The Effects of Accommodations on Adolescents’ Self-Efficacy and Test Performance

Abstract

This study examined the effects of testing accommodations on eighth-grade students’ performance on large-scale achievement tests and also on their attitudes and reactions to the tests. Findings revealed significant differences in the ways students with and without disabilities experienced testing and how testing accommodations affected students’ attitudes toward and beliefs about the tests. Results suggested that (a) students with disabilities had significantly lower test-related self-efficacy than students without disabilities, (b) self-efficacy was positively correlated with test performance for all students, and (c) accommodations improved the test performance of all students and exerted a differential boost for students with disabilities on test-related self-efficacy and motivation. These findings suggest that testing accommodations may have a positive effect on students’ test performance by improving test-related self-efficacy and motivation, especially for students with learning disabilities. The implications of these findings for future research and practice concerning psychological aspects of testing are discussed.