Participatory learning as a student-centered teaching technique during the COVID-19 pandemic

Self, Peer and Teacher Assessments in Problem Based Learning: Are They in Agreements?

Reliability and validity of Web-based portfolio peer assessment: A case study for a senior high school’s students taking computer course

In recent times, more attention has been directed towards identifying international trends and ‘best’ practice for assessing pre-service teachers’ classroom performance. Previous attempts to assess Oman’s preservice teachers were based on adopting a psychometric/measurement assessment practice, whereby performance was measured by grades. Such an approach, in recent times, has been viewed as being fundamentally flawed in its attempts to measure pre-service teachers’ classroom practices. This is primarily due to its inability to authentically assess teacher’s learning in the classroom setting. Further underpinning this problem, is that Omani pre-service teachers are expected to undertake an International English Language Testing System (commonly referred to as IELTS), as a measurement of their English proficiency. This approach is problematic, in principle, as it is positioned after graduation and therefore forms no connection to the pre-service teachers’ school experience nor does it add to quality teaching and assessment. This recent shift in thinking, as to the idea that educational assessment should be based on psychometric measurements and grades, has evolved into assessment practices which encourage the integration of assessment into the learning and teaching environment. This thesis is concerned with how the pre-service English Language teacher’s classroom performance is assessed in Oman. Drawing on the work of Gipps (1999, 2002), this thesis adopted a sociocultural perspective to investigate the phenomenon of assessment practices associated with evaluating pre-service teacher’s classroom performance during school-based professional experience (also known as teaching practicum). Understanding assessment practices from a sociocultural perspective and its current practices such as authentic assessment and Assessment for Learning (AfL) assists pre-service teachers to learn so as to become professional, qualified teachers. To achieve the aims of this study, the thesis adopted a qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology approach to investigate the assessment phenomenon and to gain a deep understanding from the key stakeholders involved in the phenomenon. To enable this, the data collected from three higher education institutions, namely Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Rustaq-College of Applied Sciences (CAS) and Nizwa University and their participating schools. A range of different data sources obtained: assessment texts which position pre-service English Language teachers; three-series of interviews with the different stakeholders: three pre-service teachers, three cooperating teachers and four university supervisors to reveal their experiences; and observing the phenomenon in situ to triangulate with the aforementioned data. Implementing hermeneutic phenomenology, the obtained data analysed using two approaches: Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) so that the existing practices for assessing pre-service English language teachers’ classroom performance in Oman were captured. The analyses revealed that each institution has its assessment practices influenced by its socio-political structure, yet SQU, unlike Rustaq-CAS and Nizwa University, is distinguished in relation to its pre-determined set of professional standards for graduating teachers; explicit assessment criteria that are shared and discussed with pre-service teachers; collaboration between all stakeholders in the assessment process; a clearly defined role for the cooperating teacher as mentor; effective feedback provided to the pre-service teacher; using portfolios to record and document the pre-service teachers achievements; and effective self- and peer-assessment strategies. These practices are mostly experienced by stakeholders at SQU due to its international accreditation under the influence of the standards based on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The findings suggest that SQU assessment practices are more aligned with the indicators of international best practice, compared to that of Rustaq-CAS and Nizwa University. Similarly, SQU had a better understanding of assessment practices from a sociocultural perspective. This means that within the context of assessing pre-service teachers’ classroom performance in Oman, the findings are not about each higher education institution but about producing quality teacher graduates by reforming the Omani assessment practices. Having SQU as a model in Oman, the key recommendations for policy and practice from this study are to: 1) set a national professional standards for teachers; 2) have explicit assessment criteria that align with the professional standards; 3) share the assessment criteria for success between all stakeholders in the phenomenon; 4) strengthen the collaboration between schools and universities as well as university supervisors and cooperating teachers,5) make the role of the portfolio more explicit in terms of monitoring and enhancing pre-service teacher development and learning; 6) empower the cooperating teacher to provide a more meaningful mentoring role to pre-service teachers; 7) provide explicit training in effective peer and self-assessment strategies for pre-service teachers in the classroom context and 8) provide explicit training in understanding and delivering quality feedback on classroom performance for all stakeholders.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reveal the contribution of the digital storytelling to the peer assessments experiences of pre-service teachers within the teaching practices.Design/methodology/approachThe study is carried out as a special case study. Both qualitative and quantitative data gathering tools were used together to investigate a special case in depth (Yıldırım and Şimşek, 2011; Çepni, 2007). In this study, the case investigated was the process whereby the senior year pre-service teachers enrolled in the faculty of education provided assessments of themselves and their peers through the teaching practice course, using digital storytelling. The contributions of the assessment method employed, in the experiences and personal development of the pre-service teachers, were investigated through interviews with pre-service teachers involved.FindingsThe results suggested that pre-service teachers’ perspectives were quite positive toward the use of digital storytelling for peer assessment in their teaching practices. The prominent contributions were: they caused easily tolerate personally as they did not take a direct form, and that they considered peer assessment through digital storytelling as an alternative means of assessment to effectively reflect the process. Receiving more detailed feedback about their classroom experiences and their teaching skills was helpful for pre-service IT teachers. Suggestions due to the findings were also included.Originality/valueIn the study, peer assessment digital stories in the teaching practice courses offers the benefits of confidence with, different perspectives, satisfaction, and objectivity. These benefits can help pre-service teachers to focus on shortcomings regarding their teaching experiences, and take care for the correction. Further studies can be provided about the digital storytelling processes in various assessment processes of the instructions to reveal the potential of digital narratives in other domains as well.

This paper describes a study of how peer assessment can be introduced to novice programmers to support programming knowledge. In the field of computer science, peer assessment is not a common approach in beginner programming courses as novice programmers generally may not have enough programming knowledge to assess their peers effectively. Therefore, this study contributes in empowering novice programmers and improving their learning quality at early stages. Thus, this study's aims are threefold: firstly, to identify an appropriate category-based assessment method, secondly, to determine how a peer assessment framework can be considered useful and valid as a tutor's assessment may be, and thirdly, to measure the students’ performance after a peer assessment activity. To achieve the first aim, a pilot study was completed across two universities with 42 undergraduate computer science participants. To accomplish the second and third aims, an experimental study with 170 undergraduate students was conducted. The results indicated that both rubric and marking scheme forms could be used to support peer assessment, as there was no significant difference in the results of use found between them. Moreover, although the convergence level of peer assessment with tutor assessment was not aligned, it was at a medium level with the students’ average scores when compared with the tutors’ assessments. In addition, the practice of peer assessment was found to have a positive effect on subsequent achievement for those students who took part in the mock peer assessment exercise.

Background: Blended learning offers opportunities for the complexity of learning in clinical education. Student peer assessment is widely used as a form of formative assessment in early clinical exposure programs, especially clinical communication skills training. This study aimed to describe clinical communication skills competencies of second-year students and to identify the relationships between peer and faculty assessment of communication skills in a blended learning program format. Methods: A total of 474 second-year general medical students and dental students participated in the study. Peer and lecturer assessment forms with a 5-point Likert scale according to the Calgary-Cambridge guide format were used to evaluate students’ performance of basic communication skills, relationship building, and history taking. Pearson’s correlation coefficients and paired t-test were applied. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Most of students were rated at distinction level (score at 7-8.4) in communication skills. Mean of the overall score by peer and faculty assessment were 7.46 ± 1.03 and 7.17 ± 0.68, respectively. Peers rarely provided negative ratings on subcategories of communication skills. Skills of understanding the patient’s perspectives and gathering information were the most reported skills needed to improve among students. Significant positive correlations were found between peer and faculty evaluations for building relationship, establishing initial rapport, and gathering information domains (p < 0.01). Students tended to grade their colleagues higher for building relationship (3.88 ± 0.62) and establishing initial rapport domains (3.72 ± 0.61) than other domains, meanwhile, teachers tended to grade building relationship (3.80 ± 0.55) and gathering information domains (3.64 ± 0.38) higher than other domains. Conclusion: The findings suggest that student peer evaluation can be valuable for clinical education. As part of a formative assessment, it can be also used for faculty to evaluate students’ clinical communication skills performance in innovative medical education programs. Key words: peer assessment, clinical communication skills, practice of medicine, early clinical practice, blended learning.

Peer assessment of resuscitation skills

Despite the benefits of peer assessment, many teachers are not willing to implement it, particularly for low-achieving students. This study used the theory of planned behaviour to predict pre-service teachers’ intention to use peer assessment for low-achieving students. A total of 229 pre-service teachers in Singapore participated in the survey which consists of eight factors about peer assessment in writing: belief of knowledge source, belief of ability, belief of constructivist assessment, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behaviour control, behavioural intention, and intention for low-achieving students. Structural equation modelling was used to test hypothesized relationships of the eight factors. This study found that pre-service teachers’ beliefs about knowledge source and constructivist assessment significantly influenced their attitude towards peer assessment of writing. In addition, the attitude and perceived behaviour control were significant factors in shaping the intention of peer assessment. Lastly, pre-service teachers’ intention of implementing peer assessment for low-achieving students was influenced by both the intention of peer assessment and the belief of ability.

In health-related professions, education has unique challenges. Problem-based learning can be extremely useful and driven by strategies such as group-work (GW) and peer assessment (PA), which are both used as formative and assessment tools. This study aimed to explore experience and perceptions about GW and PA held by educators and students in optometry. In a first survey, 45 Italian educators (43.8 ± 13.0 years old) of optometric clinical modules answered an email questionnaire investigating their attitudes towards GW and PA. In a second survey, 66 3rd-year undergraduates (22.5 ± 2.0 years old) answered a questionnaire investigating the perception and attitudes towards GW and PA at the beginning and at the end of a module of Advanced Optometry structured with a formative/summative GW activity with a final PA. Two-thirds of optometry educators declared they use GW, but not as a summative assessment tool. Only a quarter of the sample answered that they used PA at least once. Educators’ attitudes towards GW were more positive than PA (p < 0.001). About 60% and 80% of the interviewed students stated they have never participated in GW and PA, respectively. Students’ pre-course attitudes towards GW and PA resulted in values close to the middle of the scale with no significant differences and positive correlations between them (p < 0.001). When students’ GW attitudes were compared with educators’ GW attitudes, the latter were more positive. Students’ post-course attitudes towards GW and PA were enhanced. Although GW and PA are considered very good strategies to improve teaching, the results of the present study have demonstrated that the use of these strategies in Italian optometric higher education is limited. However, the study has also demonstrated that Italian optometry educators have positive attitudes towards “social” teaching strategies especially for GW. Furthermore, optometry students showed improved attitudes towards these strategies once exposed to them. Overall, the results of the study open the possibility to integrate “social” teaching strategies to improve the effectiveness of optometry education.

ABSTRACTA constructivist approach has been adopted in Turkey as a result of the primary curriculum that was implemented in the 2005–2006 academic year. This approach, which emphasizes students’ activeness in the learning process and the importance of alternative assessment approaches, is changing perceptions of learning. It has therefore become necessary to provide best practices for active learning and alternative assessment approaches, such as self-assessment and peer assessment, for pre-service teachers during their education. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of self- and peer assessment on primary pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and the self-efficacy of alternative assessment in active learning environments. A quasi-experimental (pre-test/post-test) research design with a control group was used in this research study. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the effects of active learning practices supported by alternative assessment methods on pre-service teachers’ professional development. The findings of this research contribute to the debate on effective teacher education.

Feedback has a powerful influence on learning, but it is also expensive to provide. In large classes it may even be impossible for instructors to provide individualized feedback. Peer assessment is one way to provide personalized feedback that scales to large classes. Besides these obvious logistical benefits, it has been conjectured that students also learn from the practice of peer assessment. However, this has never been conclusively demonstrated. Using an online educational platform that we developed, we conducted an in-class matched-set, randomized crossover experiment with high power to detect small effects. We establish that peer assessment causes a small but significant gain in student achievement. Our study also demonstrates the potential of web-based platforms to facilitate the design of high-quality experiments to identify small effects that were previously not detectable.

University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Medicine

Bu araştırmada, Argüman Temelli Sorgulayıcı Araştırma (ATSA) yönteminin değerlendirme basamağında akran veya öğretim üyesi değerlendirmelerinden hangisinin öğretmen adaylarının yazılı argümanlarının gelişimine daha çok katkı sağlayacağı araştırılmıştır. Araştırmaya, bir grupta 20, diğer grupta 16 öğretmen adayı olmak üzere toplam 36 fen bilgisi öğretmenliği 3. sınıf öğrencisi katılmıştır. Karşılaştırma gruplarından birinde bir dönem boyunca ATSA orijinal haliyle (akran değerlendirmesi) kullanılırken, diğer grupta ise ATSA yönteminin akran değerlendirme basamağı öğretim üyesi değerlendirmesi olarak değiştirilmiştir. İki grupta da bir dönem boyunca “Basit Sarkacın Salınımı”, “Yüzey Gerilimini Etkileyen Faktörler”, “Görünüşü Aynı Olan Küplerin Belirlenmesi” ve “Uçan Cisme Etki Eden Faktörler” gibi dört argüman temelli sorgulayıcı araştırma yapılmıştır. Öğretmen adaylarından dönem başında ve sonunda derste araştırdıklarından farklı üç içerikte argüman yazmaları istenmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre her iki grupta, her içerikte oluşturulan argümanların kalitesinin dönem başından sonuna doğru arttığı, fakat öğretim üyesi tarafından değerlendirilen öğretmen adaylarının kanıt ve gerekçe yazma becerilerinin daha iyi geliştiği söylenebilir.

Background: Nurses are requested to give an excellent services to patients not only excellent in skills but also excellent in behaviour which serve comfort to patients. The behaviour is called professional behaviour or soft skill. Purpose: The aim of this research is investigating the effectiveness of MSF in assessing nursing students’ professional behaviour (PB).Methods: The design of the research is an evaluation study which compares the result of PB between before and after joining practice in clinical setting. The participants were thirty three participants consisting of 33 nursing students and 3 mentors. Data were collected using a quantitative approach. The participants are requested to do self and peer assessment using SPRAT modification form while mentors are asked to assess nursing students using the same form. The assessment was conducted twice, before and after joining internship. The data were analysed to compare the score of PB before and after joining the internship among group of participant using Paired sample T-test or dependent sample T test. Result: The results showed that there were differences of score between before and after joining internship with α = 0.000; 0.001; and 0.000 for self, peer, and mentor assessment respectively. There was no difference of score before joining internship among assessors with α = 0.509, and there was a difference of score after joining internship among assessors with α = 0.005. It means that MSF is an effective method to assess PB of nursing students. Conclusion: Applying MSF method to assess PB of nursing student is suggested for better assessment.

The purpose of the present study is to detect what micro-teaching provides to the pre-service teachers, and what is liked or disliked about its implementations, by obtaining the views of pre-service science teachers on micro-teaching practices in general. With this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 pre-service teachers. Pre-service teachers made presentations using micro-teaching techniques in the Special Teaching Methods I-II classes. A total of 12 pre-service teachers, who received either high or low scores from the assessment made after the practice, were selected; and their views on micro-teaching practices were obtained. According to the findings, pre-service teachers stated that micro-teaching was beneficial in performing various teaching activities, in the conduct of class management and for the teaching of various individual development skills. Also, pre-service teachers stated that the opportunity for self-evaluation was the aspect they most liked, while its creation of anxiety and the possibility of biased behavior in peer assessment were the most disliked aspects.