Cross‐curricular competencies of student teachers: a selection model based on assessment centre admission tests and study success after the first year of teacher training

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in assessing teachers’ cross‐curricular competencies as a result of reforms in teacher education in Switzerland. At Zurich University of Teacher Education, future students who do not have formal qualifications are required to pass several examinations and a test, which is known as an ‘assessment centre’. The goal of the assessment centre is to match students’ individual competencies and interests with the university requirements. The predictive validity of the underlying selection model of competencies is currently being evaluated in a longitudinal study. This study, so far, has indicated that student teachers with high assessment centre ratings were not only more likely to be successful in their teaching profession after their first year of study but were also seen as suitable teachers by their mentors after their first year of teaching activity. Major findings in the study certify the selection model as a valid instrument of competency assessment in the case of beginning student teachers while also endorsing professionalisation as it clearly reflects teacher‐training standards.