Teachers' attitudes towards summative testing in England and Sweden : A comparative study

The aim of this study is to investigate and compare teachers’ attitudes to the current testing regimes for the 14-19 age cohorts in England and Sweden. A literature review reveals the historical and political contexts to the prevalent testing regimes in the two countries. One important finding is that the central tests in Sweden have clearly defined objectives whereas the tests’ objectives in England are, at best, insufficiently communicated but at worst not clearly thought through. The study also comprises a questionnaire with the purpose of collecting comparable material of teachers’ attitudes in both countries. Despite the small sample, the results clearly highlight significant discrepancies between objectives and achievements on the one hand and between English and Swedish attitudes on the other. Differences arose between the two countries on how well the objectives of tests are being met. English respondents are more positive towards external marking; meanwhile teaching to the test is seen as a lesser problem in Sweden. Many of these discrepancies and differences in attitudes can be explained from historical and cultural differences to education and assessment systems