Teachers' Attitudes toward the National Assessment of Knowledge in Third-Grade Mathematics in Slovenia

Abstract

National assessment of knowledge (NAK) was introduced into the Slovenian elementary schooling programme with the initiation of the nine-year elementary school in 2001. Based on feedback on student performance, teachers can evaluate the effectiveness of their own teaching and, based on these findings, adapt their teaching methods to the needs of students. NAK is obligatory for all students from the sixth and ninth grade and voluntary for third-grade students, where the school decides about participating. Data from the National Examination Centre show that only a third of Slovenian elementary schools register for NAK in the third grade, hence we wanted to identify the reasons for the low participation. The survey included 114 randomly selected classroom teachers (i.e. teachers from 1st to 5th grade of primary school), who participated by completing an online questionnaire specifically designed for the purpose of this study.. The questionnaire aimed to investigate teachers' attitudes towards the NAK in the 3rd grade, to elucidate the reasons behind the low participation rate of schools in the NAK and the reasons for their non-participation in these assessments. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis revealed that teachers recognize the importance of the feedback provided by the NAK; however, they oppose the mandatory inclusion of NAK in the 3rd grade and the influence of NAK results on students' final grades in the subject (mathematics). The responses also indicate that many teachers had not participated in NAK due to a lack of opportunity rather than opposition to the assessment itself. Among the teachers whose schools opted out of NAK, reasons included perceptions of NAK as useless and unimportant, and concerns about student stress. Additionally, some teachers considered NAK not to be a measure of quality or believed it was implemented too early in the academic year.