'I Don't Like Writing. It Makes My Fingers Hurt': Students talk about their classroom assessments

Students' own voices describe their perceptions of classroom assessments: the assignment's interest and importance, students' self-efficacy for accomplishing the tasks, and the goal orientations behind their efforts at learning. A multiple case study design looked at seven classroom assessment environments--seven teachers' classrooms--in four different schools, with interviews from 161 students. Student perceptions of assessments revolved around their personal connection with the assessments or their consequences. There were more similarities than differences in students' descriptions across classrooms and assessments.