Analyzing The Phenomenon of Teaching For The Test In The Biology

Background & Purpose: Many candidates yearly participate in the field of experimental science of the University Entrance Exam (regarded as the most crucial means to gain admission to higher education) to major in medicine, pharmacy and dentistry; therefore, scraping through this exam is of great importance and priority. The nature of the exam, the preparation process of the candidates and its importance and priority have become the phenomenon called “Teaching to the Test” prevailing in the secondary educational system. With this in mind, the purpose of the present study is to analyze the phenomenon of “Teaching to the Test” in the biology course. 
Methodology: The design applied for this qualitative study is an interpretative phenomenological analysis. This research is an attempt to explore the perceptions of biology teachers about the phenomenon of teaching for the exam, the factors affecting its prevalence, and the effect of “Teaching to the Test” on teaching and learning methods. The participants encompass biology teachers of schools in six districts and trainers of private educational institutions in Isfahan, who were selected with the index of having experience in teaching biology as teachers and also trainers of the preparatory courses for the University Entrance Exam. According to the approach and purpose, 15 participants were selected by applying the non-probability sampling method of snowball. The data collection procedure was based on a semi-structured interview. Relying on the related literature and previously conducted studies, the interview questions were generated. Preliminarily, the questions were raised for 3 participants and after modification, they were ready for the main survey. In order to analyze the teachers’ interviews, they were converted into text. Employing Diekelmann, Allen and Tanner methods, the primary concepts, then the sub-themes and eventually the main themes were extracted.
Findings: In the first research question, four themes of the importance of biology courses in the University Entrance Exam, students’ anxiety, accelerating factors and education degree were identified. In the second question of the analysis of the opinions, perception and lived experience of biology teachers, three types of themes were identified, which indicated the strengthening, weakening and moderating effect of the variable of “Teaching to the Test” on the method and process of teaching and learning. The results of this study showed that according to the teachers participating in this study, the factors that influence the phenomenon of “Teaching to the Test” in the biology course consist of the importance of the biology course in the University Entrance Exam, the anxiety of candidates, accelerators and the conditions of the final year of the secondary school. The review of the interviews and the main and sub-themes revealed the biology course is considered vitally important for the students who compete in the experimental science field because their performance in this course is to a large extent effective in determining their rank and score in the University Entrance Exam. Pursuant to the participants, anxiety is another effective factor that orients teachers to “Teaching to the Test”. Students are faced with two related issues: the difficulty of the course and the difficulty of the test, both of which cause the candidates of the experimental science field stress and anxiety. Generally, to address the first research question, it can be said that the experience and perception of the teachers indicate the prevalence of the phenomenon of “Teaching to the Test” in the biology course. This issue is under the influence of factors such as the importance of the biology course, the anxiety of candidates, accelerators and the conditions of the final year of secondary school. The experience and perspective of the participants suggest that “Teaching to the Test” affects teachers’ teaching and learning methods in three ways: it either strengthens it, moderates it or weakens it. Based on the opinions of the participating teachers, “Teaching to the Test” strengthens the teaching and learning process by diversifying the teaching patterns and promoting the use of technology. That “Teaching to the Test” results in the strengthening of teaching and learning methods is a matter of controversy. In accordance with the opinions of the participants, the phenomenon of “Teaching to the Test” can moderate the teaching and learning methods. This moderation takes place in the classroom and in relation to the students. When the atmosphere of the class is charged with the sense of learning, the teaching methods shift from test to learning. Teachers’ reactions to expectations can also create such a situation. From teachers’ standpoint, the curriculum, school performance, teacher, mental/emotional pressure, being fed up with exams and the subject of biology weaken the teaching and learning methods. The findings show that on the one hand, teachers as the main guide of education in school face a concrete reality called the entrance exam of universities and higher education centers, which is very important for students and parents (of course not all), and on the other hand, they, as the sole executor of the curriculum in the classroom, must be able to found the basis for the realization of the educational goals. “Teaching to the Test” is a dominant phenomenon in secondary school in that all educational activities of the school are focused on the test, and teachers and students make efforts to succeed in the test. While disrupting the teaching and learning process, this phenomenon leads to the prevalence of superficial teaching of concepts and subjects and also the centralization of techniques of testing.
Conclusion: As a general conclusion drawn from the previous studies, the experiences of holding the University Entrance Exam in the country and the findings of this research, it can be claimed that the phenomenon of Teaching to the Test is an indispensable part of the public educational system of our country. Since the University Entrance Exam is of remarkable significance for students and they consider it as the only way to enter the university, its effect on education, teaching and learning cannot be ignored. That is because the current trends of the educational system fail to stand against this phenomenon. In most of these types of educational systems, mechanisms are adopted to control the effect of Teaching to the Test, the most important of which is diversifying the ways of entering higher education and separating the exam process from admission. However, many other factors are involved in this process, many of which are beyond the control of public and higher educational systems. It is expected that teacher in the classroom works within the framework of the official curriculum and develops the knowledge and skills of the students. The premise is that the implementation of the curriculum in the classroom leads to the enhancement of students’ knowledge and skills, and their performance on the tests increases. But, when the test determines the direction of education, the phenomenon of Teaching to the Test inevitably overshadows the elements of the curriculum.