Assessment for well-being
Status
Project phase ongoing
Acronym
Afw
Alternative Title
Beurteilung und Wohlbefinden in der Schule
Assessment to support well-being in education
Project contact PHSG
Classroom assessments often cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This can lead to poor learning strategies and truancy. When well-being improves, motivation, satisfaction and performance increase. The project investigates how different assessment practices of teachers affect pupils' well-being at school and their test anxiety.
Lay Summary Lead
Classroom assessments often cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This can lead to poor learning strategies and truancy. When well-being improves, motivation, satisfaction and performance increase. The project investigates how different assessment practices of teachers affect pupils' well-being at school and their test anxiety.
Lay Summary
Assessments are often cited as significant sources of anxiety and low self-esteem among students, contributing to stress and negative emotional states that can hinder both preparation and performance. A survey conducted in Zürich highlighted that school assessments, grades, and academic pressure are substantial concerns for many secondary students, affecting both genders. This aligns with data from the EU, where approximately 60% of school students report tension when studying for tests. Anxiety in learning can lead to avoidance and the adoption of ineffective learning strategies, negatively impacting long-term engagement with education. The adverse effects of high-anxiety assessment practices can extend into adulthood, affecting individuals' motivation and capacity for lifelong learning.
Research indicates that promoting well-being in educational settings can enhance motivation, academic satisfaction, and performance while reducing behavioural issues such as truancy. In Switzerland and other countries, formative assessments, which emphasize feedback and learning over grades, are more prevalent in primary education, while secondary education often relies on summative assessments. Studies, such as those by Feldman (2020), show that grades in summative assessments can cause significant anxiety for students. Alternative formative methods have been proposed to reduce anxiety and encourage a cultural shift in how assessments are perceived within education.
In St. Gallen, teachers have the option to forego grading in examinations since 2020, with approximately 15% of secondary school teachers opting for this approach. This change raises questions about how non-graded assessments affect student anxiety and well-being compared to traditional grading. The current research intends to evaluate the types of assessment practices used by teachers (e.g. more formative versus more summative) and their impact on students’ test anxiety and school-related well-being. The study will use self-reported measures of test anxiety and incorporate psychophysiological data, such as electrodermal activity and heart rate variability, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how different assessment methods influence student emotions and overall educational experiences.
Research indicates that promoting well-being in educational settings can enhance motivation, academic satisfaction, and performance while reducing behavioural issues such as truancy. In Switzerland and other countries, formative assessments, which emphasize feedback and learning over grades, are more prevalent in primary education, while secondary education often relies on summative assessments. Studies, such as those by Feldman (2020), show that grades in summative assessments can cause significant anxiety for students. Alternative formative methods have been proposed to reduce anxiety and encourage a cultural shift in how assessments are perceived within education.
In St. Gallen, teachers have the option to forego grading in examinations since 2020, with approximately 15% of secondary school teachers opting for this approach. This change raises questions about how non-graded assessments affect student anxiety and well-being compared to traditional grading. The current research intends to evaluate the types of assessment practices used by teachers (e.g. more formative versus more summative) and their impact on students’ test anxiety and school-related well-being. The study will use self-reported measures of test anxiety and incorporate psychophysiological data, such as electrodermal activity and heart rate variability, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how different assessment methods influence student emotions and overall educational experiences.
Relation to the professional field
Research project
Topic PHSG
Keywords
Fields of Science and Technology (OECD)
Project contact PHSG
Consortium Coordinator
Consortium Coordinator(s)
Principal Investigator
Investigators
| Funder | Start | End | Award URL Funder | Grant Number Funder | Funder Program |
February 1, 2025 | January 31, 2029 | 10HW-9_228543 | Health Research and Wellbeing at UAS and UTE | ||
Note on the external funding