Effects of Extrinsic Motivators on Standardized Test-Taking F ...
Abstract
The purpose of this action research was to investigate the effects of extrinsic motivators in improving middle school special education students’ standardized test-taking fidelity. The participants of this study were middle school special education students in grades six, seven, and eight from a public separate school in North Carolina whose students’ disabilities lie in behavior issues. The students were divided into testing groups based on a review of accommodations from their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Each student took a total of four standardized tests over a three-day period. Student test-taking fidelity data was collected from test proctors on each day of testing. The data was compared to data collected from benchmark assessments from a prior year. While numerical data suggest that extrinsic motivators may improve test-taking fidelity among these students, the accompanying qualitative survey indicates a large minority of proctors who did not find extrinsic motivators to be of use.