Assessment Of Student Teachers Research Articles

Assessment of student-teachers' digital competencies across educational aspects: the current status and areas for improvement

In the present digital age, improved teacher digital competencies are increasingly becoming an important component of teachers' qualifications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the digital competencies level of student-teachers and probe the areas for improvement. The subject of this study was undergraduate student-teachers in their final year of Bachelor of Education degree programmes from the College of Education at one of the public Universities in Tanzania. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were employed to get a sample of 549 participants. The study employed the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) as a theoretical framework. The study employed a quantitative approach and descriptive cross-sectional design. Data were collected through an online survey that included six competency areas linked to teachers' professional practices. Data analysis procedures included descriptive and inferential analysis. The findings revealed that student-teachers perceived their digital competencies as moderately higher at the knowledge acquisition level and moderately low at the knowledge deepening level of ICT CFT. The results also demonstrated that student-teachers were more competent in integrating technology in educational aspects that are indirectly linked to teaching (e.g. teacher professional learning, and organization and administration) and less competent in educational aspects that are directly linked to classroom teaching (e.g. pedagogy, and curriculum and assessment). The study further established a positive and statistically significant association between student-teachers' digital competencies and knowledge acquisition and knowledge deepening levels. The results of the present study signify the importance of developing student-teachers' digital competencies across all educational aspects. However, in order to guarantee technology integration in classroom teaching, it is recommended that teacher education programmes focus more on improving student-teachers' digital competencies in competency areas that are directly linked to classroom pedagogical practices.

Competence-Based Assessment in Tanzanian Teacher Education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Comprehensive Analysis

Competence-based assessment plays a pivotal role in shaping the quality and effectiveness of teacher education programs in the dynamic landscape of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Understanding the existing assessment practices and their alignment with competence-based principles is essential for enhancing the preparation of future educators in this context. This study examined the assessment practices in Tanzanian teacher education programs gaining insights into how student teacher assessment is done and the alignment of competence-based principles in the preparation of student teachers. A survey involving 531 participants was conducted to gather data on Statistical analysis were employed to explore variations in assessment experiences based on gender, age, and education level. The findings indicate that traditional pen-and-paper assessments remain the dominant assessment method in Tanzanian teacher education, comprising a substantial 69%. Notably, 52% of student teachers believe are evaluated on their aptitude to seamlessly integrate technology into teaching and learning, accentuating the criticality of digital skills. Furthermore, our study unveils a multifaceted assessment landscape for innovation and critical thinking, with 25.2% of students always feeling assessed, in contrast to 13.6% who seldom or never experience this evaluation. Remarkably, gender emerges as a potent influencer in technology integration assessments, while age distinctly shapes the evaluation of research skills and collaborative abilities. Moreover, the findings underscore that competence-based assessment in Tanzanian teacher education is progressively adapting to meet the demands of the 4IR. However, they also underscore the need for a more diversified and innovative assessment approach to effectively address the evolving educational landscape. This study highlights the pronounced impact of gender, age, and education level on assessment experiences, underscoring the imperative for tailored approaches in nurturing future educators.

Enhancing Language Acquisition: A Case Study of TESL Lesson Plans in an International School

The fourth goal in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) spells out Quality Education that demands teachers across all disciplines to teach effectively. The available literature suggests that teaching effectiveness starts from good planning, which should be evident in the documentation of lesson plans. However, when it comes to English teachers, their demanding roles that are attributed to the value-laden content, the grading of essays, the performance pressure of high-stake testing, and the requirement of culturally appropriate pedagogies (Loh & Liew, 2016) have caused the practice of writing lesson plans to be challenged, causing the effectiveness of the teaching to be jeopardised. English teachers in international schools are not exempted from facing this problem, yet little studies have been done on the teachers in this context. To achieve the purpose, this research adopts a case study design using document analysis and semi-structured interview to collect the data. The data were analysed quantitatively using a lesson plan rubric by Student Teacher Assessment Instrument (STAI) and thematic analysis, respectively. The study unveils that the teachers had a moderate level of lesson plan, suggesting a need for further support in lesson planning. The findings of this study will be helpful for English. Teachers understand the importance of writing an effective lesson plan as it has a high possibility of enhancing teaching effectiveness.

The rise and fall of Missouri’s performance assessment of student teachers: A policy network analysis of the Missouri Pre-Service Teacher Assessment

This article examines the adoption and abandonment of the Missouri Pre-Service Teacher Assessment (MoPTA). Our analysis draws on policy network theory to argue that the divergent rationales of Missouri’s primary teacher education policy network actors led to confusion, conflict, and disagreement, which contributed to the abandonment of the MoPTA as a policy prescription. Charting the rise and fall of Missouri’s high-stakes performance assessment provides important lessons for state education agencies, local school districts, and teacher education programs.

Multidimensional assessment of student teachers’ self-esteem and attitudes towards inclusive education and people with disabilities

ABSTRACT This research aims to investigate the relationship between the self-esteem of student teachers, their attitudes towards inclusive education for children with disabilities, and the mediating factor of their attitudes towards people with disabilities. The study involved 562 student teachers from Poland. Significant correlations were found between the student teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion, self-esteem and attitudes towards people with disabilities. Higher self-esteem was associated with more positive attitudes, manifested as thoughts about people with disabilities, emotions felt towards them, and behaviours directed at them. The results show that the correlation between self-esteem and negative attitudes towards inclusion is mediated by negative attitudes towards persons with disabilities. These results correspond to findings pointing to the importance of self-esteem as a psychological resource that affects one’s interpretation of difficulties, life situations, and other people. The correlations of these three complex variables form a basis for a model of how to educate student teachers on inclusion.

Quality of Practice Teaching Assignments as Experienced by Students Teachers of Silliman University

This paper compared on-campus and off-campus practice teaching experience of 49 baccalaureate students in Elementary and Secondary Education of Silliman University College of Education. A self-administered questionnaire, the revised Student Teacher Assessment on the Silliman University Student Teaching Program, was the main data gathering instrument used. The Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Rank Test showed that there was no significant difference in the student teachers’ ratings of their on-campus and off-campus experiences. The same findings were noted on the challenges they have encountered and the recommendations they have posited, namely: classroom management and mentors’ support and relationship. Further, the findings revealed that classroom management and mentors’ support and relationship were their top two challenges. The student teachers strongly recommended that support for student teaching be improved especially in terms of mentors’ support and scheduling. In addition, they strongly recommended that they are pre-observed by their supervisors before their final student teaching demonstration.

Interventionist Dynamic Assessment’s Effects on Speaking Skills Testing: Case of Elt Teacher Candidates

EFL learners’ oral proficiency plays an important role in the representation of their productive skills. Especially, English language learners’ speaking skills are considered as main reflection of their proficiency in foreign languages. Speaking in L2 is accepted as a vital competence for language teachers as well, who are going to teach the target language in the future. The related literature puts an emphasis on the assessment of speaking skills utilizing various techniques. However, the number of research studies, examining how dynamic assessment (DA), especially the interventionist model of dynamic assessment, can be utilized as a technique in the assessment of L2 speaking performance, is relatively limited. Thus, the main aims of the current research study are both to investigate the efficacy of the interventionist model of DA in the assessment of student teachers’ speaking skills performance and to figure out their attitudes towards dynamic assessment. The participants of the current research were 29 student teachers, enrolled in the English Language Teaching Department of a state university in Turkey. To collect the quantitative data questionnaire survey was adopted and utilized as a checklist due to the number of the participants. On the other hand, to collect the qualitative data, a written structured interview was administered to the participants. The data were analyzed with the SPSS package and through the content analysis method. The findings of the current research revealed that participants were satisfied with the interventionist model and developed positive attitudes towards this assessment type. The participants stated that the interventionist dynamic assessment provided an authentic, creative and relaxing atmosphere, which decreased the level of their speaking anxiety. It can be asserted that DA can be administered to test foreign language speaking performance in language classrooms. Additionally, it was concluded that the interventionist model sustained and boosted the student teachers’ oral skills achievement.

Assessment of student teachers on practicum: Building and promoting self-regulatory practices

Assessment of student teachers on practicum: Building and promoting self-regulatory practices

A measurement of student teachers’ parent–teacher communication competences: the design of a video-based instrument

This study reports on the design of a video-based instrument to assess student teachers’ parent–teacher communication competences (PTCC) in a reliable and valid way. PTCC refer to the competences needed to communicate successfully with parents during conversations such as parent–teacher conferences. Taking into account both conceptual and methodological challenges regarding the measurement of competences, several methodological steps were followed to design a video-based instrument focusing on the assessment of student teachers’ perception, interpretation and decision-making skills (PID skills) regarding parent–teacher communication: designing video vignettes presenting realistic job situations regarding parent–teacher communication; developing instructions to elicit student teachers’ PID skills; designing a coding scheme to analyse student teachers’ responses; and implementing the instrument (n = 269) to test and refine it. This ultimately resulted in an instrument consisting of (1) three video vignettes, (2) a series of open-ended questions eliciting student teachers’ PID skills, and (3) three coding schemes to develop a perception score, an interpretation score and a decision-making score for PTCC. The (4) implementation of the instrument confirmed that this innovative video-based tool might be a promising approach to assess student teachers’ PTCC. To conclude, the quality and contribution of the measurement instrument and the implications for further research are discussed.

Predictive validity of a competence-based admission test − mentors' assessment of student teachers' occupational aptitude

Predictive validity of a competence-based admission test − mentors' assessment of student teachers' occupational aptitude

Predictive validity of a competence-based admission test − mentors’ assessment of student teachers’ occupational aptitude

The aim of this longitudinal study was to gain an understanding of how Swiss student teachers (n = 253), who had passed a competence-based admission test, were assessed by their mentors after the first year of teaching. The results revealed a high correlation between the students’ initial cross-curricular competencies (CCC) and their mentors’ subsequent assessment. A regression analysis showed that the students’ initial CCC had the strongest impact on their subsequent competence development in relation to teaching, whereas cognitively oriented measures, including a cognitive ability test, did not add to the prediction. Qualitative analysis of mentors’ assessments revealed different patterns of low performing students’ competence development in relation to mentors’ support. Students with low self-confidence seemed to particularly benefit from shared reflection and a good mentee-mentor relationship.

Perceptions of college lecturers and students towards the assessment of student teachers with special needs in inclusive contexts: A case of one college of teacher education in Zimbabwe

Assessment processes are critical in educational practice since quality education can be measured through these processes. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of college lecturers and students on the nature of assessment procedures obtaining for students with special needs in inclusive contexts. The study is grounded in Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and the social model of disability. The observation that teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe often have no inclusive policy guidelines on the assessment of students with special needs motivated the study. A case study was conducted within the qualitative paradigm. Semi structured questionnaires and focus group discussions were used as the main data collection instruments for 15 lecturers and 20 students chosen using simple random and purposive sampling respectively. The main findings revealed that there were challenges of assessing students with special needs together with their peers without special needs. It was observed that extra time given to students with special needs was done ad hoc as there were no policy guidelines. The results further revealed that it was not clear whether the bases for assessment were premised on the student’s level of disability, educational skills, competences or concepts. Ultimately, the study concluded that there was no equality of opportunities in the assessment of students with disabilities at the teachers college. In view of these findings, the study recommended the need for modifications whose decisions should be based on agreed policy guidelines and a national framework for the assessment of tertiary education students with special needs.

EVALUATION OF TEACHING PRACTICE EXERCISE IN NIGERIA

Evaluation is centrally concerned with the making of value judgments. In the school setting, evaluation underpins the teacher’s development of curriculum activities, his/her selection of instructional objectives in his/her day-today lesson planning and choice of materials and methods by which to judge the progress of his/her students. Evaluation enables the teacher to make appropriate decisions about his/her on-going classroom activities and to plan future activities more purposefully and effectively in the light of his knowledge of the progress of his/her students. Appropriate decisions, however, depend upon correct judgments and these in turn can only be derived from adequate instruments and applications of knowledge glean as a result of training to become a teacher. This paper discussed the evaluation of student-teachers by supervisors who go the practicing schools to supervise the would-be-teachers (student-teachers) in order to ascertain that the would-be-teachers are putting into practice the theories and methods learnt; as well as an examination process to assess teaching effectiveness to grade the student-teachers. It was recommended that the assessment of student-teachers should be done by both the cooperating teacher (mentor) from the practicing school as well as the visiting supervisor from the training institutions as this is not currently the case. Article visualizations:

Video narratives to assess student teachers’ competence as new teachers

In teacher education programmes, written portfolios or text-based self-evaluations are generally used to document the development of student teachers’ competence. However, such approaches do no justice to the complex nature of teaching as they tend to lead to evidence in which teacher competencies are disconnected and removed from the actual teaching practice. In one postgraduate teacher education programme, video narratives were evaluated as a valid way to assess student teachers’ teaching competencies, promoting connections amongst different competencies, situating these in practice and showing their development over time. Data were gathered from self-reports of both teacher educators and student teachers as well as student teachers’ completed video narratives. Most student teachers succeeded in meeting the set criteria for the video narrative assignment with connected video clips and text frames. However, student teachers also came up with only a few video episodes and loosely connected clips, reflections and other sources. Although most of the students during the programme did explicitly reflect upon their personal development towards becoming a teacher, almost none of them explicitly connected these ideas to their long-term development. We conclude that video narratives show potential to be used as a valid assessment of student teachers’ teaching competence. Yet, structured guidance as well as ill-structured assignments are needed in framing assessment of student teachers in teacher preparation: the former to clarify the aims, format and criteria and the latter to enable student teachers to reflect on their teaching in a personally, meaningful way.

Differences in Perceptions of the Importance of Subject Matter Knowledge and How These Shaped Supervision and Assessment of Student Teachers on Teaching Practice

The purpose of the study was to establish lecturers and student teachers’ perceptions of the importance of subject matter knowledge and how these views affected supervision and assessment of pre-service and in-service science teachers at University of Mashonaland (pseudonym) in Zimbabwe. The study was largely qualitative and used group discussions, interviews and document analysis to collect data. Lecturers that offered professional courses had varied backgrounds with the majority claiming a background in science education at university level and a large number did not study science beyond Ordinary Level. There were mixed feelings about quality of supervision and assessment received from lecturers who did not have sound science knowledge. Student teachers thought they did not benefit much from supervision by non-science educators and their view was supported by science educators. On the other hand lecturers with no science background insisted they were competent to assess documents and live lessons conducted by the student teachers. Further research was recommended to determine qualitative and quantitative differences in supervision and assessment by lecturers with different backgrounds in science education.

Teaching skills of student teachers: Calibration of an evaluation instrument and its value in predicting student academic engagement

Student teachers are expected to develop their teaching skills sooner and more rapidly. However, a sound evaluation instrument that can be used to diagnose and monitor the skilfulness level to aid formative assessment of student teachers is still limited. This article is aimed to calibrate and validate a teaching skill evaluation instrument for use in secondary education. A total of 264 student teachers in the Netherlands participated in the study. Rasch and multilevel analyses were used. Results suggest that the evaluation instrument meets the restrictive assumptions of the Rasch model and has predictive value for academic engagement. This adds validation evidence and justifies the calibration of the evaluation instrument to be used for monitoring the development of teacher's teaching skills.

How to Turn the Epostl into an Electronic Setting: The E-epostl

Current practices in the field of foreign language teacher education and specifically assessment of student teachers at foreign language teaching (FLT) departments have an inclination to make use of traditional means. Today assessment practices in FLT are more innovative and modern through alternative and authentic assessment tools. No matter how much more eligible for objective testing, time consumption and applicability rather than old fashioned assessment tools both the policy makers and the universities as practitioners should take a step to utilize and develop alternative assessment types in language teacher education to change the direction of this flow back and to meet the educational needs of prospective teachers who are digital natives and international criterion to be an autonomous and successful language teacher. Thus, the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL) as a standard self- assessment tool for students in foreign language teacher training departments across Europe was developed in the light of The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the European Language Portfolio (ELP) by the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe (ECML). In this study it was aimed to transfer this material into an electronic setting so that this digital material will become an electronic portfolio “the E-EPOSTL” and those prospective teachers dealing with digital natives just like themselves can have the opportunity to evaluate themselves whenever and wherever they are online. In this study the procedure for the transfer of the EPOSTL into the E- EPOSTL will be discussed and defined via some visual e-materials.

TÜRKÇE ÖĞRETMENİ ADAYLARINA GÖRE TÜRKÇENİN GÜNCEL SORUNLARI

The purpose of this research, is assessment of student teachers’ the views on contemporary issues in Turkish. In this study, interviewing method within the framework of qualitative research was used. Research was carried out working group consisting of 72 Turkish student teachers in Faculty of Education Erciyes University. The working group was created having a specified goal and cluster sampling method. Descriptive statistical method was used the data analysis about Personal information of student teachers. The data obtained from the interviewing forms were analyzed through content analysis. The results of this study, According to Turkish student teachers the most important problems as the first three mentioned: “sloppy and incorrect use of Turkish language, (39%)”, “the use of foreign words/foreign language passion or affectation (29%)” and “teacher factor, the problems of teacher training programs, Turkish learning and teaching insufficiency (14%)”.

The Changing Nature of Assessment in Teacher Education

Major changes in education policy in South Africa have affected teacher education on the whole and assessment in particular. Assessment policies changed to include transparency in assessment. The Nor ms and Standards for Educators identified seven roles that teachers must demonstrate when they teach, including foundational, practical and reflective competencies which inform the training and assessing of student teachers in schools. The new Policy on the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications proposes 11 basic competencies of a beginner teacher, but retains the seven roles of the teacher. It is against this background tha t this article explores the changing nature of assessment in teacher education. Currently student teachers at the University of Limpopo are assessed on content knowledge in major subjects and practical skills of teaching. Re-conceptualisation of the initial teacher education qualification in the new policy documents requires institutions to examine their assessment practices. This article examines the implications of policy changes on assessment practices at higher education institutions through a critical analysis of the policy documents. It suggests ways in which changes in assessment practice can be implemented in order to address the changing school curriculum, as put forward in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. The recommendation is that the assessment of student tea chers should change and a different format should be adopted, considering the amount of time that they spend in the field. There should also be greater focus on mentoring, reflection, cooperative and collaborative learning and different methods of assessing.

Assessment in the Social Sciences: GIS Training and Assessment for Pre-service Geography Teachers in a Rural University

Geographical information system/s (GIS) is a relatively new inclusion in the school curriculum in South Africa. The training and assessment of pre-service teachers is crucial for the successful implementation of GIS in schools. This article explores the impact of GIS software in the training and assessment of student teachers in Geography Education at the University of Limpopo. The students are exposed to mainly rural schools where the use of technology in teaching is rare. Therefore this article examines the exposure of student teachers from rural backgrounds to GIS software and assesses their mastery of the software. The research reports on the process involved in training the students to use GIS software; assessment of students' competency in drawing specific maps; and students' self-assessment in the form of reflections. Data were gathered using questionnaires a nd from a practical assessment using GIS software. The data were quantitatively analysed to determine problems faced by individual students in execution of the assessment task. The findings indicate that students grasped the basic skills required to utilise GIS software, but need more training in complex exercises. Findings from the questionnaires indicated that students benefitted from the training and assessment tasks. Once the technological sk ills were mastered, stu dents could attempt the assessment task with greater ease. It is recommended that Geogr a phy Education students should complete GIS as a module that is fully assessed. In this way assessment tasks can become more complex, and the skills gained can be meaningfully utilised by teachers.