L’introduzione della Prova Nazionale nell’Esame di Stato al termine del I ciclo d’istruzione: i primi effetti sugli insegnanti di italiano

Abstract

The National Test in the Final Examination of the Lower Secondary School: Initial Effects on Teachers of Italian

The article presents the results of a study aimed at describing the initial effects of the National Test (in the Final Examination of lower secondary schools) on teachers of Italian. The study lies within the research line on the use of evaluation and employs an adaptation of the theory of influence by Mark and Henry (2004) as a theoretical framework. The opinions and statements of practices of 41 teachers were collected through eight focus groups conducted in eight lower secondary schools of a city in northern Italy. The analysis of transcripts was performed with a quanti-qualitative approach which identified eleven areas of theme concerning the importance and procedures of the National Test, the teachers’ activities related to it and the students’ reactions. The analysis of the thematic contexts shows that the National Test has caused some changes in teachers’ opinions and practices, but not all the possible ones. This is due to teachers’ resistance to the pedagogical assumptions of the National Test. The conclusions discuss the heuristic relevance of the theoretical framework and some proposals for the development of research with regard to the impact of evaluations.