Testing Times? Exploring How Pupils Reacted to 2020 COVID-19 GCSE and A Level Exam Cancellation
Saved in:
| Title: | Testing Times? Exploring How Pupils Reacted to 2020 COVID-19 GCSE and A Level Exam Cancellation |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Francesca Mccarthy (ORCID |
| Source: | Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. 2024 30(7-8):1056-1069. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Secondary School Students, Exit Examinations, Standardized Tests, High Stakes Tests, COVID-19, Pandemics, Student Attitudes, School Closing, Educational Change, Evaluation Criteria, Measurement Objectives |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom (England) |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13540602.2022.2098268 |
| ISSN: | 1354-0602 1470-1278 |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the reactions of English pupils who were preparing for GCSE and A-Level examinations to the 2020 exam cancellations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, it addresses a gap in international research related to high stakes testing by presenting pupils' perspectives. It uses a Bourdieusian framework to explore the role that exams played within the everyday educational experiences of four secondary school pupils. I demonstrate that pupils displayed an exam-oriented habitus which both recognised and was critical of exams as part of the wider 'game' of education. The 2020 GCSE and A-Level exam cancellation disrupted this habitus, leading participants to critically question and challenge an exam-focused education system. With the current uncertainty regarding the 2021 GCSE and A-Level exams in England, this paper argues that listening to the voices of young people also has two implications for wider consideration. Young people are uniquely positioned to comment critically on the quality of education systems which focus on high stake assessment. Listening to such criticality realises the potential for equity, engaging with voices which have previously gone unheard. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1440107 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the reactions of English pupils who were preparing for GCSE and A-Level examinations to the 2020 exam cancellations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, it addresses a gap in international research related to high stakes testing by presenting pupils' perspectives. It uses a Bourdieusian framework to explore the role that exams played within the everyday educational experiences of four secondary school pupils. I demonstrate that pupils displayed an exam-oriented habitus which both recognised and was critical of exams as part of the wider 'game' of education. The 2020 GCSE and A-Level exam cancellation disrupted this habitus, leading participants to critically question and challenge an exam-focused education system. With the current uncertainty regarding the 2021 GCSE and A-Level exams in England, this paper argues that listening to the voices of young people also has two implications for wider consideration. Young people are uniquely positioned to comment critically on the quality of education systems which focus on high stake assessment. Listening to such criticality realises the potential for equity, engaging with voices which have previously gone unheard. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1354-0602 1470-1278 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13540602.2022.2098268 |
