Stress Performance Evaluation (SPE) Is a Novel Method of Measuring Physiological Responsiveness to Testing in Children with a Learning Disability

Abstract

This study’s primary purpose was to determine a method of quantitating the impact of physiological responses to stress on testing performance. We developed the stress performance evaluation (SPE) to calculate the overall stress levels that occur during testing by using the correct answers divided by the percent change in heart rate per day. Here, we first measured whether the SPE equation could predict testing environment and parameters in children with a learning disability (LD). The participants were seventh-grade students, with testing consisting of 100 basic math calculation questions in sixty seconds. Quantitative data was also collected through questionnaires, heart rates, and math fluency probes. The test performance was measured in small and large classroom settings and with paper and pencil (P&P) and online computer tests. Based on our SPE measurements, all LD students performed best in small-group computer testing for correctness and percent change in heart rate, which meant better overall performance. The use of SPE has promise for future testing parameters. The SPE evaluation method might be significant for determining the best testing situation for children with a disability and quantitatively measuring stress responses in advanced students, adults, and other testing scenarios.

Keywords

• stress response
• heart rate
• test anxiety
• assessment
• performance
• learning disabilities