Evaluation: judgemental or developmental?

An increasing number of studies are concerned with the international comparison of the results that different education systems achieve. For example, TIMSS, PIRLS and PISA publish the results from different countries in mathematics, science and literacy. The European Commission has also published indicators and benchmarks relating to the quality of school education. This type of external evaluation is often perceived by teachers as judgemental and controlling. In contrast, internal school‐based evaluation aims to be seen as a developmental process contributing to improved teacher and student learning, where ownership of the evaluation processes remains with the school stakeholders. This paper examines the possible tensions and conflicts that may arise between these two types of evaluation and asks the question ‘How can we overcome the negative attitudes that may have resulted from external evaluation in order to encourage schools to undertake internal school‐based evaluation?’ The paper explores, using Scottish case studies, ways in which schools through their internal self‐evaluation processes may use the data in different ways to meet some, if not all, of the external demands placed on them. This strategy, it is argued, ensures that evaluation is largely done for school purposes and as an aid to the learning process, rather than as an external assessment designed to hold schools accountable for the learning achieved to date.

Il y a un nombre grandissant d'études qui s'occupent de la comparaison internationale des résultats atteints par de différents systèmes éducatifs. Par exemple, TIMSS, PERLS et PISA publient les résultats de différents pays en maths, en sciences et en alphabétisation. La Communauté européenne publie aussi des indicateurs et des standards qui se rapportent à la qualité d'éducation dans les écoles. Ce genre d'évaluation externe est souvent perçu par les enseignants comme un moyen de jugement et de contrôle. Par contraste, les évaluations internes, basées et créés dans les écoles essaient d'établir un processus de développement qui contribue à améliorer l'apprentissage des enseignants et des étudiants et qui es la copropriété des preneurs de l'école. Cet article examine les tensions et les conflits qui peuvent se présenter entre les deux genres d'évaluation et pose la question: “Comment peut‐on combattre les attitudes negatives qui résulteraient après des évaluations externes et comment peut‐on par la suite encourager les écoles à entreprendre leur propre évaluation externe?”Plus particulièrement, en utilisant des études de cas de quelques écoles en Ecosse, l'article explore aussi les moyens par lesquels les écoles peuvent utiliser les données obtenues par les processus d'auto‐évaluations internes afin d'adresser au moins quelques‐unes des exigences externes qui s'imposent à l'école. Cette strategie, l'on soutient, garantit que l'évaluation bénéficit en grande partie aux méthodes d'enseignement à l'école au contraire des évaluations externes qui généralement poussent les écoles à rendre des comptes.

Eine zunehmende Anzahl von Untersuchungen befaßt sich mit dem internationalen Vergleich der Leistung, die in verschiedenen Ausbildungssystemen erzielt wird. Zum Beispiel veröffentlichen TIMSS, PIRLR und PISA die Ergebnisse von verschiedenen Ländern in den Bereichen Mathematik, Naturwissenschaften und Lesen/Schreiben. In Bezug auf die Qualität schulischer Ausbildung hat die Europäische Kommission auch Indikatoren und Anforderungsmaßstäbe veröffentlicht. Diese Art von externer Evaluation wird von Lehrern oft als bewertend und als ein Element von Steuerungsmaßnahmen angesehen. Im Gegensatz dazu sollte die interne schulbezogene Evaluation, deren Kontrolle bei den Betroffenen in der Schule verbleibt, als Teil eines Entwicklungsprozesses aufgefaßt werden, der auf die Verbesserung des Lernens von Lehrern und Schülern abzielt. Dieser Beitrag untersucht die möglichen Spannungen und Konflikte, die sich aus den beiden verschieden Evaluationsansätzen ergeben. Es wird die Frage aufgeworfen: “Wie können wir die negativen Einstellungen, die mit externer Evaluationen leicht verbunden sind, überwinden, um damit die Schulen bereit zu machen, interne schulbezogene Evaluationen durchzuführen?” Auf der Grundlage von schottischen Fallstudien zeigt der Beitrag Möglichkeiten auf, wie Schulen im Rahmen von internen Selbstevaluationsprozessen Daten verschiedenster Art nutzen können, um zumindest einigen Anforderungen, die an sie von außen gestellt werden, genügen zu können. Die Verfasser gehen davon aus, daß eine solche Strategie sicherstellt, daß die Evaluation im wesentlichen für schulische Zwecke durchgeführt wird: Daß sie vor allem den weiteren Lernprozeß unterstützt und weniger einer externen Beurteilung dient, die darauf ausgerichtet ist, Schulen für ihre bisherigen Lernleistungen zur Verantwortung zu ziehen.

Ultimamente ha habido un incremento importante de estudios sobre los resultados que han obtenido diversos sistemas educativos en comparaciones internacionales. Por ejemplo, TIMSS, PERLS y PISA publican los resultados de diversos países en matemáticas, ciencias y alfabetización. La Comisión Europea también ha publicado indicadores y bases de datos, referidos a la calidad de la educación de las escuelas. Este tipo de evaluación externa a menudo es percibido por los profesores como un control y una crítica a su labor. En contraste, la evaluación interna realizada desde la escuela, apunta a ser considerada como un proceso de desarrollo profesional que contribuye a la mejora del profesorado y al aprendizaje de los alumnos, y donde el propietario del proceso de evaluación es el mismo centro educativo. Este documento examina las posibles tensiones y los conflictos que pueden darse entre estos dos tipos de evaluación y se pregunta, “¿cómo podemos superar las actitudes negativas que pudieron originar la evaluación externa de manera que se pueda animar a las escuelas a emprender una evaluación interna desde la escuela? El documento explora, usando estudio de casos escoceses, las maneras en las cuales las escuelas a través de sus procesos de autoevaluación interna pueden utilizar los datos de diversas maneras y dar respuesta a algunas, sino a todas, las demandas que reciben del exterior. Esta estrategia, se dice, que asegura que la evaluación esté hecha en gran parte para el propósito de la escuela y como ayuda al proceso de aprendizaje más que un examen externo diseñado para que las escuelas rindan cuentas sobre los resultados que han obtenido.     

试论授课型教学软件的开发与应用

本文根据我国高等学校目前仍以课堂教学为主的现状 ,提出了在重视开发学生自学为主的自学型CAI软件和网络课件的同时不要忽视开发“课堂授课型教学软件”的观点 ,并且结合本校高等数学的教学实践 ,研制开发了“高等数学授课型多媒体教学软件”用于本科教学。通过一年多的教学实践 ,积累了经验 ,找到了不足 ,取得了满意的效果 ,为进一步的研究开发作了有益的探索     

Stress and Resources in Vocational Problem Solving

By adapting the job demands-resources model of Demerouti et al. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512, (2001) to vocational problem-solving situations, we aimed to investigate how, and to what extent, problem-solving demands and personal resources affect stress responses and task interest. Therefore, we used a problem-solving task from the business administration domain in a computer-based office simulation. We assigned 58 participants into two groups. The treatment group worked on the problem scenario, whereas the control group was instructed to inspect the computer-based scenario and to check the software’s usability without solving the problem. Problem-solving demands, perceived stress, task interest, cardiovascular parameters, and cortisol concentration were assessed before, during and after the task at several time points. The vocational problem-solving task was associated with perceived time pressure, uncertainty, mental effort, task difficulty, and perceived stress. In addition, we found higher heart rate and cortisol concentration and lower heart rate variability values in the treatment group (compared to the control group) at the end of the task. Furthermore, we found that content knowledge buffers the impact of problem-solving demands on stress responses and it maintains task interest under high mental effort. Overall, we found evidence that vocational problem-solving activities bear stress-evoking potential and personal resources may provide buffering and maintaining functions.     

Teacher–student interaction in contemporary science classrooms: is participation still a question of gender?†

We show that boys still have a greater access to the space for interaction in science classrooms, which is unexpected since in Sweden today girls perform better in these subjects than boys. Results from video-recorded verbal communication, referred to here as interaction, show that the distribution of teacher–student interaction in the final year of lower secondary school follows the same patterns as in the 1980s. The interaction space for all kinds of talk continues to be distributed according to the two-thirds rule for communication in science classrooms as described by previous research. We also show that the overall interaction space in science classrooms has increased for both boys and girls when talk about science alone is considered. Another finding which follows old patterns is that male teachers still address boys more often than girls. This holds true both for general talk and for talk about science. If a more even distribution of teacher–student interaction is desirable, these results once again need to be considered. More research needs to be undertaken before the association between girls’ attitudes and interest in science in terms of future career choice and the opportunity to participate in teacher–student interaction is more clearly understood.     

Impairments in learning due to motivational conflict: situation really matters

Although many theories mention distractions by conflicting alternatives as a problem for self-regulation, motivational conflicts are rarely considered when explaining impairments in learning. In two studies, we investigate the assumption of motivational interference theory that students show different amounts of impairments in learning depending on the presence and motivational strength of conflicting alternatives. In Study 1 (N?=?221), the subjective value attributed to a respective alternative in a study–leisure conflict scenario partially accounted for differences in self-regulated learning while controlling for interindividual differences. Study 2 (N?=?112) demonstrated that this pattern applies to both when the respective alternatives refer to ‘liking to’ (want conflicts) and ‘having to’ (should conflicts) do something. Moreover, it is demonstrated that impairments due to motivational conflict are higher than impairments inherent in the studying activity itself (baseline). The results emphasise the importance of concurring action alternatives for explaining difficulties in self-regulated learning.     

Political Perspectives on Church Schools and Religious Education: A discussion of the period from Thatcher to Blair

Making use of material written by British prime ministers, a case is presented for understanding church schools and religious education in a way distinct from that normally utilised in academic discourse. Politicians in democratic countries depend on attracting votes to assume power. They therefore integrate church schools and religious education within existing political positions. Conservative politicans see church schools as being an example of parental choice and religious education as being an aid to moral education. Labour politicians see church schools as contributing to a pluralistic society and aiding the cultural identity of ethnic groups.     

Praxisleitfaden zur Betreuung von Diplomarbeiten

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt erfolgskritische Faktoren des bei der Erstellung von Diplomarbeiten zwischen Studenten und Gutachter bestehenden Betreuungsverh?ltnisses und soll praktische Hinweise zu dessen Optimierung liefern.     

Making sense of technology in educational leadership programs

Conclusion Identify standards, align curricula, support technology—these are the three strategies that bring clarity to the process. As technology changes, the standards, curricula and support must change. ACTIVStudio, interactive whiteboards and cyber diaries are not just buzzwords — they are the new language of technology. The Citadel School of Education is paying attention — making sense of the challenge of keeping current technology in educational leadership programs. She is a former teacher and school administrator and currently teaches graduate courses, including microcomputers and school management, to aspiring administrators. Ms. Alice B. Hambright, a former public school teacher.     

An overview of information ethics issues in a world-wide context

This article presents an overview of significant issues facing contemporary information professionals. As the world of information continues to grow at unprecedented speed and in unprecedented volume, questions must be faced by information professionals. Will we participate in the worldwide mythology of equal access for all, or will we truly work towards this debatable goal? Will we accept the narrowing of choice for our corresponding increasing diverse clientele? Such questions must be considered in a holistic context and an understanding of the many levels of information inequities is requisite. Beginning with an historical perspective, Buchanan presents Mustapha Masmoudi's seminal review of forms of information inequities. She then describes qualitative forms of inequities, such as information imperialism and cultural bias embedded in such practices as cataloging and classification. Following, a review of quantitative inequities is presented. Such issues as the growing commoditization of information and information services demand attention from the ethical perspective. And, finally, the Internet and implications surrounding the world-wide dissemination of information is discussed. The article concludes with an extraction form Richard Sclove's Democracy and Technology, and asks that we as information professionals actively examine the information industry around us and demand a more democratic process within which to work.     

Preservice Teachers Adrift on a Sea of Knowledges

The paper argues for fresh recognition of the complexities faced by preservice teachers, particularly during the practicum, where they are expected to bring their stockpile of diverse, and sometimes conflicting, knowledges about effective teaching to immediate use with classroom learners. The paper abo draws on insights from postmodern theorising on the privileging of knowledges. While the major focus of the paper is on issues surrounding multiplicity of knowledges about effective classroom teaching, it is also recognised that much of learning to teach occurs in affective, ethical and interpersonal ways as well as cognitive. Several suggestions are made to assist preservice teachers negotiate the complexities of the process of becoming teachers. It is argued that the practicum in preservice teacher education can be seen as a rich site for further exploration of this process—and should be resourced commensurately. Such explorations have the potential to illuminate the ways in which preservice teachers mesh knowledges about effective teaching with their own personal values and beliefs within the specific contexts of their classrooms. Associated with the recognition of the complexities of the processes involved, is a call for university and school based teacher educators to model, with respect to their programmes and practices, the same level of critical reflection they advocate for student teachers.