. Materials and Methods: This 2-year…

This paper explores students' preparatory processes for high-stakes exams using Danish oral exams as an example. To graduate, students must convince two teacher-examiners as the state's representatives that they deserve to pass. Average grades determine students' admission into tertiary education. Fieldwork data following students transitioning…

At the end of Primary 6, students in Singapore schools take a national examination, the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Society at large view the PSLE as a highstakes examination. In addition to out-of-class work assigned by mathematics teachers for students to prepare for the PSLE mathematics, parents may also draw on out-ofschool…

This study, designed as a basic qualitative research, aims to evaluate the perspectives of Turkish teachers regarding the nationally implemented large-scale assessments in specific subjects. By employing purposive sampling methods, particularly maximum variation sampling, 14 teachers with different seniorities and branches from various high…

Preparing for high-stakes licensure exams can be daunting for teacher candidates and particularly intimidating for aspiring teachers who speak English as a second language, those with exceptionalities, and members of historically marginalized communities (Petchauer, 2015; Nettles et al., 2011; Tyler, 2011). University-based teacher educators are…

This study aimed to explore the relationship between students' understanding of the National Matriculation English Test (NMET) and their learning practices through standard multiple regression (SMR) and structural equation modeling (SEM) with the purpose of unraveling the working mechanism of washback. A total number of 3105 Chinese senior high…

Performance on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is the primary criterion for university admission in South Korea. High-school seniors typically spend 60 hours or more per week preparing for the CSAT. Private tutoring for the CSAT accounts for nearly 2% of the Korean economy. These investments signify the high stakes attached to the CSAT.…

We examine longitudinal data from 120,384 students who took a version of the PSAT/SAT in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. We investigate score changes over time and show that socioeconomic status (SES) is related to the degree of score improvement. We note that the 9th and 10th grade PSAT are low-stakes tests, while the operational SAT is a…

High-stakes reading tests significantly influence one's future success, leading many second language learners to engage in intensive test preparation. This study examines nine TOEFL reading preparation lectures from two popular cram schools, or [foreign characters omitted] "hagwons," in Korea, with a total duration of five hours and…

A state in the Midwest region of the United States passed legislation that ties the advancement of students in the third grade to achieving a level of proficiency on a required state assessment in English. The legislation also ties high school graduation to achieving a level of proficiency on a series of required state assessments in English,…

Many quality assurance policies for teacher education are linked to the assessment of their training and although this is widely studied, the subjects' perspectives have not been taken into consideration. This study sought to answer: how do the subjects perceive these education assessments and how do those assessments influence their training? A…

The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE-A), a widely used high-stakes language proficiency test for university admissions and migration purposes, underwent a notable change from a three-hour to a two-hour version in November 2021. The implementation of the new version has prompted inquiries into the washback effects on various stakeholders.…

Of the many possible institutional and individual factors bearing on test preparation, one is how individuals go about choosing their achievement goals. Yet, the literature on the relationship between the two phenomena remains slim. The objectives of this study are twofold. First, it explores the range of test preparation practices exercised by…

This paper assesses the role of shadow education (SE), i.e., organised learning activities outside formal schooling, in the lives of secondary school students of different social backgrounds and in different school settings, in a high-stakes context. It draws on multilevel analysis of longitudinal Growing Up in Ireland data, alongside narratives…

Many states and universities have testing requirements within their undergraduate teacher education programs for obtaining teaching licensure. These tests include the Praxis Core in reading, writing, and mathematics taken at the beginning of their program and content area assessments near the end of their study. Many students struggle to pass…