Test, Test, Test – Is It That Important?
Posted on June 24, 2010 by Li Feng
Any student growing up in China understands the importance of tests. Starting from an early age, students are judged solely by how high they score in tests, especially in standardized tests. They are ranked after each test: mid-term, final, or even unit test. This experience of being “enslaved” by test scores continues until they graduate from high school. At that time, they face the biggest test of their life – the college entrance exam, or Gao Kao in Chinese. This one test determines whether a student will be able to go to college, which determines the destiny of the student. Due to limited higher education resources, the competition is extremely severe, which results in teachers teaching to the test and students studying to the test for years to prepare for Gao Kao. Test scores are all they care about.
The Chinese educational system is basically a sink-or-swim system that produces good test takers. As a result, many students who choose to study in American universities experience a “cultural shock.” The expectations and learning experience, which are reflected in face-to-face and online classrooms, in American universities are completely different. In both online and face-to-face classes, students are expected to actively participate in class activities, discussions, individual or group projects, etc. Test taking is only a small component of the whole learning experience. More importantly, in many courses, face-to-face or online, final grades are not the synonym of final exam scores. This is an important concept for a student from China to understand. In most cases, final grades derive from a comprehensive grading scheme, including class participation (sometime also includes attendance), assignments, assessments, projects, exams, and so on. Among all these elements, final exam or mid-term exam together may only account for 30 percent of the final grade. In this sense, studying for the test is not a successful learning strategy in American universities. Students need to maintain excellent performance throughout the whole course in every aspect in order to obtain an excellent academic record.
My final words to a student in China who is considering attending an American university or taking online courses from and American university while in China is, try to fully understand the expectations of a course that you are taking or will be taking, by reviewing the syllabus carefully or consulting the instructor. Do not take the significance of test-taking for granted. The learning strategies that have helped you successfully in the past may not work in the future.
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This offers interesting insight to a Nurse Educator who sees International students who struggle with academic testing. The emphasis placed on testing and the rigourous preparation for that testing in China is a given to your culture but the ability to apply concepts in clinical practice and communicate effetively with patients is an area of continued struggle for our International students.
Does anyone have any advise to offer an educator who wants to improve the success of culturally diverse students in response to an increased community need for Nurses who are culturally prapraed to care for them?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
respectfully,
Deb Cipale RN, MSN
Thank you, Deb, for your thoughtful comment. I am not in the nursing field, so my thoughts might not be an expert insider’s point of view.
I completely understand the importance of practical application in your field. For students to better understand this, they need a lot of opportunities to put what they have learned into practice. Their academic success should be tied directly with how successful they are in the clinical field. I think it is the educators’ and the educational system’s responsibility to provide practice experience for students, especially cultural diverse international students. When a student understands high testing scores does not mean she will be a successful practitioner, she will switch her focus to what will make her one. What I mean is that I hope the criteria for judging a nursing student’s success is not scores, but clinical proficiency.
Thank you again for your thought-provoking comment!
Li Feng
I find that a lack of testing and a focus on more of a comprehensive grading scheme is the catalyst for the declining quality of students in this country. Evidence of this can be found in the previous response, where spelling mistakes and grammar errors exist. American schools place little focus on mastering subject matter, so in this case, the effect is a less disciplined individual who, if were held to a higher standard, would have checked for errors before submitting. If mastery is not enforced, people become sloppy and apathetic. Why proofread or worry about anything for that matter, when it is rarely required or taught in school? Learn how to properly stop someone from bleeding to death and worry about the “touchy feely” stuff later. Foreign students should not worry; they will outclass their American counterparts every time!