Another nail for traditional testing

I was going to say another nail in the coffin, but sadly there is no coffin yet.

This time, the problem is something that a new study calls the N-Effect, which shows that having more competitors lowers test scores.

The abstract is below the jump, but the conclusion is clear: standardized test scores are anything but standard. Even something as simple as the number of other people in the room while you are taking the test can affect your score.

In other words, context matters. And if we want to know what people really can do–how they can solve complex problems, and think about things that matter in the world, we need new ways of thinking about learning and about assessment.

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The paper is The N-Effect: More Competitors, Less Competition, by Stephen M. Garcia, University of Michigan and Avishalom Tor, University of Haifa – Faculty of Law

The discovery that increasing the number of competitors (N) can decrease competitive motivation. Studies 1a-b found evidence that average test scores (e.g., SAT scores) fall as the average number of test-takers at test-taking venues increases. Study 2 found that individuals trying to finish an easy quiz among the top 20 percent in terms of speed finished significantly faster if they believed they were competing in a pool of 10 versus 100 other people. Using a social comparison orientation (SCO) scale, Study 3 showed the N-Effect occurs strongly among those high in SCO and weakly among those low in SCO. Study 4 directly linked the N-Effect to social comparison, ruling out the “ratio-bias” and finding that social comparison becomes less important as N increases. Finally, Study 5 found the N-Effect is mediated by social comparison. Limitations, future directions, and implications are discussed.

Originally posted 2009-10-11 21:05:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter