O-Net Exams Being Ignored By Students

[webfact]

O-NET exams being ignored by students
Supinda Na Mahachai
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) has found that many students who took this year's Ordinary National Education Test (O-NET) scored zero after ignoring the exams because they had already secured a place at university via the direct admissions process.

Obec is thus set to propose that the O-NET be organised ahead of direct admissions to push students' scores up.

Following a meeting of Obec executives yesterday, Obec chief Chinnapat Bhumirat said that analysis of highest and lowest scores in the O-NETS' eight subjects showed that many students had scored an unlikely zero in the multiple choice exams.

They suspected the reason was a lack of motivation among the many students who were already sure of a university place. Obec is now set to discuss possible solutions to the problem with the Council of University Presidents of Thailand. Among the suggestions already mooted is that universities' direct admissions process should be postponed until after the O-NET exam. As the O-NET was adopted to check on the quality of education nationwide, said Chinnapat, any factor affecting students' motivation could skew the results and therefore needed to be eliminated.


-- The Nation 2013-03-27

[retell]

thats a nice article about the motivation an willingness to learn , even if it doesnt make a difference to your university adission it should be another challenge for a motivated student

[Locationthailand]

What a ridiculous scenario. Thainess?

[kingstonkid]

As a teacher there are many things that need to be adjusted in the education process. One I would suggest is that the ONET be mandatory and the scores count for admission to university or college.

The level of desire or lack of that students have for the core subjects is definitely one that needs to be addressed.

Why not make the ONET an exam that students have to take in Mat 4 so that you have a basis of comparison as to what they know

[thaicbr]

They should link both the tests. The universities should not accept any students without a minimum pass on O'net..even if they have already passed the University payment....oh sorry test

[PhilipCook]

scrap the o-net

[Traveling Sailor]

Better yet, how about making a certain grade on the ONET a requirement of graduation. That might make the students sit up and take notice.

[sirchai]

And that goes on at universities. Met a university student at the airport who's asking me if I couldn't help him with his "homework". Had plenty hours to wait, so I did it for him.

He's always at the airport "doing" his projects.

My grade six kids were much better this year than the years before, without cheating.

Obviously Neanderthal Enforcing Tests... O-Net .

Edited March 27, 2013 by sirchai

[bendywire]

Most of the Thai teachers I worked with this year couldn't understand the test so god knows how the kid's are supposed to get a grasp of it. The other problem is that the questions are often badly written along with the answers where any of the options could be correct. The other problem I have found in government schools is that the students have no idea of the vocab used in these tests. In short they should scrap it.

[TPI]

I've a niece who has just done the "O"net, while her GPA is 3.9 she said she only received a score of 400 out of 8oo? when ask why she said that the questions were very badly put and in most cases none of the answers were right? Now this girl is no dummy, she has just returned from 2 years in an Australian high school where she received distinctions in all of her subjects! Her aunts are either senior teachers or professionals, we all ask the same question...What the hell is going on in the Thai education system? When I was teaching in high school in Bangkok the most important subject for the Thai teachers was "Lunch", it appears that nothing has changed!

[culicine]

The problem is that in this country, the vast majority of universities are actually privately owned. Thus many students already get accepted to university much prior to the O-Net tests. Thus the students,rightly, have no interest in studying for these tests, even though they may well have covered the curriculum on which the tests are based. This year, many of the tests had average scores less than that generated by random chance.

If the MoE is serious about using this test to gauge knowledge of the curriculum, it should be done much earlier, such as at the end of semester 1 in M6. Otherwise, as can be seen, the kids are just using it as a tool for entrance. These tests are universally poor anyway. Even worse are GAT and PAT, where the vast majority of students fail these exams. The smug academics that write these exams must be so proud of themselves...

[attrayant]

As a teacher there are many things that need to be adjusted in the education process. One I would suggest is that the ONET be mandatory and the scores count for admission to university or college.

Before they do that, they need to rewrite and thoroughly vet the tests so that they aren't chock full of errors.

[retell]

but if the test sucks ?

what i read now it is like multiple nochoice

and should'nt be a test about capabilities and knowledge not gamble yr way trhough

[theajarn]

Students are starting to smarten up to the system:

[Eddy B]

When I studied it was usually never multiply choice but a defined answer plus a reason why I had chosen my answer. Thai children are now spoiled! The teachers are lazy! The kids are not taught to think on their feet but be force feed crap, which is out-of-date. The teachers council is full of fat, incompetent old people that are just waiting for their retirement payments. They will continue doing the same silly tests. ASEAN, 2015 will be the kick in the ass for Thailand!

[Ijustwannateach]

The system is so overloaded with often poorly done, poorly-designed, anti-educational tests that pointing out with their feet that this one is irrelevant to boot is a brilliant sign of democracy in action.

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