04/18/23 1

'When I have a test, I feel like I'm heading to

my grave!’.

Language Tests: Motivators or

Demotivators?Faris Keblawi

Al-Qasemi Academy - Israel

fariskeb@gmail.com Saturday 10.04.2010

• Motivation – how teachers, parents and policy makers view it

• Tests – their power / how teachers use them / how students view tests

• Personal relevance

• the relationhsip between motivation and language tests

• When tests demotivate learners• When tests motivate learners• What learners do to overcome the

demotivating experiences

04/18/23 3

What is this presentation about?

Important remarks

• Research still ongoing• Not all data was analyzed• It is possible to interpret the data in more

than one way• The findings might be relevant to other

subjects as well

• Self determination theory –– autonomy, intrinsic, extrinsic motivation,

amotivation• Goal theories – difficulty/ specificity and

commitment – performance vs. mastery• Attribution theories – how individual perceive their experiences – locus of causality –locus of control

• Demotivation

04/18/23 5

Motivation

Characteristics of Motivation / demotivation

• Dynamic – Change in motivation intensity– Contextualtiy of motivation

• The general learning context• The specific learning context • The specific aspect of the learned language

• Complex – one can be motivated by more than one type of motive at a time

Circular – the notion of resultative motivation Motivation --------------- Success

Differences between motivation and demotivation

• Widespread use of languages tests to test learners / assessing candidates’ verbal abilities

• Different kinds of languages tests:– Proficiency tests - – Achievement tests – Diagnostic tests– Placement testsBut high stakes proficiency tests were ‘at the corner’ all the

time

04/18/23 8

Language tests

We are interested in these two tests

• Plenty of research on motivation and LLM / on language tests

• Little research on how tests affect LLM.• Tests as extrinsic motivators• Tests as demotivators

– Shohamy 2001– Problem with referring to tests’ related factors– Dörnyei (1998) – experiences of failure or lack of success were second in

frequency– Sakai and Kikuchi's (2009) – test scores were even more demotivating than

teachers’ behavior and competence.

• Tests as intrinsic motivators?!

Tests and motivation –What does research say?

04/18/23 9

How tests affect language learners’ motivation• Can language tests motivate learners? How?• Can language tests demotivate learners? How?• How language learners cope with the demotivating

experiences caused by tests?

04/18/23 10

Research issues

• Qualitative method – questions of HOW• semi-structured interviews• of 20 high school Arab learners of English,

divided equally between male and female learners.

• Good, average and weak students were included

• 6 teachers were interviewed as well. Not reported here.

Research method, tools and participants

04/18/23 11

When performing well in tests is perceived as a matter of chance

– “The tests do not reflect what the students know. Chance plays a role. If you get one multiple choice question wrong, you lose 10 points”. (Sh-F) - Attribution theory / Amotivation

Tests as demotivators

04/18/23 12

When perceived as not reflecting students’ abilities – lack validity

– “I had one student who had a native like accent with very sophisticated writing abilities. She wrote English poems that were enjoyable to read, but she didn’t use to do well in tests… It was difficult for me to give her exam papers back as I could read the frustration in her face and eyes ”. (F-F-teacher)

Tests as demotivators – cnt’d

04/18/23 13

When learners feel they are not ready for the test:

– ‘Before I came to this school the teacher would explain everything for us, a piece by piece…. On the day of the test we would be ready’

– ‘There is too much to study with little time’ - attribution

Tests as demotivators – cnt’d

04/18/23 14

• When the tests are perceived too difficult / unfair:

– ‘The tests are of high level. Since I feel I’m below average I do not do well. I try to study but in vain’. Goal Theories

• When the experiences of failure repeat:– ‘But..but after a while one loses

hope’ - amotivation

Tests as demotivators – cnt’d

04/18/23 15

• When other learners get higher marks because they cheat:– ‘About 10 students cheat in tests

and they get marks that they do not deserve. It’s not fair it is even frustrating’.

Tests as demotivators – cnt’d

04/18/23 16

Tests as motivators – Extrinsic motive

04/18/23 17

Study only for the testInterviewer – Well...If you were told the English tests

would be abolished, how would you react?Student: I’ll be extremely pleased...I mean any student will

be happy if tests were abolished...yes...we’ll be pleasedInterviewer: Now if they totally abolish all the English

tests, would you still sit at home and study English..review amm.. grammar and learn vocabulary

Student: [with much assertion] No! Of course not! This will never happen.

Tests as motivators – Extrinsic motive

04/18/23 18

The need to meet other’s expectations, family, teachers…

• I feel scared of the English test..and.. especially if my father wants me to do well in it’ (O-M)

• Avoiding punishment– ‘My dad will certainly punish me if I do

not get a high mark. But…I only think of test on the day of the test’..

Tests as motivators – Extrinsic motive

04/18/23 19

• Want to get a tangible benefit

– If my father promises to buy me something, then I make sure to get a high mark, even through cheating’ (copying from others). (A-M)

Tests as motivators – Extrinsic motive

04/18/23 20

An opportunity to get recognition

– ‘I didn’t usually get high scores in tests. In the last test I got a very high score and I felt proud when I talked to my teacher in the presence of my classmates. My teacher approached me and told me how proud he was of me. I decided to study harder in order to do well in all future tests’ – Note the circularity of motivation

Intrinsic motivation

04/18/23 21

Looking forward for tests:

Interviewer: ..and how do you feel when you have a test?

Student: English… I feel enthusiastic!Interviewer: Why do you feel so?Student: Because I love English and I know

that I will do well in the test.

Intrinsic motive – accomplishing a goal / stimulation

First reaction- letting it out!

The boys curse!

‘I started to curse the test…’ (N-M)‘ I immediately tear the paper apart’

The girls are more gentle!?‘When I do not do well, I cry!’‘I cried a bit…because my mark wasn’t that

good..but then … I forgot’

Coping with demotivation cnt’d

04/18/23 22

Ignore it, leave it to time or busy yourself with something else

•‘I played on my computer. I tried to forget and I throw away the exam paper... I do not see it [the exam paper] again and I won’t remember it. ….I throw it and forgot it!’

•‘We say [the girl and her friends], we do not want to talk about it…I try not to talk about it to others’

Coping with demotivation cnt’d

04/18/23 23

Working on one’s own self-esteem / motivation

‘I told myself… this is not the first or last test …[sometimes] one fails a test’ (F)

‘I convinced myself that I deserve more and that this mark does not reflect me’. (N-M)

‘I try to motivate myself by [saying to myself] that I will do better in the next test’. (O-M)

Coping with demotivation cnt’d

04/18/23 24

Accept / seek help from othersStudent: It’s not that I got a very low mark...but it

was a mark that did not suit me. The teacher told me she was surprised and she offered help. She asked me to go to her if there was anything I did not understand.

Interviewer: Did this help you? Student: Of course it did! I felt she cared about me

and loved me...and.. (RW-F)

Coping with demotivation cnt’d

04/18/23 25

Get more motivated! – reflect / learn from mistakes to do better

• I tried my best to know what I should do in order to do better in the future tests…and I improved. (S-M)

• ‘I examine the mistakes I made in order not to repeat them’. (F-M)

Coping with demoivation cont’d

04/18/23 26

• Tests can demotivate learners when:• performing well in tests is perceived as a

matter of chance• tests are perceived unfair / too difficult• when they lack validity – they do not reflect

learner’s knowledge• learners feel they are not ready to take a test• learners repeatedly fail them / get low marks• when other perform better through cheating

Conclusions

04/18/23 27

Conclusions

• Tests can extrinsically motivate learners:• Many learners study only for tests• When learners want to please / not

disappoint others• When learners want to avoid punishment • When learners want to get tangible benefits• When learners want recognition

Conclusions

Tests can intrinsically motivated learners• When learners seek challenge and chance to

show their talents

Conclusions

Dealing with demotivation• Letting it out• Ignoring it• Working on one’s self esteem • Seek help from others• Reflect and learn from mistakes / faliures

Recommendations

• Make the tests as fair as possible• Give sufficient time for students to prepare• Offer students help if they experience failure• Teach students how to deal with the results of

tests• Do not only use test• Do not use tests as punishment

Thank you!