Assessment practices and their impact on home economics education in Ireland Kathryn McSweeney B.Ed., M. Ed. (T.C.D.) Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Stirling Faculty of Education December 2014 Abstract This study was prompted by an interest in the extent to which the aims of home economics education in Ireland are being served by the assessment carried out at a national level. This interest led to an empirical investigation of key stakeholders’ perceptions of the validity of home economics assessment and a critical evaluation of its impact on teaching and learning. The data collection primarily comprised interviews with a selection of teachers and other key people such as students, teacher educators and professional home economists; and a complementary analysis of curriculum and design of Junior and Leaving Certificate home economics assessments during the period 2005- 2014. The analysis of interview data combined with the curriculum and assessment analyses revealed the compounding impact and washback effect of home economics assessments on student learning experience and outcomes. This impact was reflected in several areas of the findings including an evident satisfaction among the respondents with junior cycle assessment, due to the perceived appropriateness of the assessment design and operational arrangements, and dissatisfaction with curriculum and assessment arrangements at senior cycle as they were considered to be inappropriate and negatively impacting on the quality of learning achieved. The respondents candidly pointed to what they considered to be an acceptance by some teachers of unethical behaviour around the completion of journal tasks. The respondents indicated that summative assessment practices are commonly used in home economics classrooms and the findings strongly suggest that external examinations are influencing teaching methods by demanding a test-oriented pedagogy to enable students to achieve certificate points. The technical analysis of the Junior and Leaving Certificate examination questions confirmed that these external assessments predominantly promote lower-order learning and there are clear indications of a washback effect on the quality of learning achieved. There is a view that the subject's position in the curriculum is weakened due to a lack of coherence around practice, as well as a lack of advocacy and leadership in the field. There was little evidence of the impact of home economics education and many of the interviewees merely 'hoped' that home economics made a difference in the lives of students. The study also showed that ii there are profiling, identity and teacher agency issues impacting upon the home economics profession. While not immediately generalisable to all home economics teachers or settings in schools, this study nonetheless implies that if the views and practices of the respondents were to be replicated across the whole of the home economics education community, it would not be safe to view national assessment results as a valid indicator of learning and achievement standards in the subject. There are grounds in this work to argue that the subject's values and purposes are not supported by existing curriculum, pedagogy and assessment arrangements. iii Acknowledgements I wish to thank my supervisor, Professor John Gardner, for his expert guidance, unwavering support and constant encouragement during this research. His insight and inspiration challenged and broadened my personal and academic perspectives and deepened my professional learning. I am grateful for his generosity in giving advice and feedback and for his meticulous attention to detail as the work progressed, as well as his empathy and support at all times. I am very grateful to my second supervisor Professor Mark Priestley, for his guidance and professional advice. I also wish to acknowledge the academic and personal support I received during the early stages of my Ph.D. studies from my second supervisor at Queen’s University Belfast, Dr. Debie Galanouli. I am indebted to the teachers and key stakeholders involved in this study for giving so freely of their time and for sharing with me their views and expertise. I wish to acknowledge the positive engagement and contributions from all the participants in this research. I wish to express a sincere thank you to the office staff of the Deputy Principal of Education and Students at the University of Stirling for their hospitality. Especially, I wish to acknowledge John’s P.A., Lorna Valentine, for her efficient scheduling and management of meetings. Lorna’s consistent gentle caring manner was a source of great comfort to me during my visits to Scotland. Thank you to the library staff at the University of Stirling, St. Angela’s College, Sligo, and the James Joyce Library, U.C.D. for their efficient and courteous assistance. I am grateful to all the individuals and organisations, including the Association of Teachers of Home Economics, the International Federation for Home Economics and the Teaching Council, who gave me access to information. A sincere thank you is also extended to members of the public who responded to an advertisement in Ireland’s Own and donated old school home economics textbooks for this research study. Finally, I wish to express gratitude to my family and close friends for their support and encouragement in the completion of this study. I wish to especially acknowledge my dear friend Ken Browne who journeyed with me to the finish line. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. v List of Tables ................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................... x List of Appendices .......................................................................................................... xii Glossary of Terms and Acronyms ................................................................................. xiii Chapter 1 ........................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Background to the study .......................................................................................... 2 1.2 Gaps in research based knowledge of home economics education ......................... 4 1.3 Values and mission of home economics ................................................................. 8 1.4 Curriculum and assessment innovations ............................................................... 10 1.5 Validity matters ..................................................................................................... 12 1.6 Research design ..................................................................................................... 14 1.7 Outline of the thesis .............................................................................................. 15 Chapter 2 Literature Review I: Home Economics- the Subject ...................................... 17 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 18 2.2 The development of the identity of home economics ........................................... 19 2.2.1 Searching for a name ..................................................................................... 20 2.2.2 Being on the margins: gender issues .............................................................. 22 2.2.3 Domestic ideology ......................................................................................... 32 2.2.4 Who controls what knowledge should be made available to children? ......... 39 2.2.5 A cause of general educational harm? ........................................................... 42 2.3 Essential dimensions of home economics in education ........................................ 43 2.3.1 A backward glance ......................................................................................... 43 2.3.2 Mission, nature and role of home economics ................................................ 49 2.3.3 A multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field .............................................. 50 2.3.4 The home economics curriculum ................................................................... 51 2.3.5 Frameworks guiding home economics practice............................................. 54 2.4 Professional identity .............................................................................................. 63 2.5 Teacher beliefs ...................................................................................................... 65 Chapter 3 Literature Review II: Assessment in Home Economics Education ............... 67 3.1 Assessment ............................................................................................................ 68 v 3.1.1 Assessment context and paradigms