Teacher Subjectivity Regarding Assessment: Exploring English as a Foreign Language Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment Theories that Influence Student Learning
Keywords:
EFL teachers, subjective theory, assessment practices, assessment planning, assessment implementation
Abstract
Evidence shows that teachers’ beliefs about the purpose of assessment are relevant with regard to how assessment is planned and implemented in classroom settings. Using a range of data sources, this qualitative interpretive study examined how 10 English as a Foreign Language teachers in Czech lower secondary schools perceived their assessment beliefs (subjective theories) and how these beliefs influenced their assessment practices within the classroom. The findings showed that although the majority of the teachers used a wide range of sources to construct their subjective theories of assessment, most of their assessment practices are still based on old-fashioned routines and in contradiction of previous research findings. An analysis of the importance of assessment practices revealed that grading, testing, questioning, and verbal feedback were used often, while self-, peer, written, and portfolio assessments were the least exercised options. Furthermore, the results indicated that the majority of the teachers used assessment for managing behaviour and for certification rather than to improve teaching and learning. The results also suggested that introducing
targeted professional development courses that aim to create innovative assessment practices could contribute to transforming teaching and learning for better student learning.
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References
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Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Mishler, E. (1990). Validation in inquiry-guided research: The role of exemplars in narrative studies. Harvard Educational Review, 60(4), 415–443.
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Remesal, A. (2007). Educational reform and primary and secondary teachers’ conceptions of assessment: The Spanish instance, building upon Black and Wiliam. The Curriculum Journal, 18(1), 27–38.
Santiago, P., Gilmore, A., Nusche, D., & Sammons, P. (2012). OECD reviews of evaluation and assessment in education. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Sato, M., Wei, R. C., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2008). Improving Teachers’ assessment practices through professional development: The Case of national board certification. American Educational Research Journal, 45(X), 669–700.
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Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on Formative Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153–189.
Strakova, J., & Simonová, J. (2013). Assessment in the school systems of the Czech Republic. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 20(4), 470–490.
Tierney, R. D. (2014). Fairness as a multifaceted quality in classroom assessment. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 43(December), 55–69.
Volante, L., & Fazio, X. (2007). Exploring teacher candidates’ assessment literacy: Implications for teacher education reform and professional development. Canadian Journal of Education, 30(3), 749–770.
Wang, J. R., Kao, H. L., & Lin, S. W. (2010). Preservice teachers’ initial conceptions about assessment of science learning: The coherence with their views of learning science. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 522–529.
Antoniou, P., & James, M. (2014). Exploring formative assessment in primary school classrooms: Developing a framework of actions and strategies. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 26(2), 153–176.
Assessment Reform Group (1999). Assessment for learning: Beyond the black box. Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge.
Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32(3), 347–364.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), 5. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11092-008-9068-5#citeas
Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998a). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139–148.
Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998b). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5(1), 7–74.
Bourke, R. (2016). Liberating the learner through self-assessment. Cambridge Journal of Education, 46(1), 97–111.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, and school. Washington, DC: National Research Council.
Broadfoot, P. (2017). Time to tame the leviathan? Perspectives and possibilities for a new era in assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 24(3), 415–423.
Brookhart, S. M. (2011). Educational assessment knowledge and skills for teachers. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 30(1), 3–12.
Brown, G. T. L., & Remesal, A. (2017). Teachers’ conceptions of assessment: Comparing two inventories with Ecuadorian teachers. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 55, 68–74.
Campbell, C., & Evans, J. A. (2000). Investigation of preservice teachers’ classroom assessment practices during student teaching. The Journal of Educational Research, 93(6), 350–355.
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publication.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W. (2011). Controversies in mixed methods research. In N. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (4th ed.) (pp. 269–283). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Crooks, T. J. (1988). The impact of classroom evaluation practices on students. Review of Educational Research, 58(4), 438–481.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2011). The Sage handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
DeLuca, C., Luu, K., Sun, Y., & Klinger, D. A. (2012). Assessment for learning in the classroom: Barriers to implementation and possibilities for teacher professional learning. Assessment Matters, 4, 5–29.
Diaz, C., Martinez, P., Roa, I., & Sanhueza, M. (2010). Teachers in today’s society: Their beliefs and pedagogical cognitions regarding the didactic process. Polis Journal of the Bolivarian University, 9(25), 421–436.
Fives, H., Barnes, N., Dacey, C., & Gillis, A. (2016). Assessing Assessment texts: Where is planning? The Teacher Educator, 51(1), 70–89.
Gamlem, S. M., & Munthe, E. (2013). Mapping the quality of feedback to support students’ learning in lower secondary classrooms. Cambridge Journal of Education, 44(1), 75–92.
Gardner, J. N., & Gardner, J. (Eds.). (2012). Assessmnet and learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Goldstein, H. (2017). A response to ‘assessment and learning: fields apart?’ Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 24(3), 388–393.
Harris, L. R., & Brown, G. T. (2009). The complexity of teachers’ conceptions of assessment: Tensions between the needs of schools and students. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 16(3), 365–381.
Harris, L., Irving, S., & Peterson, (Eds.). (2008, December). Proceedings from annual conference of the Australian association for research in education on secondary teachers’ conceptions of the purpose of assessment and feedback. Brisbane: Australia.
Hattie, J. A. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of 800+ meta-analyses on achievement. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
Hill, C. L. (2011). Peer editing: A comprehensive pedagogical appraoch to maximize assessment opportunities, integrate collaborative learning, and achieve desired outcomes. Nevada Law Journal, 11(3), 667–717.
Kraler, C., & Schratz, M. (2012). From Best Practice to Next Practice: A shift through research-based teacher education. Reflecting Education, 8(2), 88–125.
Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 254–284.
Kvale, S. (2007). Doing interviews. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Lee, I., & Coniam, D. (2013). Introducing assessment for learning for EFL writing in an assessment of learning examination-driven system in Hong Kong. Journal of Second Language Writing, 22(1), 34–50.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Mishler, E. (1990). Validation in inquiry-guided research: The role of exemplars in narrative studies. Harvard Educational Review, 60(4), 415–443.
Natriello, G. (1987). The impact of evaluation processes on students. Educational Psychologist, 22(2), 155–175.
OECD. (2005). Formative assessment: Improving learning in secondary classrooms. Paris: OECD publishing.
OECD. (2013). Synergies for better learning: An international perspective on evaluation and assessment. Paris: OECD publishing.
Parr, J. M., & Hawe, E. (2017). Facilitating real-time observation of, and peer discussion and feedback about, practice in writing classrooms. Professional Development in Education, 43(5), 709–728.
Remesal, A. (2007). Educational reform and primary and secondary teachers’ conceptions of assessment: The Spanish instance, building upon Black and Wiliam. The Curriculum Journal, 18(1), 27–38.
Santiago, P., Gilmore, A., Nusche, D., & Sammons, P. (2012). OECD reviews of evaluation and assessment in education. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Sato, M., Wei, R. C., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2008). Improving Teachers’ assessment practices through professional development: The Case of national board certification. American Educational Research Journal, 45(X), 669–700.
Scheerens, J., Ehren, M., Sleegers, P., & Leeuw, R. De. (2013). OECD Review on evaluation and assessment frameworks for improving school outcomes. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Schratz, M. (2010). What is a “European teacher� In O. Gassner, L. Kerger, & M. Schratz (Eds.), The first ten years after Bologna (pp. 97–102). Bukarest: Editura Universitatii din Bucuresti.
Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on Formative Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153–189.
Strakova, J., & Simonová, J. (2013). Assessment in the school systems of the Czech Republic. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 20(4), 470–490.
Tierney, R. D. (2014). Fairness as a multifaceted quality in classroom assessment. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 43(December), 55–69.
Volante, L., & Fazio, X. (2007). Exploring teacher candidates’ assessment literacy: Implications for teacher education reform and professional development. Canadian Journal of Education, 30(3), 749–770.
Wang, J. R., Kao, H. L., & Lin, S. W. (2010). Preservice teachers’ initial conceptions about assessment of science learning: The coherence with their views of learning science. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 522–529.
Published
2018-09-28
How to Cite
Seden, K., & Svaricek, R. (2018). Teacher Subjectivity Regarding Assessment: Exploring English as a Foreign Language Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment Theories that Influence Student Learning. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 8(3), 119-139. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.500
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