Teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards students’ self assessment: A latent profile analysis

Abstract

Autonomous lifelong learning has been identified as a global competency for 21st century education. Students’ self assessment (SSA) plays significant role in achieving this competency. Understanding teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards SSA is fundamental in promoting SSA in the classroom. The overarching aim of this study was to understand Ghanaian teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards SSA. Employing a cross-sectional survey design, 248 basic and senior high school teachers participated in this study. A four-factor structure was identified to explain teachers’ beliefs about SSA (i.e., positive belief about self assessment, developing students’ self assessment capacity, negative beliefs about self assessment, and confidence in students’ capacity). Based on these four factors, a latent profile analysis identified five distinct groups of teachers who have varying beliefs about SSA within the Ghanaian educational context. Although some of the teachers in our study strongly believe that SSA is a useful assessment and learning tool that could help students reflect, monitor their own learning, and promote autonomous lifelong learning, most of the teachers either have no interest in SSA, or perceived students as not supporting effective teaching and learning. Implications for policy and practice have been discussed.