ABOLISHING EXAMS IN UNIVERSITY AND SCHOOL 18
AbolishingExams in University and School
Table ofContents
Introduction 4
Thesis Statement 5
Literature Review 5
Examination System 5
Exams Focus on Breadth 8
Exams Do Enhance Learning 9
Counter Arguments 12
Conclusion 14
References 16
Abstract
Examsin universities and colleges are exceedingly important in determininghow individuals proceed to the next level. Without incorporatingexams in the learning process, it would be difficult to determine ifstudents can handle or apply what they have learnt for instance, itis not possible to determine if a learner has grasped a given conceptsuch as accounting without testing him/her through exams. In caseexams become abolished, there would be no standard measure of gaugingwhether learners have acquired the necessary knowledge or skills. Inmost cases, individuals are in a position to handle issues orproblems that they encounter in life. Therefore, exams in universityand schools are exceedingly important in establishing how individualsrelate and solve problems that affect them. Examsneed not be abolished because other ways of making assessment do notprovide the appropriate ways to explore the skills and the effectivelearning among the students. Moreover exams help the students todetermine the level of their understanding about a particular subjectand provide them the chance to improve their skills by identifyingthe problems that are present in them regarding the differentdisciplines.It is the reality that when the students have exams, they are seen tobe involved in the great competition with other students. In case ofthe tough competition, students then do not want to increase theirknowledge, but just want to beat other students. In addition, some ofthe individuals stated that the exams should be abolished from theeducation system as they discourage the students’ learning process(Fontana,et.al, 2015).Thispaper will identify the importance of exams in the life of a student.It will be argued that exams make the students capable to performwell. Also, it is a bad decision to abolish exams in the schools anduniversities. Furthermore, it will be argued that exams must not beabolished as examination process is the only approach for theteachers to get response from their students.
Introduction
Examsand tests are the criteria to evaluate the knowledge and the skillsof the students in the different educational institutions around theworld. Exam is a term that most of the students fear to hear since itis a word that can transform a happy person into a disturbed andfrustrated individual. Exams in schools and universities are the formof the tests that are more detailed for the determination of thelearning level of the students. First established to observe andmonitor how the students were performing academically, and now theyhave much pressure on them. Due to the excess pressure on thestudents they become frustrated. Students are seen to be taking thestress as they are bound to the strict rules and regulations and alsoare required to give the tough exams that do not bring the sameresults for every student as every student has his own level ofintelligence (Mansour,2013).It is the reality that when the students have exams, they are seen tobe involved in the great competition with other students. In case ofthe tough competition, students do not desire to increase theirknowledge, but just want to beat other students. In addition, some ofthe individuals indicate that exams should be abolished from theeducation system as they discourage students’ learning process(Fontana,et.al, 2015).
Oneof the important aspects of the stress developed during the exams isthe last minute study as most of the students prepare for theexaminations when they are very near. Students are required tosacrifice their social life, and they get under huge pressure andtension. Nevertheless, for different tutors, exams are the usefulpart of the education process (Guyon,Maurin, & McNally, 2012).If the students study their books regularly they are not needed tostudy in last minutes before their exams. Students having a strongplan for their study would certainly not meet the common problemsduring the exams including anxiety, stress, and weight loss as theyare prepared mentally for their exams(Della Malva, Lissoni, &Llerena, 2013).Most of the time, it is the students fault as they are notwell-prepared as they have wasted their time in the other activities.
Thesis Statement
Examsare for the benefits of the students as they provide the basis formaking the evaluation how the student conceived the knowledge that isprovided to him during his studies. Most educationists believe thatexams are imperative for the students as they are for the bettermentof the students and so the thesis statement is “exams should not beabolished from universities, colleges, and schools.” There are manyreasons that support this argument. The other ways of makingassessment do not provide the appropriate ways to explore the skillsand the effective learning among the students. Moreover exams helpthe students to determine the level of their understanding about aparticular subject and provide them the chance to improve theirskills by identifying the problems that are present in them regardingthe different disciplines (Sheppler,et.al, 2014).Thereare many things that support exams and some teachers still think thatexams are the only appropriate way for making the judgment about theskills of the students therefore, they must not be replaced thoughthey could be improved.
Literature ReviewExamination System
Inthis research, the term “system of examination” is considered asthe assessment subset. The term system is limited to the assessmentof the universities and school students. In some of the cases,education system is run by the government. Accordingto Khaniya (1990), inScotland, the examinations are run by the Examination Board. InAmerican education system the examination system is operated bysmall amount of large private agencies, whereas in Japan some amountof the different tiers of exams given are mostly by the receivingeducational institutions. Terms, for example, "publicexaminations", "formal examinations" and "externalexaminations" are much of the time employed. However, none ofthe type of the terms is very identical with this to some level,more comprehensive definition is required to explain the terms(Phelps& Spangler, 2013).The semesters in the semester system are utilized to cover completeinstead of preliminary examinations, and assessments which happenlike a major aspect of "formal" learning deployed in theschools normally.Oliphant (2000) stated that mostof the attention is given to examinations in the schools normally. Itdoesn`t, for instance, cover the holistic approach to examinationthat is needed to be summarized in Achievement’s Records. Despitethe fact that capabilities acquired from exams and test might be anessential part of Record of Achievement, its focus is somewhatdeviated from what is needed. The expression "system ofexamination” is discussed in this work, and does not hinderparticular kind of summative exams, or specific purposes. Thepossible steps for the betterment of the conventional educationsystem could be for instance, (a) a standard referenced or paradigmreferenced (b) a completely outside or a blend of teacher exams andassessments (c) utilization of a scope of examination tools, e.g.,questions needing developed answers or the objective (d) fill arange of requirements. The primary role is the estimation ofachievement (or aptitude) of individual students (Sheppleret.al, 2014).
Theabove discussed steps for the betterment of the educational systemcould be employed to support, graduation, certification oraccreditation processes toward the end of an academic year or the endof the course to allocate students to courses or classes, i.e.promoting the students of each level to next class selectingstudents for the next class, for example, controlling the flow ofstudents to the higher education, occupations or trainingopportunities primary to secondary to observe outputs of education,for accountability (Meng,2013). There is the need to emphasize upon the new approaches for theexaminations of the assessment purpose. Processes for the bettermentof the examinations could include assessing teachers and schools, andstudent’s achievement. Vandewalle& Callens, (2013), claim that thecomparatively new and to some level disputable reason has ruined thevarious approaches to an existing system of examination frameworks insome nations. With the passage of time examinations have turned outto be progressively multi-reason. This can be observed in theScotland context: the Higher Grade examinations which are subjectbased, customarily taken after five years of secondary schooling,which serve the dual need for managing access to higher education andcertificating achievement. Mansour(2013) suggests thatthough more currently, the results of Higher Grade have been employedas a significant segment of the Standard Tables, an assessment toolconsidered by the Education Department of Scotland and now employedby the regional administrators, education policymakers, universitiesand schools at the national level.
Further,regardless of the possibility that the educational modules were tostay static, the contention would be unrealistic for stayingstationary. Budaman (2012) argues that different required amendmentscould give a further motivation to modifications and developmentinside of the system of examination. Greater rates of participationand the steps to a more extensive scope of procurement, and thedevelopment of vocational education have put the pressure on thesystem of exams to change and develop. Examinations can be lever forthe curricular amendments or barriers to it. DellaMalva, Lissoni, & Llerena, (2013)suggest that the amendments made in the examination system could beseen as negative or positive. What is not questioned is the power ofan exam is to achieve change. Research is dependable in showing thatas marks on the exams or assessment employed tend to augment scoreson different measures tend to reduce: this could happen, forinstance, where evaluation of the theoretical features of a subjectis more careful than the practical viewpoints’ assessment, or wherethose features of a subject which can be evaluated easily are givendefinite quality in the exams (Gikandi,Morrow, & Davis, 2011).What is gauged will influence what is taught by the teachers, and tothe significant level, what is esteemed in the process of education. Practice and doctrine in connection with the system of examinationare under research in different countries. An appropriate method ofexamination is a lever of significant force: it can prompt change tobe the balance of control in the entire system of education training(Sheppleret.al, 2014).
Furthermore,appropriate programs of examinations expect to give a reasonableassessment of every student (Burdman,2012).They accomplish this in two different manners. In the first place,they employ assignments and efficient strategies. This providesstudents various opportunities, in changeable context, to show whatthey can do and know (Phelps& Spangler, 2013).Different programs additionally empower teachers to be more confidentregarding the precision of their assessments about every student.Second, the tasks should be "fit for the reason". Acceptinga subject has various objectives (skills to attain, effective tolearn), every assignment ought to be suitable for the particularobjective or objectives it is evaluating. This shows that the tasklearning based on exams could bring about the positive changes thatcould be helpful (Sheppler,et.al, 2014).
Exams Focus on Breadth
Inmany systems, there are particular assortments of information thatstudents are relied upon to learn. Students of physics may find outabout thermodynamics while the students of history subject may learnnew facts about the cold war(Patruno, et.al, 2014).Exams empower teachers to test precisely students’ expansiveness ofknowledge and command of these subjects. (Vandewalle& Callens, 2013).
Thesedifferent assignments provided to the students are forth developmentsessential higher-order thinking aptitudes, for example, examinationand decision-making skills. Though, such tasks are not considered tobe the alternatives to exams in schools and universities as they arenot like the examinations that cover the whole courses taught to thestudents (Khaniya,1990).They do extraordinary things. Furthermore, this is specifically whatone needs: numerous, diverse assignments to increase theopportunities for students to exhibit what they can do and what theyknow exactly. The process of education wants fit-for-purpose as wellas allowing making the assessment related to the different things. Where knowledge breadth is critical, educationists need tasks forassessment that aim this broadness. Society needs future doctors whoknow the whole human body, or future educators to understand aninsight of learning and teaching approaches.
Exams Do Enhance Learning
Fromdifferent studies, it is identified that studying and giving examsincrease the learning procedure. Studying helps the students to thinkcritically (Mansour,2013).Sharf(2014), argues that he procedure of searching an individual’smemory and recovering the appropriate data strengthen the memory thatprovides the development for the future employment. Different studiesproof that learning is specifically strong while students self-test.Despite without the interest of the students in reading and alsolearning by the deployment of the conventional techniques, as per todifferent educationist of the world, they want the students to studyand to learn by formulating suitable questions, and also looking formemory for appropriate responses and try that the students shouldincorporate this information together into the proper answer. Phelps& Spangler (2013)explains that the exams do not only give a targeted and suitableopportunity for the different students of the world to exhibit whatthey know actually: they have provided a way to know and bring theimprovisation in what the students know as well.Similarly, Patrunoet.al. (2014) explain that exams help to acquire a change thelearning of an individual since they give regular input to thestudents who recognize their inadequacies and then work on them.Further, the exams encourage competitions among different students.They work harder to enhance their insight and abilities and also makeefforts to bring some improvements in them. Additionally, exams arethe great tool to decide the viability of showing techniques sinceinstructors get a chance to monitor and assess their demonstratingstrategies as per their student’s improvement.
Differentresearches have shown that exams are the most widely implementedpractice for schools and universities to have examinations. Allthings considered, that is an ideal approach to assessing theknowledge and ability of a student.Oliphant (2000) argued that oneof the primary points of interest of examinations is that they are asimple tool to evaluate the ability of the student on the regularbasis. With them, a student will have the capacity to know hislearning and academic performance. For some individuals, anexamination is a decent support to study as they push them tocontinue their studies by engaging themselves more with the studies.Meng(2013) claimsthat exams can form an environment of competition that pushesstudents to work hard. Likewise, they assist to enhancing one`sidentity and raise the confidence level as well as when the studentswork hard and are rewarded in the form of the success they getencouragement from the teachers and the parents that boost theirconfidence level and they think that their learning skills areeffective and they want to pursue for the results.
Theeducation aim ought to be to prepare the students to face theunexpected incidence of life. The purpose of exams is to evaluate theknowledge of the students in a particular time and in assessingwhether the students have gone through a particular study courseadequately. Exams allow the teachers to know how the students havecomprehended the subject. Good results of the examinations makeparents and teachers happy (Fontana,et.al, 2015).
Examinationsmake the students work harder for getting great marks. Some of theschools honor certificates and offer grants to those students whoexceed expectations. Such awards motivate the students to performwell. Educating is always pursued by exams in light of the fact thatthe tests give an impression, on how well the students havecomprehended the subject (DellaMalva, Lissoni, & Llerena, 2013).A good outcome offers the teacher some assistance and provides themthe satisfaction about his or her accomplishment in grantingeducation to his or her studies and a terrible result shows thatthere is a requirement for more efforts on the part of the teacher.In this way, examinations are likewise a method for assessing thecommitment of the teacher to his or her profession. With theassistance of the of examinations’ result, parents can make theproper evaluation of their child’s knowledge (Meng,2013).Examinations are only the first thing that introduces the young onesinto the competitive world. But, the significance linked to them isirrationally high. There are many reasons that could be easily givento give the explanation that mask their significance. For instance,the stress and anxiety provided to the students by the exams. Amidthe time of examination and till the result is announced the studentsas well as their guardians and mentors stay tensed (Guyon,Maurin, & McNally, 2012).
Counter Arguments
Fromdifferent studies, it has been explored that tests or exams are notthe sufficient basis for the practical life and assess just thememory of a student regarding any subject in spite of flexiblelearning and knowledge that appropriately consider the assignmentscan afford. It is certainly significant to assess the learning andknowledge also the complete skills, but this might be done morereasonably via approaches for instance essays and the suitableemployment of tasks than via terrible world of final exams (Fontana,et.al, 2015).More unusual types of exams incorporate more assignments, oralpresentation, continuous evaluations, research papers and the projectworks as well. Education system ought to be more regarding what istaken out of the students or individuals that what is drummed intothem and this is not done via examinations. In advanced education,acknowledgment with word preparing, power point is a preciousresource and while oral presentations and essays permit the studentsto illustrate their capabilities and skills.
Anotherdisadvantage of exams is that they havea poor quality of prediction since they just assess the capacity andthe learning of the student under set circumstances and in a veryrestricted time. Most of the times a student who is good at studiesmight get confused under the strict and severe environment ofexamination hall and might not perform well (Mansour,2013).Teachersand parents evaluate the potential of a student through examinations.The Indian education system depends on the British education system(Guyon,Maurin, & McNally, 2012).Not a lot is taught beyond the syllabus of a subject, and justexaminations decide the student’s degree or evaluation. DifferentCommissions, which were set up to enhance this framework prescribeddown to periodical tests and practical training as well. Leaking ofquestion papers, cheating, and other dishonest practices, that haveemerged in the system of examination ought to be monitored (Khaniya,1990 Mansour, 2013).
Today,psychologist or the counselors of school give students legitimatecounsel to build the effectiveness of learning and knowledge inschools and handle the excessive burden of examination (Meng,2013).A positive mental state can improve the opportunity for progress. The things that could support the statement that there are also thenegative aspects that must not be neglected such as cheating andleaking of the question papers during exams have turned into atypical issue. Oliphant(2000) stated that corruptpractices like bribery additionally have penetrated into the systemof examination. Indeed, even some educators check the examinationpapers without assessing them appropriately, as a result of which thestudents suffer terribly. Examinations give a grade or position ordegree to students. The conventional education system does not helpthe students to make their profession in life or to win a respectableliving. The students who not succeed to get the appropriatepercentage of marks suffer a lot (Patrunoet.al., 2014).To overcome the inadequacy present in the system of education,numerous Education Commissions were established now and again torecommend amendments in the pattern. Appropriate actions on theirrecommendations Central Board of Secondary Education and other StateBoards of Secondary Education chose to present a different stream ofprofessional training.
Asindicated by educational specialists, progressing assessment is moreeffectual than board examinations. Experts have suggested arequirement for the new system which would convey the education viatraining process. Educationists feel that the education system beingout of date and excess is not filling the need for teaching thestudents (Meng,2013).Educationists have felt the requirement to assess the academicperformance of the students during the entire year. This could makethe system of examination more worthy and valuable.
Conclusion
Thestudy has identified the importance of exams in the life of astudent. Exams make the students capable to perform well. It is thebad decision to abolish exams in the schools and universities. Today,psychologist or the counselors of school give students legitimatecounsel to build the effectiveness of learning and knowledge inschools and handle the excessive burden of examination. A positivemental state can improve the opportunity for progress. Exam is a termthat most of the students fear to hear since it is a word that cantransform a happy person into a disturbed and frustrated individual.Exams in schools and universities are the form of the tests that aremore detailed for the determination of the learning level of thestudents. Theexams must not be abolished as examination process is the onlyapproach for the teachers to get response from their students. Examinationsgive a grade or position or degree to students. The conventionaleducation system does not help the students to make their professionin life or to win a respectable living. Students who not succeed toget the appropriate percentage of marks suffer a lot. Toassure that the students comprehend what their teacher had taught,the exams are held. Though there are also the other methods thatshould be used for the assessment purpose along the examinations suchas the assignments, presentations and the other activities so thatonly examinations would not be the only source of making judgment forthe skills of the students. This would also allow the people who wantthat the examinations should be abolish they would also support thedecision that other techniques should be deployed along theexaminations for evaluating the capabilities of students. So throughthe examination system the teachers can classify the smart and theweaker students in light of the fact everyone is not equal. In themeantime, the teacher can find a way to assist the weaker students toenhance their learning process by giving more and more attention tothem. It could be said that exams have their own importance but alsothey should not be the only criteria for making the assessment.Therefore, exams need not be abolished because other ways of makingassessment do not provide the appropriate ways to explore the skillsand the effective learning among the students. Moreover exams helpthe students to determine the level of their understanding about aparticular subject and provide them the chance to improve theirskills by identifying the problems that are present in them regardingthe different disciplines.
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