Student Self-Assessment in Primary and Secondary Education in Greece and Internationally

The present study is a review of 36 empirical studies in Primary and Secondary Education, in Greece and internationally and aims at investigating: a) the benefits of student self-assessment, b) the contribution of self-assessment to the development of students’ skills to accurately self-assess. Moreover, this study presents the factors that affect student self-assessment ability. According to the main findings, self-assessment has been investigated more in Secondary Education. Furthermore, self-assessment has positive effects mainly on performance and learning in both secondary and primary students. Self-assessment ability and the factors that influence this ability have mainly investigated on Secondary Education with clearer and more positive findings, whereas there is a lack of research in Primary Education. In Greece, it was found only one study in Secondary Education that examines the issue of self-assessment ability with positive conclusions for students. Factors that contribute to the accuracy of student self-assessment in Secondary Education are the use of a video-based modeling examples, the observation of a human model engaging in self-assessment by students, the use of scripts and the training of students in self- and peer-assessment, whereas in Primary Education the social status, training and guidance in self-assessment and the entrance examinations affect self-assessment ability

The Effectivity of Multi Source Feedback (MSF) to Assess Professional Behaviour (Pb) of Nursing Students: an Evaluation Study

Background: Nurses are requested to give an excellent services to patients not only excellent in skills but also excellent in behaviour which serve comfort to patients. The behaviour is called professional behaviour or soft skill. Purpose: The aim of this research is investigating the effectiveness of MSF in assessing nursing students\u27 professional behaviour (PB).Methods: The design of the research is an evaluation study which compares the result of PB between before and after joining practice in clinical setting. The participants were thirty three participants consisting of 33 nursing students and 3 mentors. Data were collected using a quantitative approach. The participants are requested to do self and peer assessment using SPRAT modification form while mentors are asked to assess nursing students using the same form. The assessment was conducted twice, before and after joining internship. The data were analysed to compare the score of PB before and after joining the internship among group of participant using Paired sample T-test or dependent sample T test. Result: The results showed that there were differences of score between before and after joining internship with α = 0.000; 0.001; and 0.000 for self, peer, and mentor assessment respectively. There was no difference of score before joining internship among assessors with α = 0.509, and there was a difference of score after joining internship among assessors with α = 0.005. It means that MSF is an effective method to assess PB of nursing students. Conclusion: Applying MSF method to assess PB of nursing student is suggested for better assessment

Investigating the baseline skills of research students using a competency-based self-assessment method

Recent government-led initiatives are changing the nature of the UK PhD to support the greater development of transferable skills. There are similar initiatives internationally. A key requirement and challenge is to effectively assess the `baseline' skills of a cohort on entry to a research programme and then monitor their progress in personal development. This article describes an innovative methodology that combines competence model and training needs analysis theory to create an effective self-assessment tool: the Development Needs Analysis (DNA), for collection of baseline data. The DNA provides a means for effective self-assessment of skills, and is capable of highlighting particular needs of students grouped by, for example, date of birth and home vs. overseas status. The methodology is broadly applicable in determination of the baseline skills of students and allows practitioners to tailor learning and teaching to the requirements of a cohort

Self-assessment in EFL speaking classroom and its effect on achievement, self-regulated learning, and critical thinking: students’ voices from Saudi Arabia

In light of the growing need to enhance the quality of education to overcome social and economic issues, assessment systems and curriculum have undergone significant modifications and reforms in many countries. Saudi Arabia is no exception. The literature suggests that innovative approaches to assessment, such as self-assessment, have the potential to promote lifelong skills, empower learners, and enhance learning. Nonetheless, traditional assessment practices continue to dominate in Saudi Arabia, particularly in higher education English language courses. Review and reframing of assessment approaches are, therefore, necessary in Saudi Arabia to improve the quality of learning and to develop learners’ lifelong skills, including self-regulated learning skills and critical thinking skills. Despite the growing interest in self-assessment as a practical instructional strategy that draws on formative assessment to promote self-regulated learning and critical thinking, relatively few studies have addressed this topic in English language courses in higher education, and none have addressed it in the context of Saudi Arabia. The evidence regarding the impact of self-assessment on the quality of learning and the empowerment of learners may help to guide the Saudi education reform. Nonetheless, traditional assessment practices continue to dominate in Saudi Arabia, particularly in higher education English language courses. Therefore, reviewing and reframing of assessment approaches, specifically to improve the quality of learning, are necessary in Saudi Arabia to develop learners’ lifelong skills, including self-regulated learning skills and critical thinking skills. Recently, self-assessment has emerged as a practical instructional strategy that draws on formative assessment to promote selfregulated learning. However, most research on formative assessment and self-regulated learning has portrayed results related to self-assessment as generalisable, despite the need for research across various educational contexts. The aim of this research is to explore in depth the participants’ perceptions and experience of self-assessment in speaking classrooms and the impact of self-assessment on learners’ self-regulatory skills, critical thinking, and speaking language performance within the EFL context. This study also examines the relationship between learners’ self-regulated learning and their critical thinking skills. Pre- and post-tests were conducted with 27 EFL students before and after a self-assessment intervention. In addition, a self-assessment proforma, audio recording, and semi-structured interviews were collected and conducted with 10 of the 27 students. All these tools played an essential role in investigating the participants’ perceptions and experience of self-assessment and its impact. Overall, the participants in this study displayed favourable attitudes towards self-assessment. The findings indicate that a variety of factors influenced the learners’ perspectives, including learners’ prior experience with traditional speaking assessment, learners’ motivation and willingness to self-assess, learners’ awareness of assessment criteria, and learners’ perceptions and experiences of feedback. The findings also reveal the positive impact of self-assessment on learners’ self-regulated learning skills, critical thinking skills, and achievement, as well as a positive medium-strength relationship between learners’ self-regulated learning skills and critical thinking skills. The study concludes with recommendations for educational policy-makers who are aiming to establish practices that support and empower learners. For example, the study encourages the use and adaptation of the self-assessment proforma in the English language as a reliable scaffolding method of assessment that can foster deep learning and self-regulated learning

An exploratory study investigating the impact of a differentiate framework of instruction on generalist teachers perceived confidence to teach visual arts

This article reports on an exploratory study that addressed the low confidence levels of 80 generalist primary student teachers enrolled in a mandatory visual arts course. Previous studies in this area have found that a cycle of neglect exists in Australia, as a result of educators’ lack of confidence in their ability to teach visual arts. This is believed to create a knock on effect whereby generalist primary student teachers enter mandatory tertiary visual arts units with little belief in their own art ability. This exploratory study centred on proactively applying the Tomlinson Model of differentiation in an effort to raise student confidence levels. By providing students with multiple avenues to access essential course understandings, students’ perceptions to teach visual arts changed significantly by course completion. This research has significance as there is a paucity of research re the implications of implementing a differentiated model of instruction at the tertiary leve

Learning-oriented language test preparation materials: a contradiction in terms?

The impact of the use of assessment on teaching and learning is increasingly regarded as a key concern in evaluating assessment use. Realising intended forms of impact relies on more than the design of an assessment: account must also be taken of the ways in which teachers, learners and others understand the demands of the assessment and incorporate these into their practice. The measures that testing agencies take to present and explicate their tests to teachers and other stakeholders therefore play an important role in promoting intended impact and mitigating unintended, negative impact. Materials that support teachers in preparing learners to take tests (such as descriptions of the test, preparation materials and teacher training resources) play an important role in communicating the test providers’ intentions. In this study, these support materials are analysed. The selected materials, provided to teachers by Cambridge English Language Assessment, go with the Speaking component of a major international test of general English proficiency: Cambridge English: First. The study addresses how these materials might embody or reflect learning-oriented assessment principles of task authenticity, learner engagement and feedback within a coherent systemic theory of action, reconciling formative and summative assessment functions to the benefit of learning

Accounting students' IT applicaton skills over a 10-year period

This paper reports on the changing nature of a range of information technology (IT) application skills that students declare on entering an accounting degree over the period from 1996 to 2006. Accounting educators need to be aware of the IT skills students bring with them to university because of the implications this has for learning and teaching within the discipline and the importance of both general and specific IT skills within the practice and craft of accounting. Additionally, IT skills constitute a significant element within the portfolio of employability skills that are increasingly demanded by employers and emphasized within the overall Higher Education (HE) agenda. The analysis of students' reported IT application skills on entry to university, across a range of the most relevant areas of IT use in accounting, suggest that their skills have continued to improve over time. However, there are significant differential patterns of change through the years and within cohorts. The paper addresses the generalizability of these findings and discusses the implications of these factors for accounting educators, including the importance of recognising the differences that are potentially masked by the general increase in skills; the need for further research into the changing nature, and implications, of the gender gap in entrants' IT application skills; and the low levels of entrants' spreadsheet and database skills that are a cause for concern

Authentic student inquiry: the mismatch between the intended curriculum and the student-experienced curriculum

As a means of achieving scientific literacy goals in society, the last two decades have witnessed international science curriculum redevelopment that increasingly advocates a 'new look' inquiry-based approach to learning. This paper reports on the nature of the student-experienced curriculum where secondary school students are learning under a national curriculum that is intent on promoting students' knowledge and capabilities in authentic scientific inquiry, that is, inquiry that properly reflects that practiced by members of scientific communities. Using a multiple case study approach, this study found that layers of curriculum interpretation from several 'sites of influence' both outside and inside of the schools have a strong bearing on the curriculum enacted by teachers and actually experienced by the students, and runs counter to the aims of the national curriculum policy. Over-emphasis on fair testing limits students' exposure to the full range of methods that scientists use in practice, and standards-based assessment using planning templates, exemplar assessment schedules and restricted opportunities for full investigations in different contexts tends to reduce student learning about experimental design to an exercise in 'following the rules'. These classroom realities have implications for students' understanding of the nature of authentic scientific inquiry and support claims that school science is still far removed from real science

Core Competencies for Undergraduate Community-Engaged Researchers

Undergraduate community-engaged research (UCEnR) is a growing trend which VCU has proactively pursued by providing grants for UCEnR projects and assimilating UCEnR into interdisciplinary curricula. However, a definitive sense of core competencies for undergraduate community-engaged researchers has not yet been established. To that end, this literature review answers the question, What skills should UCEnR students have