Beyond performance: Emotions before and after semi-high-stakes mathematics testing among school-aged students

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Student Well-being

Background:

• Testing is linked to negative emotions and reduced positive emotions compared to other classroom activities.
• Limited research exists on student emotions during high-stakes assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the development of happiness, relaxation, anxiety, and boredom from pre- to post-test.
• To investigate the impact of individual factors (gender, grade, perceived competence, performance) on emotions and emotional trajectories.

Main Methods:

• In-situ assessment of emotions immediately before and after a digital, semi-high-stakes mathematics assessment.
• Linear mixed-effects modeling used to analyze data from 2179 students across grades 3, 6, 8, and 9 in Finland.

Main Results:

• Students reported decreased positive emotions after the assessment.
• Individual factors significantly predicted emotional states and their changes.
• Boys and younger students reported more positive emotions; higher perceived competence correlated with better emotional states.

Conclusions:

• Student emotional states during assessments are influenced by individual characteristics and performance.
• Poor performance was associated with a decline in positive emotions.
• Further research on emotional regulation's impact on test performance is suggested.