Attitudes of behaviorally disordered students toward tests.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Special Education
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Understanding student attitudes towards testing is crucial for educational assessment.
• Previous assumptions suggested behaviorally disordered students hold more negative views on testing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare attitudes toward testing between behaviorally disordered students and their regular classroom peers.
• To investigate potential differences in test-related perceptions and aspirations.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted comparing attitude surveys of behaviorally disordered and average/regular classroom students.
• Study 1 involved 12 behaviorally disordered and 25 average 5th/6th graders; Study 2 used matched samples of 25 behaviorally disordered and 25 regular students with a longer measure.

Main Results:

• Study 1 found behaviorally disordered students reported less positive attitudes, particularly regarding subjective experiences and performance aspirations.
• Study 2, using a more extensive measure, did not find significant attitude differences between the groups.
• Attitude differences were less pronounced when evaluating the inherent value of tests.

Conclusions:

• Attitudes toward testing appear inconsistent among behaviorally disordered students compared to their peers.
• The assumption of universally negative attitudes towards testing in behaviorally disordered students may be overstated.
• Further research is needed to understand the nuances of test attitudes in diverse student populations.