Key result
Class tests under assessment increased stress, decreased correct responses, and increased response time compared with nonassessed tests, with girls showing better performance but slower responses.
Why the study?
Studies of functionally measured assessment-related stress in a real school context are missing in scientific literature.
Does assessment during class tests increase stress and affect performance in students?
Observational (n=76)
Does assessment during class tests increase stress and affect performance in students?
Assessed class tests induce more physiological stress and negatively impact response time and accuracy compared to nonassessed tests, with notable gender differences in performance.
Assessed testing may warrant caution in classrooms due to stress and performance effects; leaves open causal impacts for prospective trials.
An assessment‐related stress is an object of interest of both educational and neurobiological research. In educational literature, “feeling stressed” is measured by self‐reports and mostly in the situation of high‐stakes examinations before and after an exam. In neurophysiological research, “acute stress” is laboratory observed through controlled variables. However, the studies of functionally measured stress in real school context are missing in scientific literature. This article relates the results of a study carried out in a real school context during a class test. Stress data obtained through the functional measurement (heart rate variability) in 16 students and behavioral data in 76 students were analyzed. The results show that class tests under assessment are more stressful compared with nonassessed tests. A decrease in number of correct responses and an increase in response time was observed. Girls show better performance and respond more slowly under assessment. The results are discussed in the scope of interdisciplinary research.
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Prokofieva et al. (2022) conducted an observational in Assessment-related stress (n=76). Class tests under assessment vs. Nonassessed tests was evaluated on Stress (heart rate variability), correct responses, and response time. Class tests under assessment increased stress, decreased correct responses, and increased response time compared with nonassessed tests, with girls showing better performance but slower responses.
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