02389nam a22002777a 4500 20231107170643.0 231106b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d 0022-0973 RIEBPL Library 370.5 Maik Bieleke et al... Starting Tests With Easy Versus Difficult Tasks: Effects on Appraisals and Emotions (Journal Article) USA :Taylor and Francis Group and Routledge ,March 2023 317-335 p. The Journal of Experimental Education, Volume 91,2023 number 2 ***______{For Hard Copy, Please visit Library.}________*** Abstract- Tests in educational contexts often start with easy tasks, assuming that this fosters positive experiences—a sense of control, higher valuing of the test, and more positive and less negative emotions. Although intuitive and widespread, this assumption lacks an empirical basis and a theoretical framework. We conducted a field experiment and randomly assigned 208 students to an easy-to-difficult or a difficult-to-easy condition in a mathematics test. Perceived challenge was measured along with control appraisals, value appraisals, and emotions (enjoyment, pride, anxiety, anger, boredom). While students starting with easy tasks felt less challenged than students starting with difficult tasks in Part 1, no differences emerged regarding control and value appraisals and emotions. In Part 2, students who had started with easy tasks proceeded to difficult tasks and reported a higher level of challenge, less value and control, and less positive and more negative emotions than students who proceeded from difficult-to-easy tasks. Control and value appraisals mediated the differences between the two conditions, especially regarding positive emotions. These results cast doubt on the preference for easy-to-difficult over difficult-to-easy task orders, revealing their potential for causing adverse experiences at the end of the test (e.g., reflecting contrast effects). Achievement emotions task difficulty task order control-value theory perceived challenge cognitive appraisals https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/00220973.2021.1947764?needAccess=true PER 0 0 0 0 RIEBPL RIEBPL 2023-11-07 0 370.5 2023-11-07 00:00:00 2023-11-07 PER 44788 44787