Behavior of Students in the Presence or Absence of the Teacher: A Comparative Analysis

Managing students’ behavior during assessments can be especially tough for teachers, since many students feel extra stress and anxiety about performing well. This pressure can cause them to act out in different ways, like becoming restless, shutting down, or worst resorts to cheating. This study examined students’ perceptions of mathematics assessments and their experiences during while taking the test. It specifically analyzed how students’ behaviors, both students under Science Technology and Engineering Curriculum and students under K to 12 curriculums, differ in the presence and absence of a teacher, identifying significant differences in both behavior and assessment scores. Data were systematically collected using observation sheets to document student behaviors while answering three assessment tests; (1) formative assessment, (2) summative assessment, (3) quarterly assessment. Focus group discussions (FGD) were also used to elicit insights into their perceptions and experiences. Findings indicate that students view mathematics assessment as difficult due to complex solution, multi-step processes and formulas to be memorized. Student-participants exhibit different sets of behavior and adherence to academic integrity depending on teacher supervision. Results also showed that students are more committed to the assessment task and demonstrate higher levels of integrity when a teacher is present. Conversely, the absence of a teacher is mostly associated with academic dishonesty in all types of assessment tests. T dependent -test results on scores of assessment tests showed that there is significant increase on both STE and regular sections in formative and summative tests. These findings underscore the importance of teacher oversight in influencing student behavior and performance during assessment period. The study provides recommendations for teachers to consistently present during assessment period and enhance assessment strategies aiming to improve fairness and honesty. Moreover, strict implementation of rules regarding academic dishonesty in school is also recommended.