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Exams, tests & assessments - do they motivate people to learn?

Exams, tests and end-of-course assessment that do not allow students to agree learning goals with their tutors are likely to undermine their confidence rather than get them motivated, according to a new report from the Learning and Skills Development Agency's (LSDA) research centre.

The report is based on the findings of a research review that set out to investigate whether summative assessment - a term that covers end-of-course exams, tests and portfolios of work - has a positive or negative effect on students' motivation.

There is a wealth of existing research about the impact of assessment on school pupils, but considerably less about its impact on students aged 16 plus, particularly in less formal situations. The review, which draws conclusions from existing research on assessment, was carried out for LSDA by researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Sussex and written by Professor Harry Torrance, Head of Research in the Institute of Education, Manchester Metropolitan University

Main findings

• Many learners (students) fear tests and there is evidence they can precipitate drop-out and deter progression. Adult learners, in particular, can suffer "fear and panic" at the thought of testing, sometimes as a result of negative experiences when they were at school - while some see testing as a form of competition which they dislike as it undermines trust in the classroom. But despite testing being generally unpopular, there is not enough conclusive evidence to prove whether tests do more harm than good.

• Learners of all ages normally prefer coursework assessment and on-going practical tests to end-of-course exams. But coursework assessment can create its own problems, including excessive workload and misunderstandings about assessment procedures and criteria. "Attempts to provide clarity of objectives and processes often simply encourage excessive and instrumental evidence gathering," says the report.

• Assessment policies that actively engage tutors and learners in discussing learning goals and assessment criteria are more effective in raising achievement and improving retention and those which do not: "Negotiating learning objectives and recording learning outcomes is coming common practice in less formal education," says the report.

• The motivation of individuals to continue in education, or to return to learning at all, often relates to factors such as the need to gain qualifications. But their motivation to succeed is more likely to be linked to intrinsic issues, including levels of social or educational support.

• A key lesson is that the increased use of negotiated learning objectives in less formal adult education, including return-to-learn programmes, can provide a useful model for college-based and work-based assessment.

This research is timely, given the review of the national qualifications framework, being conducted by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and concerns that many students are being over-tested. (A revised framework is due to be published later this year.) At the same time, the working group that is reviewing 14-19 qualifications, chaired by Mike Tomlinson, is also reviewing assessment methods to see if they are appropriate to all styles of learning.

"There is increasing concern that there is too much assessment in the English education system - and there is evidence that summative assessment and testing do more harm than good," says Maggie Greenwood, research manager at LSDA. "We need to find different ways of measuring achievement that motivate people rather than undermining their confidence. We also need to find out why some learners seem to cope far better than others with exams and tests. The research suggests that assessment policies and methods that encourage the active engagement of tutors and learners in feedback will be more effective in improving retention and raising achievement that those that do not. It is vital that teachers gain a greater understanding of the consequences of different types of testing."

The report concludes that involving learners in negotiating their own objectives and recording outcomes has the most positive potential and needs to be explored further. It stresses the importance of monitoring, support and feedback on programmes as fundamental to improving retention and achievement. Motivation is regarded a key variable in post-school success.

The report recommends:

• that assessment policies are explored more fully to see how they can underpin, rather than undermine, motivation.
• more work at local levels to develop the skills of teachers and trainers to help them with coursework assessment and portfolio completion.
• more research to find out what kinds of assessment and support make a positive difference and in what circumstances.

'Do summative assessment and testing have a positive or negative effect on post-16 learners' motivation for learning in the learning and skills sector? - a research review' is available from the LSDA, Regent Arcade House, 19-25 Argyll Street, London, W1F 7LS. Tel: 020 7297 9144.

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