Reading comprehension and literacy development

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McCabe, P.P. (2003). "Enhancing self-efficacy for high-stakes reading tests." The Reading Teacher. 57 (1): 12-20.

This article discusses the correlation between self-efficacy, which is best defined as a positive, can-do attitude (as opposed to students feeling like they are bound to fail), and student achievement in reading tests that are highly important. The four principle methods of inducing self-efficacy include enactive mastery, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion and affective/physiological sources. It is worth noting that the affective or physiological sources can negatively influence self-efficacy, so that pedagogues should ideally try to lessen their effects. Enactive mastery is a term that refers to students believing that they have effectively mastered a particular didactic concept. Vicarious experiences involve benchmarking a student's progress compared to others, or possibly listening to another who has succeeded in a similar task to the student. Verbal persuasion largely refers to instructors disseminating positive feedback to their students, while affective and physiological sources include unwanted physical responses to testing or learning situations (such as perspiration or a feeling of light-headedness), and can be reduced by simulating testing experiences. It is valuable to realize that these measures can increase the likelihood of student achievement on exams, not guarantee them.

Implications/Applications

There are several different ways that teachers can reduce physiological feelings of anxiety for students, such as providing an affable, positive environment in the classroom for students to learn in, simulating testing conditions that slowly implements elements of time, and scheduling such practice to the advantage of the students.

Teachers can also utilize creative means to reinforce positive feedback, such as visual applications including charts and graphs of progress.

It is important to help students to vicariously experience positive test-taking by modeling the reading and thought process for answering questions, in which teachers and commendable students go through this process out loud.

There are additional ways of easing students into the standardized test process, including the use of easy and abbreviated materials that can help prepare them for actual exam concepts and situations.