ERIC Number: ED548636
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 132
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-2673-3452-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Preservice Teachers' Perceptions of Assessment and Teacher Preparation in Educational Measurement
Leavitt, Lorna Hulstein
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of South Dakota
Assessments have been a major topic of concern in the American education for the past several years. With the enactment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, student assessment has become a high stakes event in all school districts. In the same way that classroom teachers need assessment literacy to make meaningful use of student assessments, the effective evaluation of teacher candidates and teachers entails the use of multiple modes of assessment. This study examined how Midwestern private liberal arts undergraduates in education perceive their confidence in assessment methods and issues during the student teaching experience. The study was timely with the onset of higher education curriculum revising occurring across Iowa with the Governor's new education policies being written. The purpose of the this study was to investigate differences in preservice teachers' perceptions of confidence about assessment skills, issues, and reporting assessment data occurring during their educational field experience known as student teaching. The researcher adapted a survey instrument to collect data from university education students pursuing double elementary and special education majors, elementary education majors, and secondary education majors. The participants were asked to fill out the survey that included items dealing with relevance in terms of assessment skills and issues in their student teaching placement. The respondents were 52 preservice teachers who were enrolled in an Iowa private liberal arts college were administered the Student Teacher Perception of Assessment Practices Survey. A sample of responses from the survey was analyzed in a quantitative manner with a response rate of 72%. Five-point Likert type scales were used to measure the respondent perceptions of their satisfaction with their knowledge to perform assessment responsibilities in their student teaching experience. The average level of perceived confidence in assessment for each issue described on the questionnaire was not significantly different from the Likert scale response of 5 (strongly agree) indicating that , on average, respondents perceived that they were at least somewhat confident in using and reporting assessment methods described in the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics of means, standard deviations, frequencies, and ANOVA and Tukey were used to report findings. Only perceptions of assessment issues dealing with test construct and application of assessment were significant. Some 75% of the variables were not significantly related, indicating that perceptions of assessment between double majors, elementary majors, or secondary majors were similarly perceived with or without strong course preparation in assessment. Overall, double, elementary, and secondary preservice educational majors that participated in the study had the similar perceptions of assessment in their student teaching and course preparations experiences. There was a significant difference in the area of knowing assessment practices and emphasis of assessment content in their undergraduate coursework. Implications of the findings and suggested future research directions were discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Student Attitudes, Educational Assessment, Measures (Individuals), Educational Legislation, Federal Legislation, Undergraduate Students, Education Majors, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Self Esteem, Student Teaching, Educational Policy, Student Surveys, Likert Scales, Questionnaires
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Education; Secondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iowa
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A