“Had there been a Monica in each subject, I would have liked going to school every day”: a study of students’ perceptions of what characterizes excellent teachers and their teaching actions

Hirsh, Åsa; Segolsson, Mikael

doi:10.1080/20004508.2020.1740423

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In the previous analysis of the data material (accounted for in Hirsh & Segolsson, 2020), it became clear that the most crucial prerequisite for students' learning and wellbeing in school, according to the students themselves, is a safe learning environment. One aspect that the students return to in all interviews and which appears to be one of the strongest contributing causes of insecurity in the classroom is the feeling that everything one says and does can be subject to evaluative judgement.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fact that the degree and quality of each student's achievement in a subject are subsequently graded, where grades can play a crucial role for further study or work, is constantly present in the interviews (cf. Hirsh & Segolsson, 2020). Students' descriptions clearly show that their relation to achievement and grades is ambiguous; their participation and learning in school is driven by the end goal being a grade, and the grades are important to them.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As mentioned, the students described both teaching that they believed promoted knowledge development and wellbeing and teaching that, in their opinion, led to the opposite. The first analysis (accounted for in Hirsh & Segolsson, 2020) did not include the problematic aspects, but it was noted that they were numerous and that a significant portion of them could be related to the intensified assessment paradigm described in the introduction. A new analysis of the data material was therefore carried out, with a specific focus on categorizing assessment-related and problematic aspects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As mentioned, the current study builds on a previous study (Hirsh & Segolsson, 2020), based on the same interviews. In the previous study, eight aspects are distinguished that characterize, from a student perspective, the teaching of teachers whom the students perceive to be the best teachers.…”

Section: Underpinning the Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As it turned out, volunteering students together represented a wide span of knowledge levels and individual needs (cf. Hirsh & Segolsson, 2020).…”

Section: Procedures and Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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When assessment is a constant companion: students’ experiences of instruction in an era of intensified assessment focus

Hirsh

2020

Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy

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The current study aims to deepen the knowledge of students' experiences of teachers' assessment related instructional actions, with particular focus on problematic consequences of an intensified assessment paradigm. Its empirical material consists of 20 focus-group interviews with a total of 102 sixteen-to eighteen-year-old students in ten Swedish municipalities. Through inductive qualitative content analysis on manifest data level, six categories of aspects emerge that together describe students' experiences of assessment related instructional actions. Clearly, assessment, learning goals, knowledge requirements, tests, and grades are dominant elements in Swedish students' classroom life. Consequently, they often feel strong pressure and great insecurity. For the students, it seems to make no difference whether assessment purposes are summative or formative. Rather, it appears to be the total amount of assessment related instructional actions that causes stress, and decreased desire to participate and learn in school. The results are problematized and discussed through the lens of the concepts of dilemmas and complementary attitudes. It is argued that the last decade's intensified assessment paradigm, with its numerous macro-level reforms and decisions with bearing on summative as well as formative assessment, has led to teachers adjusting pedagogical and ethical positions in the classroom. Consequently, counterproductive practices seem to have evolved.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Underpinning the Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As it turned out, volunteering students together represented a wide span of knowledge levels and individual needs (cf. Hirsh & Segolsson, 2020).…”

Section: Procedures and Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

When assessment is a constant companion: students’ experiences of instruction in an era of intensified assessment focus

Hirsh

2020

Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy

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Who is really an excellent university student and how to identify them? A development of a comprehensive framework of excellence in higher education

Mašková,

Kučera,

Nohavová

2024

Eur J Psychol Educ

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This paper addresses the need for a more comprehensive framework of excellence in higher education, which goes beyond academic achievement alone, placing emphasis on its integration with personal characteristics, and acknowledging the diversity in the student population. Two research studies were conducted to establish this comprehensive framework. The pilot study aimed to offer a conceptual definition of the excellent university student according to the perceptions of the academic community. The study, which involved 26 teachers and 159 students, was informed by teacher interviews, student essays, and focus group discussions. The established conceptual framework of excellence was based on a subset of essential attributes that could be embodied by a real student. The conceptual framework comprises facets of expertness, proactive learning, and being a good person organised within the dimensions of educational and personal excellence. It is complemented by academic achievement and underpinned by genuine study motivation. Building upon the findings of the pilot study, the main study aimed to develop and implement a systematic procedure for identifying excellent students. The study, which involved 53 teachers and 112 students, was based on a multisource assessment of multiple contextually relevant criteria of excellence. The identification procedure involved three phases: teacher nomination and assessment, academic achievement assessment, and peer assessment. As a result, 10 excellent students were identified who met all the conceptual criteria of excellence. In conclusion, this paper presents a comprehensive conceptual and methodological framework for defining and identifying excellent university students, grounded in both theoretical principles and empirical findings.

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Learning environments for the English learning area: perspectives of secondary students who struggle with writing

Shand,

Oakley,

Purvis

2024

AJLL

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“Had there been a Monica in each subject, I would have liked going to school every day”: a study of students’ perceptions of what characterizes excellent teachers and their teaching actions

Abstract: Segolsson (2020): "Had there been a Monica in each subject, I would have liked going to school every day": a study of students' perceptions of what characterizes excellent teachers and their teaching actions, Education Inquiry,

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

When assessment is a constant companion: students’ experiences of instruction in an era of intensified assessment focus

When assessment is a constant companion: students’ experiences of instruction in an era of intensified assessment focus

Who is really an excellent university student and how to identify them? A development of a comprehensive framework of excellence in higher education

Learning environments for the English learning area: perspectives of secondary students who struggle with writing

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