scholarly journals Students’ and Faculty Members’ Perceptions and Experiences of Classroom Assessment: A Case Study of a Public University in Afghanistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayed Ahmad Javid Mussawy ◽  
Gretchen Rossman ◽  
Sayed Abdul Qahar Haqiqat
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Assessment ◽  
National Level ◽  
Summative Assessment ◽  
Public University ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Grading Policy ◽  
Current Assessment

Objective: The primary goal of the study was to examine students’ perceptions of classroom assessment at a public university in Afghanistan. Exploring current assessment practices focused on student and faculty members lived experiences was a secondary goal. The study also sought to collect evidence on whether or not the new assessment policy was effective in student achievement. Method: Authors used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to conduct the study. Initially, we applied the Students Perceptions of Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), translated into Dari/Farsi and validated, to collect data from a random sample of 400 students from three colleges: Agriculture, Education, and Humanities. Response rate was 88.25% (<em>N</em> = 353). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a purposeful sample of 18 students and 7 faculty members. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and <em>t</em>-tests were used to analyze quantitative data, and NVivo 12 was used to conduct thematic analysis on qualitative data. Results: The quantitative results suggest that students have positive perceptions of the current assessment practices. However, both students and faculty members were dissatisfied with the grading policy, reinforcing summative over formative assessment. Results support that the policy change regarding assessment has resulted in more students passing the courses compared to in the past. The findings also suggest improvements in faculty professional skills such as assessment and teaching and ways that they engage students in assessment processes. Implication for Policy and Practice: Recommendations include revisiting the grading policy at the national level to allow faculty members to balance the formative and summative assessment and utilizing assessment benchmarks and rubrics to guide formative and summative assessment implementation in practice.

PEMANSUHAN UJIAN PENILAIAN SEKOLAH RENDAH DAN PELAKSANAAN PENTAKSIRAN BILIK DARJAH: SATU TINJAUAN DALAM KALANGAN GURU BESAR

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-89
Author(s):  
Kalai Selvan Arumugham ◽  
Joohari Ariffin
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Assessment ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Summative Assessment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Curriculum Changes ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Professional Judgement

Abstract: The abolition of Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) has triggered various reactions among educators. Although this agenda has been informed since the introduction of the new curriculum in 2011, educators and parents did not fully accept this. This research was conducted to explore and understand in-depth the views of school headmasters on the abolition of the UPSR and obtain their views on the implementation of Classroom Assessment (PBD). At the early stage the researchers conducted a survey to get an initial picture of their reactions to the issues and subsequently, the issue was explored in depth using qualitative methods. Focus group interviews conducted online to explore their perspectives on the abolition of UPSR and the implementation of PBD, which is now taking over the place of UPSR completely. However, with semi-structured interviews that were conducted,  the data were distributed based on the themes that had been identified. Most school headmasters disagree with the abolition of the USPR as they do not fully understand the implementation of PBD. Among the aspects that they still lack understanding are the curriculum changes, professional judgement, quality assurance, and formative and summative assessment methods. Policymakers must ensure that a deep understanding can be formed among school headmasters to ensure that the implementation of PBD can be strengthened and fully understood. It is also suggested that further research be conducted to measure the acceptance among teachers on this issue. Keywords: UPSR abolition, Classroom assessment, Understanding towards PBD     Abstrak: Pemansuhan Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) telah mencetuskan pelbagai reaksi dalam kalangan warga pendidik. Walaupun perkara ini merupakan suatu agenda yang telah dimaklumkan sejak pengenalan kurikulum baharu pada tahun 2011, namun warga pendidik dan ibu bapa masih belum boleh menerima perkara ini sepenuhnya. Penyelidikan ini dijalankan untuk meneroka dan memahami secara mendalam tentang pandangan guru besar tentang pemansuhan UPSR ini serta mendapatkan pandangan mereka tentang pelaksanaan Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah (PBD). Pada peringkat awal para penyelidik telah menjalankan satu tinjauan untuk mendapatkan gambaran awal reaksi mereka terhadap isu ini dan seterusnya isu mengupas secara mendalam dengan menggunakan kaedah kualitatif. Temu bual kumpulan berfokus telah dijalankan secara atas talian untuk meneroka perspektif mereka terhadap isu pemansuhan UPSR dan pelaksanaan PBD yang kini mengambil alih tempat UPSR sepenuhnya. Melalui temu bual separa struktur yang telah dijalankan, data-data telah diagihkan berdasarkan tema-tema yang telah dikenal pasti. Sebahagian besar guru besar sekolah kurang bersetuju dengan pemansuhan UPSR ini memandangkan mereka kurang memahami sepenuhnya tentang pelaksanaan PBD. Antara aspek yang mereka masih kurang faham adalah dari segi perubahan kurikulum, pertimbangan profesional, penjaminan kualiti dan kaedah pentaksiran formatif dan sumatif. Pihak penggubal dasar haruslah memastikan pemahaman yang mendalam dapat dibentuk dalam kalangan guru besar sekolah untuk memastikan pelaksanaan PBD dapat dimantapkan dan difahami sepenuhnya. Dicadangkan juga agar kajian lanjut dijalankan untuk mengukur penerimaan dalam kalangan guru-guru terhadap isu tersebut. Kata kunci: Pemansuhan  UPSR, Pentaksiran bilik darjah, Pemahaman tentang PBD

Teacher Professional Growth in Summative Assessment and Meaningful Learning: A Case Study in Pre-Vocational Geography Education in The Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-84
Author(s):  
Erik Bijsterbosch ◽  
Tine Béneker ◽  
Wilmad Kuiper ◽  
Joop van der Schee
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Classroom Assessment ◽  
Meaningful Learning ◽  
Summative Assessment ◽  
Geography Education ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Teacher Professional Growth ◽  
Teacher Professional

Teachers’ classroom assessment practices tend to encourage rote learning instead of meaningful learning. To enhance teachers’ classroom assessment practices, teacher involvement in assessment construction appears necessary. To foster teacher professional growth in relation to this issue, a professional development programme on summative assessment and meaningful learning in pre-vocational geography education in the Netherlands was designed. In 2016, a prototype of the programme was tested and evaluated in a small-scale case study. The results suggest that the programme was feasible and practical and contributed to change in teachers’ knowledge, skills and practices.

scholarly journals Young children's food in Liverpool day-care settings: a qualitative study of pre-school nutrition policy and practice

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 1858-1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ffion Lloyd-Williams ◽  
Katie Bristow ◽  
Simon Capewell ◽  
Modi Mwatsama
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Menu Planning

AbstractObjectiveTo explore nutrition and food provision in pre-school nurseries in order to develop interventions to promote healthy eating in early years settings, especially across deprived communities.DesignAn ethnographic approach was used combining participant observation with semi-structured interviews. Research participants were selected purposively using convenience sampling.SettingCommunity pre-school nurseries.SubjectsNursery managers (n 9), cooks (n 6), staff (n 12), parents (n 12) and children at six nurseries (four private and two attached to children's centres) in Liverpool, UK.ResultsPrivate nurseries had minimal access to information and guidelines. Most nurseries did not have a specific healthy eating policy but used menu planning to maintain a focus on healthy eating. No staff had training in healthy eating for children under the age of 5 years. However, enthusiasm and interest were widespread. The level and depth of communication between the nursery and parents was important. Meal times can be an important means of developing social skills and achieving Early Years Foundation Stage competencies.ConclusionsNurseries are genuinely interested in providing appropriate healthy food for under-5s but require support. This includes: improved mechanisms for effective communication between all government levels as well as with nurseries; and funded training for cooks and managers in menu planning, cost-effective food sourcing and food preparation. Interventions to support healthy eating habits in young children developed at the area level need to be counterbalanced by continued appropriate national-level public health initiatives to address socio-economic differences.

scholarly journals IS ESP STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT FEASIBLE?

2019 ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
Jolita Sliogeriene
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Standardized Assessment ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Current Assessment

This paper provides an overview of assessment practice as it relates to English for Specific Purposes (ESP), and which is used in a variety of higher education settings. The notion of benchmarking in ESP standardized assessment is discussed, and assessment standards leading to quality assurance are described. The challenge for educators is to agree on a common assessment framework in view of the ongoing debate on ESP benchmarking and unified assessment criteria (nationally or internationally), which is also compared to CEFR. The author uses case study analysis to focus on student assessment policy and practice in Alberta, Canada, as well as other selected countries. It is significant that, today, a number of ESP assessment models are based only partially on the main foreign language assessment principles. Accordingly, this paper provides an overview of such principles, their descriptors and best practice in ESP assessment. The main aim of the research is therefore to understand current assessment practices as well as to develop a standardized benchmarking for ESP teachers. The paper proposes a model of ESP standardized assessment based on the studied reference, ESP practices used in different countries, as well as standards of assessment in general.

scholarly journals Exploring Formative Assessment and Co-Regulation in Kindergarten Through Interviews and Direct Observation

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Braund ◽  
Christopher DeLuca ◽  
Ernesto Panadero ◽  
Liying Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Classroom Assessment ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Student Thinking ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Student Agency ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Relationship

Formative assessment practices have been theoretically connected to the development of self-regulation with mounting empirical evidence. Co-regulation is the process whereby a more capable individual (e.g., teacher or peer) attunes the behaviours, emotions, or cognitive processes of an individual (a student) to align with goals or expectations and is being recognized as a strategy for developing self-regulation. Formative assessment practices may facilitate co-regulation, however, much of the literature has focused on older student populations. This phenomenological study explored the relationship between formative assessment and co-regulation in eight Kindergarten classrooms. Eight Kindergarten teachers and four Early Childhood Educators (ECE) completed semi-structured interviews in 2019 during two time periods with each participant completing two interviews. To supplement the interviews, 56 h of classroom observations were completed in each classroom, totaling 448 h of observations across eight classrooms. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Four themes emerged: 1) Authentic assessment and self-regulation practices, 2) Feedback as foundational, 3) Formative assessment and co-regulation have shared purposes, and 4) Connections between classroom assessment and co-regulation. Participants described their classroom assessment and self-regulation practices as authentic and natural for students while also providing examples of their interactions with students as a form of co-regulation. Feedback was articulated as foundational to both classroom assessment and co-regulation. Participants illustrated examples of feedback from peers (including through modified peer-assessment). Shared purposes between formative assessment and co-regulation placed students at the centre of the learning process, encouraging agentic behaviours, and scaffolding student thinking. The final theme underlined the need to broaden conceptualizations of assessment in Kindergarten. Findings suggested student agency as the bridge between classroom assessment and co-regulation, and a bidirectional, mutually supportive, relationship between formative assessment and co-regulation.

scholarly journals Insights into Grade 2 teachers’ enactment of formative assessment in mathematics in selected priority schools in Gauteng

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. S1-S10
Author(s):  
Poomoney Govender
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Service Training

This article reports on Grade 2 teachers’ perceptions of formative assessment in explaining the phenomenon of the underutilisation of formative assessment practices in mathematics teaching. A qualitative and interpretative case study investigated two Grade 2 teachers’ enactment of formative assessment in priority schools in Gauteng. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observations of lessons. The basic principles of qualitative content analysis were applied during data analysis and guided by the formative assessment theoretical framework proposed by Black and Wiliam (2009). The study revealed that teachers’ enactment of formative assessment was limited by their vague understanding of formative assessment and the tensions between formative assessment and curriculum compliance. The study’s central claim is that teachers may know about formative assessment, but if they do not understand how children learn and engage in mathematics learning, then they are unlikely to enact it correctly. While teachers who attended the in-service training programme were able to use some of the strategies as singular tools, they were still unable to implement the combined strategies that constitute the formative assessment pedagogy. Hence, the formative assessment practices of teachers bore limited possible returns on investment to improve learning outcomes in mathematics. The unique contribution of this study is its potential to inform teacher development, policy and practice as it yielded important insights while reinforcing and amplifying existing knowledge.

scholarly journals BASIC SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ASSESSMENT PRACTICES IN THE SISSALA EAST MUNICIPALITY, GHANA

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shani Osman
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Classroom Assessment ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Basic School

<p>This study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-method design to examine basic school teachers’ classroom assessment conceptions in the Sissala East Municipality in the Upper West Region of Ghana. In particular, the study examined the classroom assessment practices of teachers and their demographic characteristics that influence their assessment practices. Quantitative data gathered from 203 respondents were analyzed using mean, standard deviations, t-test and ANOVA. In the follow-up qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 12 participants and the data subjected to interpretive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that teachers mostly employ traditional assessment methods than alternative assessment tools Furthermore, gender, age, assessment training, teaching experience and class teaching level impacted the teachers’ use of assessment methods. It was recommended among other issues that regular in-service training in assessment be conducted for teachers for them to be up-to-date and also develop their skills and use of appropriate alternative classroom assessment practices.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0775/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Enhancing formative feedback in orthopaedic training: Development and implementation of a competency-based assessment framework

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Wagner ◽  
Anita Acai ◽  
Sydney A. McQueen ◽  
Com McCarthy ◽  
Andrew McGuire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Formative Feedback ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Tool Development ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Educational Impact ◽  
Postgraduate Training Program ◽  
Current Assessment ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
Orthopaedic Training

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of an assessment framework aimed at improving formative feedback practices in a Canadian orthopaedic postgraduate training program. Methods: Tool development began in 2014 and took place in 4 phases, each building upon the previous and informing the next. The reliability, validity, and educational impact of the tools were assessed on an ongoing basis, and changes were made accordingly. Results: One hundred eighty-two tools were completed and analyzed during the study period. Quantitative results suggested moderate to excellent agreement between raters (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.54-0.93), and an ability of the tools to discriminate between learners at different stages of training (p’s &lt; 0.05). Qualitative data suggested that the tools improved both the quality and quantity of formative feedback given by assessors and had begun to foster a culture change around assessment in the program. Conclusions: The tool development, implementation, and evaluation processes detailed in this article can serve as a model for other training programs to consider as they move towards adopting competency-based approaches and refining current assessment practices.

WORK-BASED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: EXPERIENCE AND CHALLENGES OF LEARNERS, WORKPLACES AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Roosipõld ◽  
Krista Loogma ◽  
Mare Kurvits ◽  
Kristina Murtazin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
University Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Constructivist Learning Theory ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
Restaurant Management ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University ◽  
Social Constructivist Learning

In recent years, providing higher education in the form of work-based learning has become more important in the higher education (HE) policy and practice almost in all EU countries. Work-based learning (WBL) in HE should support the development of competences of self-guided learners and adjust the university education better to the needs of the workplace. The study is based on two pilot projects of WBL in HE in Estonia: Tourism and Restaurant Management professional HE programme and the master’s programme in Business Information Technology. The model of integrative pedagogy, based on the social-constructivist learning theory, is taken as a theoretical foundation for the study. A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with the target groups. The data analysis used a horizontal analysis to find cross-cutting themes and identify patterns of actions and connections. It appears, that the challenge for HE is to create better cooperation among stakeholders; the challenge for workplaces is connected with better involvement of students; the challenge for students is to take more initiative and responsibility in communication with workplaces.

scholarly journals A gold mine, but still no Klondike: Nordic register data in health inequalities research

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 618-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kjetil A. Van Der Wel ◽  
Olof Östergren ◽  
Olle Lundberg ◽  
Kaarina Korhonen ◽  
Pekka Martikainen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Register Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Gold Mine ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Processing Times ◽  
Acquisition Processes

Aims: Future research on health inequality relies on data that cover life-course exposure, different birth cohorts and variation in policy contexts. Nordic register data have long been celebrated as a ‘gold mine’ for research, and fulfil many of these criteria. However, access to and use of such data are hampered by a number of hurdles and bottlenecks. We present and discuss the experiences of an ongoing Nordic consortium from the process of acquiring register data on socio-economic conditions and health in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Methods: We compare experiences of data-acquisition processes from a researcher’s perspective in the four countries and discuss the comparability of register data and the modes of collaboration available to researchers, given the prevailing ethical and legal restrictions. Results: The application processes we experienced were time-consuming, and decision structures were often fragmented. We found substantial variation between the countries in terms of processing times, costs and the administrative burden of the researcher. Concerned agencies differed in policy and practice which influenced both how and when data were delivered. These discrepancies present a challenge to comparative research. Conclusions: We conclude that there are few signs of harmonisation, as called for by previous policy documents and research papers. Ethical vetting needs to be centralised both within and between countries in order to improve data access. Institutional factors that seem to facilitate access to register data at the national level include single storage environments for health and social data, simplified ethical vetting and user guidance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document