Evaluación del aprendizaje del inglés en un programa de licenciatura en lengua extranjera

The purpose of this study is to characterize the assessment process in an English Language Teacher Education Program (ELTEP, hereafter) at a Colombian public university. Following a qualitative-descriptive approach, we identified the perceptions of teachers and students facing this process, reviewed some official documents such as course syllabi and test samples, and observed some classes to respond to the main inquiries of the present study. As data collection instruments we used interviews, questionnaires, field diaries, and documentary records, which allowed for the corresponding triangulation of the information. Once the information was collected, we proceeded to its respective analysis through a methodology of descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis with the support of a computer program for the codification and categorization of information. The results of this study allow us to conclude that in spite of the general guidelines proposed by the institution in terms of assessment of learning, and some good evaluative practices implemented by the teachers of the aforementioned Program, the consolidation of an approach is required. An approach understood as criteria and pedagogical procedures that guide both teachers and students, and one that promotes more formative, fair and democratic assessments.El presente estudio tiene como propósito caracterizar el proceso de evaluación del aprendizaje de inglés en un Programa de Licenciatura en Lengua Extranjera de una universidad pública colombiana. Desde un enfoque cualitativo-descriptivo, se indagó sobre las percepciones de los docentes y estudiantes frente a este proceso, se revisaron algunos documentos oficiales como microdiseños y muestras de exámenes, y se observaron algunas clases para responder a las preguntas del presente estudio. Como instrumentos de recolección de datos se utilizaron entrevistas, cuestionarios, diarios de campo, y registros documentales, los cuales permitieron realizar la correspondiente triangulación de la información. Una vez recolectada la información, se procedió a su respectivo análisis a través de una metodología de estadística descriptiva y análisis cualitativo con el soporte de un programa informático para la codificación y categorización de la información. Los resultados que arrojó este estudio permiten concluir que a pesar de los lineamientos generales que propone la institución en materia de evaluación de los aprendizajes, y algunas buenas prácticas evaluativas implementadas por los docentes del Programa de Licenciatura en Inglés investigado, se requiere la consolidación de un enfoque, entendido como criterios y procedimientos pedagógicos, que oriente tanto a docentes y estudiantes, y que promueva una evaluación más formativa, justa y democrática.  &nbsp

EFL secondary teachers’ assessment literacy: Assessment conceptions and practices

Assessment literacy is defined as knowledge, conceptions, and skills to conduct an assessment. Having sufficient assessment literacy levels, teachers can assist students in improving learning and in achieving learning outcomes. This study employs a descriptive quantitative design that explores EFL secondary teachers' assessment literacy and assessment practice. The data were gathered using an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Forty-eight respondents willingly fulfilled an online questionnaire containing 32 questions adapted from the Teachers Assessment Literacy Questionnaire (TALQ). The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Furthermore, three participants representing each assessment literacy level were selected for interviews to explore their classroom assessment practice. The interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis in terms of the conceptions of assessment, the procedure of assessment construction, and some challenges in assessment practice. The findings reveal that EFL secondary teachers generally have a moderate assessment literacy level. However, the participants reflect different conceptions of assessment, procedures, and challenges in assessment practice depending on an individual level of assessment literacy, institutional and national policies, and socio-culture factors. It shows that assessment literacy is not a single element that can influence teachers' assessment practices

Assessing the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Pre-Service Science Teachers at a South African University

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice science teachers’ proficiency levels regarding their practical knowledge of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK-P). A sample of 103 third- and fourth-year participants from a South African university were surveyed on their TPACK-P proficiency levels using a 17-item questionnaire developed by Yeh, Lin, Hsu, Wu, and Hwang. Rasch analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings of the study showed that the great majority of preservice science teachers have a proficiency level of 3 for their knowledge on TPACK-P. A proficiency level of 3 demonstrates the infusive application, where the teacher makes use of ICTs to guide learners to self-explore and independently construct their science knowledge. These baseline findings could inform higher education institutions in reviewing their teacher development programmes for pre-service science teacher preparedness in harnessing the affordances of ICT in their teaching

Satisfying students' psychological needs in the classroom: benefits of an online intervention to help primary school teachers during a pandemic academic year

Using a self-determination theory framework, this quasi-experimental study focused on designing and implementing online training for primary school teachers to help them develop a motivating style, reduce their burnout and support their students' psychological needs, autonomous motivation, agentic engagement, and academic achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-two teachers and their students (N = 682) were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. Teachers who participated in the intervention increased their motivating style and reduced their controlling style compared to the control group. The intervention for teachers increased students' autonomy and competence satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and agentic engagement

Assessing the technological pedagogical content knowledge proficiency of preservice science teachers

Abstract : The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice science teachers’ proficiency levels regarding their practical knowledge of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK-P). An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was followed in this study and 103 participants from the University of Johannesburg formed the sample. This study commenced by identifying the different proficiency levels of the preservice science teachers using a 17-item questionnaire developed by Yeh, Lin, Hsu, Wu and Hwang (2015). Rasch’s analysis was employed to analyse the data. The mean score and standard deviation for the frequency with which the preservice science teachers select an option corresponding to a proficiency level was calculated. Reliability (internal consistency) for the instrument was established. After calculating the proficiency level of the preservice science teachers, five preservice science teachers were purposefully selected for interviews in order to probe deeper into their understanding of the instructional scenarios that were provided to them in the questionnaire. The findings of the study showed that preservice science teachers have a proficiency level of 3 for their knowledge on TPACK-P. An indication was gained of infusive application where preservice science teachers use Information and Communication Technologies to guide, self-explore and independently construct their science knowledge.M.Ed. (Science Education

Teaching to Assess: An Evaluation of Assessment Education for Secondary Teacher Candidates

This study examined the assessment instruction of a four-year undergraduate secondary education program and its alignment to the teaching standards and the summative teacher licensure assessment. Document analyses were conducted on the program’s syllabi as well as the assessment portions of the InTASC standards and the handbook of the edTPA. Results highlighted several areas of misalignment in the areas of categorical concurrence, depth of knowledge, and range of knowledge. Also of note, preservice teachers in different secondary subject areas are receiving different amounts of assessment instruction. Additionally, local edTPA data was examined to highlight areas of strength and weakness. Students did not perform significantly higher or lower on the assessment task as opposed to the other two tasks (planning and instruction), but there were significant differences among rubrics within the assessment task. A new theoretical framework is introduced to conceptualize the assessment education needed for secondary education teachers to be considered assessment literate

Exploring Teachers’ Perceptions of Assessment Literacy in a High Performing School District in New Jersey

As teachers gain experience, their assessment knowledge base, personal beliefs, and the educational context come together to shape their identity as an assessor. Therefore, assessment literacy is not simply a stagnant knowledge base of skills but rather that takes shape over time, through reflective teaching continues to develop. This study sought to add to the body of research that highlights and describes, through the lens of the teacher, how beliefs and contextual factors influence a teachers’ assessment literacy in practice. A qualitative case study methodology was selected for this study to explore how elementary K–5 teachers’ personal beliefs play a role in the assessment culture of classrooms within a high-performing school district. This methodology was chosen because it facilitated the exploration of teachers’ assessment practices and assessor identity development through multiple data sources. Data were collected through three data sources; surveys, focus group interviews, and artifact-based self-reflection. Themes emerged that highlighted how teachers perceive their own assessment literacy as a fluid and ongoing process. Findings suggest that the teachers in this high-performing school district believe engaging in reflective teaching practices would allow them the time to reflect on inherent biases as well as context influences and grow as assessment literate teachers. Implications from the study include that professional development, which allows teachers to spend time with data that has been collected and engage in dialogue with colleagues, would enhance teacher assessment practices by supporting assessment-based decision making and instructional choices

Yhtenäiskoulun arviointikulttuurin kehittäminen formatiivisen arvioinnin näkökulmasta: "Et arvioinnista jäis jotain semmosta, jonka kanssa voi kasvaa."

Tämän tutkielman tarkoituksena on tarkastella ja ymmärtää espoolaisen yhtenäiskoulun arviointikulttuuria formatiivisen arvioinnin ja siihen sisältyvän oppimiseen kannustavan palautteen näkökulmasta. Tutkielman kehitystehtävänä on selvittää, kuinka formatiivista arviointia ja siihen liittyvää toimintakulttuuria voitaisiin yhtenäiskoulussa kehittää. Tutkimustehtävää lähestyttiin tutustumalla aiempiin tutkimuksiin ja teoreettiseen tietoon koskien eettisesti kestävää arviointia, formatiivista arviointia sekä oppimista tukevaa ja myönteisesti vahvistavaa palautetta. Metodologisesti tutkielmassa mukailtiin osittaista design-tutkimusta (Plomp, 2013), ja tietoa kerättiin yhtenäiskoulun luokan- ja aineenopettajien teemahaastatteluilla, joita toteutettiin yhteensä 12. Aineisto analysoitiin hyödyntäen laadullista, teorialähtöistä sisällönanalyysia, jossa merkittävä analyysia ohjaava malli oli Xun ja Brownin (2016) Opettajan arviointiosaamisen malli (TALiP). Mallia tarkasteltiin formatiivisen arvioinnin näkökulmasta, jolloin malliin lisättiin näkemyksiä formatiivisen arvioinnin (Wiliam & Thompson, 2007) ja siihen sisältyvän oppimista edistävän palautteen (Hattie & Timperley, 2007) teoreettisista malleista. Analyysissa haluttiin selvittää, kuinka opettajien formatiiviset arviointikäytänteet toteutuvat kasvatustyössä, minkälaisia käsityksiä ja uskomuksia opettajilla on formatiivisesta arvioinnista sekä minkälaisina arvioinnin makrotason sosiokulttuuriset ja mikrotason toimintaympäristölliset tekijät näyttäytyivät kohdeorganisaatiossa. Osoittautui, että Opettajan arviointiosaamisen malli (Xu & Brown, 2016) sopii koulumaailman ja opettajan arviointitoiminnan kuvaamiseen hyvin. Yhtenäiskoulun opettajilla on paljon ajankohtaista ja opetussuunnitelman (2014) mukaista tietoa ja ymmärrystä arvioinnista ja sen merkityksistä, mutta tiedon ja koetun merkityksen välillä tehtiin kompromisseja käytännön kasvatustoimeen nähden. Mahdollisesti mikrotason toimintaympäristölliset tekijät uudelleensuuntasivat opettajien arviointitoimintaa. Tutkimuksessa esitettiin keinoja yhtenäiskoulun formatiivisen arviointikulttuurin kehittämiseksi, kuten palautteen suuntaaminen tulevaan oppimiseen, oppimisen tavoitteiden ja tarkoitusperien jakaminen oppijoiden kanssa, oppijoiden itsearviointitaitojen ja osallisuuden vahvistaminen oppimisessa sekä yhteisen ajan mahdollistaminen rakenteellisesti opettajille arviointiin liittyvän keskustelun, yhteistyön ja kehittämisen tukemiseksi

The role of the HCD/CAIAT Project in improving the ability of science teachers for constructing HCD test items in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The objective of this research is to participate in improving the quality of education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) by developing the skills of Saudi female science teachers in writing higher cognitive demand (HCD) questions of exemplary quality. It is an evaluative study that follows the descriptive method of research design by depending on a combination of both quantitative and qualitative inquiry. Therefore, various instruments for collecting data were employed. The sample size of 409 represents all of the female science teachers who work in the girls' schools in the urban area of Al Ahsa, a city in KSA. A suggested program called HCD/CAIAT is introduced and the main objective of the present evaluative research is to examine this project’s functional potential to improve the researched sample related practices. The project includes an innovative software package, the Computer Aided Item Analysis Technique (CAIAT) designed purposely for this research in the Arabic language to provide the sample teachers with the two parameters of classical item analysis that indicate the strengths or weaknesses of a test question (difficulty and discrimination). This package is introduced through a training course that also trains the teachers in skills of question construction and teaching on HCD level. The CAIAT is intended to stimulate the teachers' professional development (PD) by raising their awareness of the validity of their HCD test items and encouraging/assisting them to improve their HCD questions over time which is anticipated to help improve their instruction. This concept of utilising CAIAT for improving teachers' practices is breaking new ground and establishing a basis for further development in the field of study. The main purpose of the research is to answer the following two major questions. The first is to what extent can the HCD/CAIAT project assist female science teachers in Saudi schools to improve their ability to analyse their test questions, so as to write exemplary HCD test items and to teach at HCD level (Effectiveness dimension)? And the second is, to what extent could this be reflected in their on-going practice both for the test construction and for teaching (Adoption dimension)? The findings have indicated that the sample teachers' prior background in the researched concepts and skills (HCD and IAT) are limited. However, the effectiveness dimension findings showed that the teachers have successfully acquired all of the project's abilities/skills: knowledge of HCD concepts, skills of writing HCD instructional objectives and HCD questions, and using/utilising CAIAT successfully for assessing their test items. For the adoption dimension, the HCD/CAIAT package was successful in encouraging the teachers to adopt HCD and IAT which was a result of the successful role of the CAIAT software in stimulating the teachers' PD for learning (on their own) how to improve their assessment skills for HCD levels. Furthermore, the research has identified ten study variables, which are the teachers' background characteristics, in order to test the statistical significance of their role in the reported differences amongst the results found for the various aspects measured by the research data collection instruments. These teachers' characteristics are: educational qualification, prior training on test construction skills, prior training on IAT, key stage (intermediate/secondary), level of graduation (GPA/equivalent), years of experience in teaching, specialisation subject, prior experience in using computers, possess of a PC at home and ability to use some mainstream software packages. Statistically, the impact of these variables on the teachers' acquisition or adoption of the project's concept and skills was found very limited; which supports generalizability of the research findings. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education (MoE) at KSA adopt the HCD/CAIAT package in order to encourage all KSA female science teachers to tackle HCD levels in their instruction and assessment, which is very likely to have a positive impact on their efforts in teaching thinking and inducing creativity. Ten other recommendations were also suggested