53 research outputs found
Assessment and Accountability in Education in Ontario
In recent years, Ontario has joined many other provinces in grappling with the issues of assessment and accountability. Although Ontario does not have a long-standing history of standardized assessment or testing, a ferment of activity has occurred since the mid-1980s. This activity has included a number of program reviews (in different subjects areas, using sampling techniques), a literacy assessment in grade 9, and examination reviews in the final secondary year. The next few years will be important ones as Ontario tries to juggle the critical issues associated with changing social, economic, and political conditions; with the role of teachers in assessment; with the complexity and difficulty of communicating with a widely varied audience; and with interpreting and using assessment results wisely. Au cours des derniĂšres annĂ©es, lâOntario sâest penchĂ©, Ă lâinstar de nombreuses autres provinces, sur les questions dâĂ©valuation et de responsabilitĂ©. Bien que lâOntario nâait pas une longue tradition en matiĂšre dâĂ©valuation ou de tests standardisĂ©s, des activitĂ©s en ce sens ont commencĂ© Ă surgir depuis le dĂ©but des annĂ©es 80. Elles comprennent bon nombre dâanalyses de programmes (dans diffĂ©rentes matiĂšres, Ă lâaide de techniques dâĂ©chantillonnage), lâĂ©valuation des capacitĂ©s de lecture et dâĂ©criture en 9e annĂ©e et des analyses des rĂ©sultats dâexamen Ă la fin du secondaire. Les annĂ©es qui viennent seront importantes puisque lâOntario tentera de faire face aux questions essentielles associĂ©es Ă lâĂ©volution des conditions sociales, Ă©conomiques et politiques, au rĂŽle des enseignants dans lâĂ©valuation, Ă la complexitĂ© et Ă la difficultĂ© de communiquer avec un auditoire trĂšs variĂ© et Ă lâinterprĂ©tation et Ă lâutilisation judicieuses des rĂ©sultats des Ă©valuations.
Occupational Stress And Functioning Among Women Elementary School Teachers: A Model Including Personality Traits, Coping, Social Support And Life Stress
In this study, a comprehensive questionnaire was developed and sent to a random sample, stratified by age and marital status, of 1160 women elementary school teachers in Ontario. The data derived from their responses provide a description of occupational stressors, social support structures, personality traits, coping mechanisms, major life events and health status for women elementary school teachers in Ontario. The relationships between occupational stress and physical and mental dysfunction, job satisfaction and job effectiveness were also examined within the context of a model that includes these other variables.;Occupational stressors are related to mental dysfunction, symptoms, job satisfaction and job effectiveness but not to chronic conditions or illness-related behaviour like missing work or seeking treatment. Personality, social support, coping and life events are all related to either occupational stressors or dysfunction but there is little support for the kinds of interactive effects that would suggest an exacerbating or buffering effect of any of these variables with occupational stressors.;The findings also highlight the complexity of the stress process when multivariate analysis techniques are used to examine all of the variables in the model together. When they are all examined jointly the associations among the independent variables change their relationships with the dependent variables. These findings reinforce the need for clearer conceptualization and measurement within the stress research area
Assessing Conceptual Orientations in Teacher Education Programs
A well-defined conceptual framework helps identify a programâs central tasks, such as helping teachers become intellectual leaders, promoting the primacy of experience and/or developing a progressive social vision in teachers. This type of conceptual clarity provides guidance to teacher educators in program development and evaluation by identifying issues or tasks that specific programs should address (Feiman-Nemser, 1990).
Conceptual orientations research has typically relied on the analyses of course syllabi to infer a programâs emphases. The degree to which a program fosters knowledge acquisition in a particular area may or may not conform to these course/program descriptions. Direct data gathered from students can help address the issue of espoused versus enacted curriculum. However, studentsâ voices have been noticeably absent from conceptual orientation research within teacher education programs. This paper describes the instrument development and process for assessing conceptual orientations using a structured questionnaire with student teachers. Qualitative data that was used to help validate the survey as well as the statistical properties that attest to the soundness of the instrument will also be presented. The discussion outlines various applications of the developed instrument and proposes future areas of research
Teacher Candidatesâ Perceptions of Conceptual Orientations in Their Preservice Program
Using interviews, focus groups, and observations, we examined teacher candidatesâ understanding of the conceptual orientations that defined their preservice program and practicum experience. Using Feiman-Nemserâs (1990) framework, we analyzed our data to determine the dominant perspectives of teacher candidates. Results indicated congruence between the orientations (i.e., critical/social and personal) of their preservice program and teacher candidatesâ conceptions of their professional development. The results also suggested that conceptual orientations may not all be equally used in practice. Teacher candidates reported that the critical/social orientation was often not supported by their associate teachers and was particularly difficult to implement in math and science subject areas. Data also suggested that the implementation of the personal orientation depended on a prolonged experience within schools, which teacher candidates reported they were lacking. Keywords: preservice teacher education, conceptual orientation, field-based teacher education, constructivist teaching, practicum Ă lâaide dâentrevues, de discussions en groupe et dâobservations, les auteurs ont cherchĂ© Ă cerner la comprĂ©hension quâont les futurs enseignants des orientations conceptuelles qui dĂ©finissent leur programme de formation et leurs stages. Analysant les donnĂ©es recueillies Ă lâaide du cadre de Feiman-Nemser (1990), ils ont mis en lumiĂšre les principaux points du vue des candidats Ă lâenseignement. Les rĂ©sultats indiquent une congruence entre les orientations (critique/sociale et personnelle) du programme de formation Ă lâenseignement et les idĂ©es que se font les candidats Ă lâenseignement au sujet de leur perfectionnement professionnel. Les rĂ©sultats donnent Ă©galement Ă penser que les orientations conceptuelles ne sont peut-ĂȘtre pas toutes utilisĂ©es de maniĂšre Ă©gale dans la pratique. Les candidats Ă lâenseignement ont signalĂ© que lâorientation critique/sociale ne reçoit pas souvent lâappui des enseignants associĂ©s et Ă©tait particuliĂšrement difficile Ă mettre en Ćuvre en mathĂ©matiques et en sciences. Les donnĂ©es recueillies semblent Ă©galement indiquer que le recours Ă lâorientation personnelle suppose une expĂ©rience prolongĂ©e dans les Ă©coles, ce qui fait dĂ©faut, comme lâont fait remarquer les candidats Ă lâenseignement. Mots clĂ©s : formation Ă lâenseignement, orientation conceptuelle, formation Ă lâenseignement sur le terrain, enseignement constructiviste, stage
COMPARING PERFORMANCEâBASED ACCOUNTABILITY MODELS: A CANADIAN EXAMPLE
The intention of PerformanceâBased Accountability (PBA) policies is to foster school changes to enhance student learning and success. The influence of variation in these approaches, however, has not been empirically determined. This article employs a new conceptual framework to describe PBA models and compare them across conâ texts. We conducted a comparative analysis, finding three kinds of PBA models exist in Canada. In this article, we consider the policyâlevel contextual differences coordiâ nating largeâscale, provincial, student testing and the use of results, using Canada as an example. Key words: largeâscale assessment, policy, using data for decision making, standards Lâintention des politiques de responsabilisation basĂ©e sur la performance (RBP) est de favoriser, au sein de lâĂ©cole, des changements qui amĂ©liorent lâapprentissage et le succĂšs des Ă©lĂšves. Lâinfluence de la variation dans ces approches nâa pas Ă©tĂ© dĂ©terâ minĂ©e de maniĂšre empirique. Dans cet article, les auteures prĂ©sentent un nouveau cadre conceptuel pour dĂ©crire les modĂšles de RBP et les comparent dans divers conâ textes. Leur analyse comparative leur a permis de dĂ©couvrir lâexistence de trois types de modĂšles de RBP au Canada. Prenant le Canada comme exemple, les auteures se penchent ici sur les diffĂ©rences contextuelles au niveau des politiques quant Ă la coorâ dination des Ă©preuves communes provinciales et Ă lâutilisation des rĂ©sultats. Mots clĂ©s : Ă©preuves communes, utilisation de donnĂ©es pour la prise de dĂ©cisions, normes
Math Modeling in Educational Research: An Approach to Methodological Fallacies
Math modeling is currently at the focus of educational methodologists\u27 attention. However, little is known about the extent to which principles of the math modeling lead to methodological fallacies in educational research. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and principles of math modeling and to examine its application in educational research according to transcendental realism theory. The conclusion of the article suggests some methodological fallacies in educational research. Finally, the implications of the fallacies in educational research are considered
The Case for Participatory Evaluation
Participatory evaluation is presented as an extension of the stakeholder-based model with a focus on enhancing evaluation utilization through primary usersâ increased depth and range of participation in the applied research process. The approach is briefly described and then justified from theoretical and empirical bases. The literature on organizational learning provides theoretical support for participatory evaluation stemming primarily from the view that knowledge is socially constructed and cognitive systems and memories are developed and shared by organization members. Twenty-six recent empirical studies were found to support an organizational learning justification of the model. Studies were classified into one of six emergent categories: conceptions of use; effects of participation on the use of research; effects of participation on the use of disseminated knowledge; effects of research training; school-university partnerships; and internal evaluation. Requirements of organizations and evaluators and an agenda for research are discussed
Learning Networks of Schools: The key enablers of successful knowledge communities
In an effort to intentionally create the level of deep learning necessary for practitioners to make meaningful changes in their classrooms, professional networks are increasingly being promoted as mechanisms for knowledge creation that can makes a difference for students. This paper explores the way networks function by testing a theory of action within the Network of Performance Based Schools (NPBS) in British Columbia, Canada. It presents networks as collaborative systems that support particular ways of working and find expression within two distinct organizational units â the network itself and its participant schools.Dans le but de crĂ©er un niveau dâapprentissage en profondeur (deep learning) nĂ©cessaire aux intervenants pour que ces derniers apportent des changements importants dans les salles de classe, les rĂ©seaux professionnels sont de plus en plus promis comme des mĂ©canismes de crĂ©ation du savoir qui peuvent susciter le genre de changements qui feront une diffĂ©rence pour les Ă©lĂšves. Cet article permet dâexplorer le mode de fonctionnement des rĂ©seaux en faisant lâessai dâune thĂ©orie de lâaction au sein du rĂ©seau Network of Performance Based Schools (NPBS) en Colombie-Britannique, au Canada. Il dĂ©crit les rĂ©seaux comme des systĂšmes collaboratifs qui appuient des façons particuliĂšres de travailler et qui trouvent une application dans deux unitĂ©s organisationnelles distinctes â le rĂ©seau lui-mĂȘme et ses Ă©coles participantes
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