Advantages and disadvantages of a testing system

Advantages and disadvantages of a testing system

Executive summary

            A testing system is an education system where the students are examined on their subject of study. This system has received support and criticisms. Therefore, these controversies have prompted me to carry out a research to identify the opinion of people on whether the system should be used or abolished. Research on this topic is important because we will be in position to identify the impacts that the system has on people. In addition, this research will help the education sector to employ the most appropriate system based on whether the system has more advantages or disadvantages. The data required for this research will be collected through interviewing, questionnaires and observation of this system. When sufficient data is collected, I will critically analyze the data and come up with conclusions that will help to make appropriate decisions on the system that should be used. Analysis of the data will involve comparing the advantages and disadvantages of using the testing system. If the advantages of the system will be higher than the disadvantages, I will recommend the system to be used in my conclusion of the research. However, if the disadvantages exceed the advantages, the system should be abolished. Therefore, this will be the basis of my research results.

Problem statement

            This research aims at identifying whether testing students in schools is appropriate or it should be abolished. The problem in question involves answering the question of why we should test students or fail to test them in the examinations. It will help identify whether the system is appropriate. Previous research by the department of education indicates their advocacy for the testing system. This has evidenced the application of the system in the current education system in the United States. Research will help us to solve the conflict that exists between the students and the department of education on whether students should be tested.

Research questions

            In this research, our research question is what are the advantages and disadvantages of a testing system of education? Another research question is that, why is a testing system important than a non-testing system? These research questions will help to identify the best system that should be employed.

Hypothesis

            If the disadvantages of the testing system are high, then the testing system will be abolished. My hypothesis is based on the idea that this will mean that the testing system is not accepted by most people and therefore it will be prudent for the department of education to abolish the system. These are the expected results of my research work.

Brief literature review

            In making sense of test-based accountability in education, issue 1554, the authors have demonstrated the importance of the testing system of education. According to them, it is easier to identify the weak students and this will help to introduce measures that will ensure that they improve in their performance (Hamilton, Stecher and Klein, 2002). They have given examples of the summer school and tutoring of the weak students. The book states that testing will ensure accountability of the students. The book indicates that though the system may seem plausible, it is faced with several challenges that include the problem of identifying the appropriate system and deciding what to test.

An international higher education policy is another important book that has given me details about the appropriate education policy that should be employed. It contains details about how culture has influenced the education system (Eddy, Murphy, 2000). According to the authors of this book, they imply that testing system is an important education system that will be of great use in helping to eliminate ethnicity in the education system. This is because the system will place all the students at the same level.

In the book, politics language education: individuals and institutions, the author has criticized the testing system. According to him, the testing system is inappropriate because it is marred by resource constraints. There may not be enough resources to pay professionals to set the necessary tests (Alderson, 2009). In addition, test time is a problem. They have to identify the appropriate time that will enable comprehensive coverage of the subject being tested. The author, Charles Alderson has also identified the problem of deciding the questions that the students should be asked. This book has therefore identified some disadvantages of the testing system that may prompt its elimination from the curriculum. It is evident that there are varying reasons that either support the system or oppose it that have been developed. My research will be based on this question and these literature reviews will assist me in identifying the appropriate education system that is appropriate.

The book written by Linda W. Cooke, Frontiers in higher education, has provided a critical view o f the test education system. She has criticized the system on the basis that it becomes a burden to most families who have to pay for their children’s examinations yet they cannot pass. By saying this, Linda shows lack of support for the system. She has also suggested that the teachers should not be hired based on their qualifications but they should also go through tests that will help identify their competence (Cooke, 2007). Generally, she does not support the system and hence I have acquired some knowledge from her that will help me to draw conclusions after analysis of the data.

Research design

            I will employ various methodologies while carrying out my research work. Such methods include the questionnaire and interviewing methods. Questionnaire method will involve a list that will contain questions relevant to the research question. These questionnaires will be distributed to the stakeholders in the education department. I will hire some people to assist in distribution of the questionnaires. The targeted people are expected to give opinions on the significance of using the testing system. Such stakeholders include students, teachers and the department of education. This method is appropriate because it is convenient, accurate and cheap in terms of the resources that may be used. It is reliable because information is obtained from the original source. The other methodology that I will use is the interviewing research method. This method is appropriate because the sources of our data are easily accessible. It is also cheap because it will only require the audience of the party that I require information from to make my conclusions. However, this method may be faced with non-responsive respondents and such instances may prompt me to give an incentive to the respondents to motivate them to respond to the questions. Though this is one of the drawbacks of this method, it has more advantages that make it feasible. Interview will be done on the students and the teachers and this will be an appropriate research method. The data obtained will be used to make an analysis that will determine the best system of education.

Nature and form of results

            When the data that I require is ready, I will commence on my analysis. The results obtained in the collected information will assist me to derive the appropriate action in terms of whether the testing system of education should be used in the education system. If the advantages exceed the disadvantages, it will be evident that the testing system is preferred to non-testing system. It is therefore, predictable that two options are available in our research to help me make a conclusive report. There is either the use of the testing system or elimination of the system. Therefore, this research is important because it will be used to make this important decision. The research results will be submitted to the department of education because it is the organ of the government that implements education policies. This shows the importance of my research.

Budget

Expenses	Amount
Transport costs	$ 100
Wages	$ 150
Questionnaire papers	$ 95
Recording equipments( interview)	$ 200
Respondents incentive	$ 75

Tentative schedule

            The research will commence two days after the proposal has been approved. The research assistants will be deployed to various target stations depending on their academic qualifications. The research is expected to take approximately two weeks so that enough data will have been collected for analysis. On completion, analysis of the data will take two days after which the conclusive report will be submitted to the relevant authorities that make policies that relate to the education department. This will mark the end of my research work.

 

Reference:

Hamilton, S.L. Stecher, M. B. Klein, P. S. Making sense of test-based accountability in education. Westport, CT: Rand Corporation, 2002.

Eddy, J. Murphy, D. S. International higher education systems. Fairfield, CT: University Press of America, 2000.

Cooke, W. L. Frontiers in higher education. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2007.

Alderson, C. J. The politics of language education: individuals and institutions. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters, 2009.