Abstract:
Students’ test-taking motivation has been found to be a predictor of performance. This study tests whether Shanghai students’ conceptions of tests and test-taking motivation differ when the consequence of tests have different foci (i.e., none, country, or personal). A between-subjects experiment with vignette instructions systematically assigned 1003 Shanghai senior secondary school students to one of the three vignettes. Students’ conceptions of tests and test-taking motivation scales were evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis and inter-linked using structural equation modelling. Invariance testing suggests that the relationships between students’ attitudes about tests and test-taking motivation was invariant across the three vignette groups. Students’ general conception of tests meaningfully predicted their reported effort (β = .18). Latent mean analyses evaluated the differences in mean scores across test-consequence vignette conditions. Students’ reported effort, anxiety, and importance were not significantly different between country at stakes and personal stakes groups, but higher than when no consequences were attached. This study suggests that Shanghai students’ test taking attitudes may contribute to high effort and consequently high performance on international large-scale assessments.
