• Login
    View Item 
    •   Athenaeum Home
    • University of Georgia Theses and Dissertations
    • University of Georgia Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Athenaeum Home
    • University of Georgia Theses and Dissertations
    • University of Georgia Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    State mandated tests, state standards, and instructional choice

    Thumbnail
    Date
    2010-12
    Author
    Fentress, Michelle Diane
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the impact of state mandated testing on 8th-12th grade social studies teachers, using the Thornton’s principle of gatekeeping as a theoretical framework. The focus of this study is to explore two research questions: 1. How do state mandated tests influence social studies teachers' curricular, instructional, and assessment choices? 2. What is the relationship between standardization and social studies teachers' gatekeeping role? The research is grounded in a variety of different research fields including the general impact of high stakes testing, assessment, policy, and teacher decision-making literature. A mixed methods approach is used, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. Questionnaires were given to all 8th-12th-grade teachers in one small Georgia County. Interviews were then conducted to create a bounded case study. Participants were selected to represent different subject matters, locations, and levels of teaching experience all possible factors that could affect how state mandated tests influence social studies teachers. Major findings of the study reveal the test is creating a hierarchy of content at the high school level, that content is being narrowed given the amount of standards and time given to teach the required material, assessment practices are being altered as formative assessment is becoming less important in informing instruction, instructional practices limit student involvement and tend to be more teacher driven and teachers are unable to be true gatekeepers. The conclusions derived from this study are teachers are making decisions that they would not otherwise make if there were no test and gatekeeping cannot truly be realized given the demands of the test. Additionally the study illuminates a need to further investigate the roles teachers are taking given the state mandate tests, the decision that are being made and how teachers can guard their decision making power. Finally, the study provides suggestions for teacher educators on how to prepare future teachers to meet the demands of state mandated testing.
    URI
    http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/fentress_michelle_d_201012_phd
    http://hdl.handle.net/10724/26891
    Collections
    • University of Georgia Theses and Dissertations

    About Athenaeum | Contact Us | Send Feedback
     

     

    Browse

    All of AthenaeumCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    About Athenaeum | Contact Us | Send Feedback