Students’ Understandings Related to Their Upcoming High-Stakes Tests: A Phenomenographic Study

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to uncover the understanding of the students who struggle with high-stakes tests and to investigate the variations in their perceptions, taking into account the dimensions of variation. Phenomenography was chosen as the research method for this purpose. The study involved 18 students who prepared for three different high-stakes tests (LGS, YKS, and KPSS) during the 2021-2022 school year. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The researchers examined what students experienced while preparing for their high-stakes tests, how they felt, and they understood their tests. After phenomenographic analysis, the researchers identified six different ways of understanding related high-stakes tests. These are, parting of the ways which determine the direction of their lives; frightening; a time of strains; at an inconvenient time; an experience that improves me; an opportunity to succeed through striving. It is clear that age, experience, and number of retakes of the test are critical in forming these understandings.