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DOI :10.26650/JECS2019-0101   IUP :10.26650/JECS2019-0101    Full Text (PDF)

High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers

Yunus Emre Ömür, Bünyamin Bavlı

In the literature, there is criticism that standardization in education affects the meaning of the teaching profession, the daily practice of the profession, increases the workload of the teacher and acts as a control mechanism on the teacher. The aim of this study is to analyze standard exams and standard programs in terms of the teacher’s professional identity and practices, based on the teachers’ own experiences. For this purpose, the research was carried out with a phenomenological design, which is one of the qualitative research designs.. The participants of the study were determined by using the purposive sampling technique, which is one of the purposive sampling techniques. Therefore, the study group of the current research consisted of 12 secondary school teachers who had the experience of preparing students for standardized exams, and whose branch was included in those exams. Research data were obtained through in-depth interview and focus group interview techniques, and analyzed with the content analysis method. As a result of the analysis, two themes were created under the title of “Teachers Turning into Technicians” and “Exam Oriented Teaching”. These themes are presented and discussed with quotations from the participants’ views.

Keywords: Standardized exams, standardized program, teacher identity
DOI :10.26650/JECS2019-0101   IUP :10.26650/JECS2019-0101    Full Text (PDF)

Standart Sınavlar ve Dönüşen Öğretmen Kimliği

Yunus Emre Ömür, Bünyamin Bavlı

Standart sınavlar ve standart öğretim programları, eğitimin bütün paydaşlarını etkileyen unsurlardır. Standart sınavlardan en çok etkilenen unsurlardan biri öğrenci ise diğeri de öğretmen olmuştur. İlgili alan yazın incelendiğinde eğitimde standartlaşmanın öğretmenlik mesleğinin anlamını, mesleğin günlük pratiklerini etkilediği, öğretmenin iş yükünü artırdığı ve öğretmen üzerinde bir denetim mekanizması işlevi gördüğüne dair eleştirilerin mevcut olduğu görülmektedir. Bu tartışmalardan hareketle gerçekleştirilmiş olan bu çalışmanın amacı ise standart sınavların ve standart programın öğretmenin mesleki kimliği ve pratikleri üzerindeki etkisinin öğretmenlerin kendi deneyimlerine dayanarak çözümlenmesi olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda araştırma, nitel araştırma desenlerinden biri olan olgubilim deseni ile yürütülmüştür. Olgubilim deseni, bireylerin deneyimledikleri olgulara ilişkin öznel kavrayışlarını derinlemesine çözümlemek üzere yürütülen araştırmalar için uygun bir desendir. Araştırmanın katılımcıları amaçlı örnekleme tekniklerinden biri olan ölçüt örnekleme yöntemi ile belirlenmiştir. Dolayısıyla araştırmanın çalışma grubu, öğrencilerini standart sınavlara hazırlama deneyimi olan ve branşı standart sınavların kapsamına giren 12 ortaokul öğretmeninden meydana gelmiştir. Araştırma verileri, derinlemesine görüşme ve odak grup görüşmesi teknikleriyle elde edilmiş olup içerik analizi yöntemi ile çözümlenmiştir. Analiz sonucunda ise “Öğretmenin Teknisyenleşmesi” ve “Sınav Öncelikli Öğretim” başlığı altında iki tema oluşturulmuş olup bu temalar, katılımcı görüşlerinden yapılan alıntılar ile sunularak tartışılmıştır.

Keywords: Standart sınavlar, standart program, öğretmen kimliği

EXTENDED ABSTRACT


High stakes testing has been adopted by many countries around the world, and Turkey is one of the countries practicing to meet the increasing demand for higher education since 1974, and as a tool for transition to secondary education since 1990 (Gür, Çelik, Coşkun, 2013). High stakes testing, used for classification, ranking and accountability, also coincides with neoliberal individualism (Au, 2016, Hursh, 2005; Hursh, 2007, Wright, 2002). Reductionist and individualist understanding criticize high stakes testing for deepening race and social class inequalities in education (Au, 2009; Darling-Hammond, 2007). Furthermore, it is crystal clear that achievement on high stakes testing only reflects the academic status of the students, while education also aims at sociological, cultural, individual and psychological development. On the other hand, high stakes testing influences and directs the teaching practices of the teachers in a negative way (Abrams, Pedulla, & Madaus, 2003; Ford, 2018; Minarechová, 2012; Kilickaya, 2016). However, it is not assumed that high stakes testing guarantees deep learning, balance of knowledge, skills and attainment, student centered teaching, and teacher autonomy (Au, 2010; Belbin, 2016; Gunzenhauser, 2003; Nelson, 2013; Schneider, Egan & Julian, 2013). Foucault (1992) argues that the individual is kept under control by being disciplined through examinations, and that the examination is not merely a sanction of the learning process; he adds that this is one of the continuous factors of this process and encompasses learning according to a continuous power game. The aim of this study is to analyze standard exams and standard programs in terms of the teacher’s professional identity and practices based on the teachers’ own experiences. 

The qualitative research design and phenomenological inquiry were managed in the study to obtain data. Purposive sampling techniques, are aligned with the qualitative paradigm employed in the study. Within this respect, on a voluntary basis, 12 secondary school teachers serving at various public elementary schools in the Marmara region and experienced in preparing students for the high stakes testing were invited in the study. In-depth interviews and focus group interviews are the main data collection instruments operated in the study. The content analysis method was applied to analyze the obtained data. 

Results of the study revealed two themes: “Teachers Turning into Technicians” and “Exam Oriented Teaching”. Parental pressure, administrative pressure, time pressure, pressure for achievement, loss of teacher autonomy, and motivation, cooperation between management and teachers are the sub-themes examined under the main theme of “Teachers Turning into Technicians”. Additionally, the main theme of “Exam Oriented Teaching” involves sub-themes such as exam-based teaching activities, a major obstacle to practical teaching and higher-order thinking. In this case, it can be easily expressed that high stakes testing exposes teachers to pressure from school management, principals, parents, communities and other teachers (Ford, 2018). In addition to that, teachers feel pressure to achieve the minimum expected level of achievement. This forces teachers to compete with their colleagues beyond collaboration.

Finally, time pressure brings along a faceted and memorized path in teaching, giving priority to theory rather than practice, and eliminating the possibility of teaching in accordance with the existing educational philosophy, such as prioritizing individual differences and individualized teaching. As a matter of fact, Lundström and Holm (2011) proved in their study that high stakes testing corrupts traditional teachers’ values, and causes teachers to lose control over their professions because of an increasing competition among teachers. Jennings and Bearak (2014) empirically demonstrated that the use of standardized exams in the context of accountability has led teachers to plan and implement teaching activities depending on test achievement, and that student performance is assessed based on test results. Kılıçkaya (2016) states that standardized exams lead to the disregard of teaching of skills, such as listening, speaking and writing skills, which are very important in foreign language teaching.


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APA

Ömür, Y.E., & Bavlı, B. (2020). High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, 0(1), 117-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101


AMA

Ömür Y E, Bavlı B. High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers. Journal of Economy Culture and Society. 2020;0(1):117-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101


ABNT

Ömür, Y.E.; Bavlı, B. High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, [Publisher Location], v. 0, n. 1, p. 117-137, 2020.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Ömür, Yunus Emre, and Bünyamin Bavlı. 2020. “High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0, no. 1: 117-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101


Chicago: Humanities Style

Ömür, Yunus Emre, and Bünyamin Bavlı. “High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0, no. 1 (Dec. 2024): 117-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101


Harvard: Australian Style

Ömür, YE & Bavlı, B 2020, 'High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers', Journal of Economy Culture and Society, vol. 0, no. 1, pp. 117-137, viewed 27 Dec. 2024, https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Ömür, Y.E. and Bavlı, B. (2020) ‘High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers’, Journal of Economy Culture and Society, 0(1), pp. 117-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101 (27 Dec. 2024).


MLA

Ömür, Yunus Emre, and Bünyamin Bavlı. “High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society, vol. 0, no. 1, 2020, pp. 117-137. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101


Vancouver

Ömür YE, Bavlı B. High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers. Journal of Economy Culture and Society [Internet]. 27 Dec. 2024 [cited 27 Dec. 2024];0(1):117-137. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101 doi: 10.26650/JECS2019-0101


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Ömür, YunusEmre - Bavlı, Bünyamin. “High Stakes Testing and Transformation in the Occupational Identity of Teachers”. Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0/1 (Dec. 2024): 117-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0101



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Submitted04.12.2019
Accepted26.03.2020
Published Online11.09.2020

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