ERIC Number: EJ740717
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Jun
Pages: 30
Abstractor: Author
Reference Count: 49
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0958-5176
Beyond Method: Assessment and Learning Practices and Values
James, Mary; Pedder, David
Curriculum Journal, v17 n2 p109-138 Jun 2006
This article reports the findings of a survey of 558 teachers in England. It describes how conceptual and empirical insights from the literature informed the construction of questionnaire items to provide answers to questions about the way in which teachers value different classroom assessment practices and how congruent with these values they perceive their practices to be. Results from item, factor and cluster analyses reveal three underlying dimensions of assessment practice, sizeable values-practice gaps on two dimensions that appear to be in tension (promoting learning autonomy and performance orientation), and differences among teachers which show that over half of this sample report that they are unable to sustain practices across all dimensions in line with their values. We conclude that teachers are demonstrably committed to the values (not just the methods) of assessment "for" learning within a moral framework that gives importance to the quality of students' learning, yet they experience and need to resolve contradictions in order to realize their values. (Contains 7 figures, 5 tables, and 8 notes.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Values, Teacher Surveys, Questionnaires, Evaluation Methods, Student Evaluation, Factor Analysis, Individual Differences, Data Collection, Models, Teacher Attitudes, Learning Processes, Multivariate Analysis
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street, Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940. Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom

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