Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs about High-stakes Testing and Their Working Environments - Volume 28 Number 30 March 2, 2020

Oct 15, 2026

In this exploratory mixed methods survey study, preservice teachers (n=379) report their experiences with high-stakes testing and share beliefs about accountability and the role and efficacy of such testing in education and their future profession. Using Likert, vignette, and open-ended responses, findings show that experiences and beliefs vary by gender, ethnicity, and prior exposure. Participants generally disliked the tests they took in high school; however, those who took them during the NCLB era also viewed high-stakes testing as beneficial overall.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

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education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University Volume 28 Number 30 March 2, 2020 ISSN 1068-2341 Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs about High-stakes Testing and Their Working Environments Sharon L. Nichols & Shon Brewington University of Texas at San Antonio United States Citation: Nichols, S. L., & Brewington, S. (2020) . Preservice teachers’ beliefs about high-stakes testing and their working environments. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28(30) . [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.4877](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.4877) Abstract: In this exploratory mixed methods survey study, we assess preservice teachers’(n=379) experiences with and beliefs about their high-stakes testing experiences and analyze how they relate to their beliefs about the role and efficacy of high-stakes testing in education and their future profession. Using Likert, vignette, and open-ended response opportunities, we gauged preservice teachers’ beliefs about accountability and the role of high-stakes testing in three ways: (a) what are their personal experiences with high-stakes testing, (b) what are their their beliefs about accountability and high-stakes testing in general, and (c) what role does accountability (and testing pressures) play in their future workplace preferences? Results indicate that preservice teachers’ experiences with and beliefs about high-stakes testing accountability vary based on gender, ethnicity, and previous experiences with high-stakes tests. Importantly, although in aggregate our participants reported they generally disliked the high-stakes tests they personally had to take in high school, subgroup analyses reveal that for those who took them during the NCLB era, they also saw high-stakes tests as good thing for education overall. Preservice teachers who were younger and “grew up” under NCLB and the height of high-stakes testing believed high-stakes tests to be a waste of time for them personally, but a useful way to evaluate teachers as an educational policy. Vignette and qualitative analyses of workplace preferences and rationales underscore some of the assumptions our preservice teachers hold about high-stakes testing as a policy mechanism to help explain this finding. We conclude with implications for policy and future research. Keywords: preservice teachers; high-stakes testing; teacher beliefs Creencias de los maestros de pre-servicio sobre las pruebas de alto riesgo y susentornos de trabajo Resumen: En este estudio exploratorio de encuesta de métodos mixtos, evaluamos lasexperiencias y creencias de los maestros de pre-servicio (n = 379) sobre sus experiencias de pruebas de alto riesgo y analizamos cómo informan a sus creencias sobre el papel y la eficacia de las pruebas de alto riesgo en educación y su futura profesión. Usando respuestas (Likert, viñeta y abierta), evaluamos las creencias de los maestros de pre-servicio sobre la rendición de cuentas y el papel de las pruebas de alto riesgo de tres maneras: (a) cuáles son sus experiencias personales con las pruebas de alto riesgo, (b) ¿Cuáles son sus creencias sobre la rendición de cuentas y las pruebas de alto riesgo en general, y (b) qué papel desempeña la rendición de cuentas (y las presiones de las pruebas) en sus futuras preferencias laborales? Los resultadosindican que las experiencias y creencias de los maestros de pre-servicio con respecto a larendición de cuentas de las pruebas de alto riesgo varían según el género, el origen étnico y las experiencias previas con las pruebas de alto riesgo. Es importante destacar que, aunque en conjunto nuestros participantes informaron que generalmente no les gustaban las pruebas dealto riesgo que personalmente tenían que tomar en la escuela secundaria, los análisis de subgrupos revelan que para aquellos que los tomaron durante la era NCLB, también vieron las pruebas de alto riesgo como algo bueno para educación en

FAQs

What does the study examine about preservice teachers?

It examines preservice teachers’ experiences with high-stakes testing and how those experiences relate to their beliefs about accountability, the role, and efficacy of high-stakes testing in education and their future profession.

How were beliefs measured in the study?

Beliefs were assessed using Likert items, vignette responses, and open-ended response opportunities.

What main pattern does the study report about attitudes toward high-stakes testing?

Although participants generally disliked the tests they had to take in high school, subgroup analyses show that those tested during the NCLB era also saw high-stakes tests as good for education overall.

Oct 15, 2026

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