The opinions of stakeholders concerning the social and psychological effects of large scale examinations

The aim of this study is to determine the opinions of stakeholders concerning the social and psychological effects of large scale examinations. In the research, the phenomenological study pattern of qualitative research methods was used. Maximum sampling method, one of purposive sampling methods, was used to determine the study group. In the data collection process one-to-one face-to-face interview technique was used. For this purpose, a semi-structured interview form was prepared. The study group consisted of 40 participants, 10 of whom were high school students, parents, teachers and managers from different types of state high schools in five central towns in the province of Antalya. The participants presented their perceptions, expectations and recommendations about large scale examinations by mentioning the psychological and sociological effects of the exams and by putting forward their opinions on the format, appropriateness to the purpose, application and evaluation of the exam through the interviews conducted at the end of the research. When the perceptions of stakeholders were considered in terms of large scale exams, it was observed that all the participants perceived and evaluated the exam and exam process quite differently. In general, the common aspect of the definitions is that the examination is often associated with a negative situation, object and event. And this situation can be considered as a sign of how difficult and stressful the examination process is.