Authentic Assessment in Pedagogy-Related Modules in Teacher Education: Vietnamese Student Teachers’ Perspective
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of East Anglia digital repository Authentic assessment in pedagogy-related modules in teacher education: Vietnamese student teachers’ perspective Nguyen, Thi Thu Huyen Submitted for the qualification of Doctor of Philosophy in Education University of East Anglia School of Education and Lifelong Learning May 2017 86,170 words This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that use of any information derived there from must be in accordance with current UK Copyright law. In addition, any quotation or extract must include full attribution. Abstract Vietnam is undergoing comprehensive educational reform, and teacher training plays a vital role in providing qualified teachers to support this reform. Assessment is expected to act as a mean to close the gap between university training and the demands of teaching in school. Against the backdrop of these changes, this study adopted qualitative approach to investigate student teachers’ perceptions of authentic assessment in pedagogy-related modules in teacher education. Based on the main characteristics of authentic assessment and some popular authentic assessment methods in higher education and teacher education, the research designed an intervention with three authentic assessment tasks in order to implement for formative assessment in a pedagogy-related module in a university of education. Interviews were conducted with student teachers after each task. The study found that the student teachers appreciated authentic assessment tasks. They saw links between the content, criteria, and social context of the assessment tasks and those of real teachers’ tasks in school. They also saw that they had a role to play in assessment design and in assessing assessment performances and other work. Notably, they perceived that authentic assessment influenced their learning strategies and motivation, their professional competencies and the formation of their professional identity as teachers. Student teachers’ prior assessment and schooling experience, practical experience and teaching career goals were all seen to impact on their perceptions. The study proposes one theoretical framework for the interpretation of student teachers’ perceptions of authentic assessment and revisits another for the design of authentic assessment in teacher education and higher education. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................ 21 A LANDSCAPE OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND TEACHER EDUCATION ............................................................................................................ 21 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 21 1.2 Social constructivism and its relationship with alternative assessment approaches ... 21 1.3 Changes in higher education lead to authentic assessment ......................................... 24 1.4 Authentic assessment ................................................................................................... 27 1.4.1 Concept of authentic assessment ........................................................................... 27 1.4.2 Validity of authentic assessment ............................................................................ 29 1.4.3 Authentic assessment in teacher education ........................................................ 33 1.5 Teacher education curriculum ...................................................................................... 42 1.6 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 2: ............................................................................................................. 45 STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND TEACHER EDUCATION ............................................................................................. 45 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 45 2.2 Multi-dimensionality and subjectivity of students’ perceptions of assessment and authentic assessment in higher education ............................................................................. 45 2.3 Students’ perceptions of authentic assessment in higher education and teacher education ................................................................................................................................ 47 2.3.1. Demands and preference of authentic assessment methods ....................... 47 2.3.2. Purpose and validity .................................................................................................. 49 2.3.3. Fairness .......................................................................................................................... 52 2.3.4. Physical and social contexts .................................................................................... 54 2.3.5. Students’ involvement in authentic assessment ............................................... 55 2.3.6. Criteria ........................................................................................................................... 58 2.3.7. Outcomes ...................................................................................................................... 59 2.4. Factors influencing student’ perceptions of assessment and authentic assessment .. 61 2.4.1. Students’ prior assessment experience ................................................................ 61 2.4.2. Students’ practical experiences .............................................................................. 62 2.4.3. Students’ prior schooling experience .................................................................... 63 2.4.4. Culture values .............................................................................................................. 63 2.5. Impact of students’ perceptions of authentic assessment on student learning ......... 64 2.6. Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 68 CHAPTTER 3 ............................................................................................................ 69 CONTEXT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TEACHER EDUCATION IN VIETNAM ............. 69 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 69 3.2 Higher education in Vietnam ........................................................................................ 69 3.3 Teacher education in Vietnam ...................................................................................... 73 3.4 Assessment in higher education and in teacher education in Vietnam ....................... 75 3.5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 79 CHAPTER 4 .............................................................................................................. 81 METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY .............................................................................. 81 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 81 4.2 Research paradigm ........................................................................................................ 81 4.3 Research site- University of Education (UoE)................................................................ 84 4.4 Research methods ......................................................................................................... 88 3 4.4.1 Intervention ................................................................................................................... 88 4.4.2 In-depth interview ....................................................................................................... 90 4.4.3 Other methods to collect supporting data ........................................................... 93 4.5 Intervention plan and data collection process .............................................................. 95 4.5.1 Selection of a pedagogy-related module .............................................................. 95 4.5.2 Choosing the intervention classes........................................................................... 96 4.5.3 Authentic assessment tasks ...................................................................................... 97 4.5.4 Data collection timeline .......................................................................................... 110 4.6 Data analysis................................................................................................................ 111 4.7 Considerations of ethics and validity .......................................................................... 113 4.7.1 Considerations of ethics .......................................................................................... 113 4.7.2 Considerations of validity ......................................................................................