ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how NAPLAN is experienced by children through a study of 105 children's experiences in Queensland Catholic Primary schools serving different socioeconomic status (SES) communities. It suggests, despite the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority's (ACARA) design of NAPLAN as a low-stakes test, many children's negative responses to NAPLAN point to an experience of NAPLAN as a high-stakes and an alien event. The findings support those of research that suggests NAPLAN impacts significantly on the wellbeing of many primary school-aged children. The children's emotional responses were varied, aligning with international and Australian research that suggests that not all children experience standardised tests as negative events. The focus group discussions suggested that the children's everyday experiences of schooling involved engaging in dialogue with their teachers and peers to consolidate and refine their understandings, regardless of whether tasks were collaborative or individual in nature.
