How Pre-service Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment Change Over Practicum: Implications for Teacher Assessment Literacy

Abstract

Practicum poses great challenges for pre-service teachers who learn to assess because their conceptions of assessment (CoAs) may undergo dramatic changes. This multiple-case study reports on how three pre-service teachers' CoA changed over practicum at a primary school in China. Findings show that pre-service teachers' CoAs have experienced a rapid change from a superficial perception of assessment for academic achievement and moral character development to a more comprehensive understanding of varied assessment purposes, constructs in assessment criteria, feedback, fairness in classroom assessment, and students' involvement in and engagement with assessment. A range of factors are found to have exerted varying degrees of influence on these conception changes, such as personal factor (i.e., agency in assessment), experiential factors [i.e., school-based assessment practices, interactions with students, and (anti-)apprenticeship of observation about assessment], and contextual factors (i.e., mentoring, classroom reality, school assessment culture, and national assessment policy). These findings are discussed in terms of how these changes are diverse but limited, as well as how the mediating factors have exerted differentiated influences in positive or negative ways. This paper concludes with implications for research on teachers' CoAs and professional development for assessment literacy.

Conceptions of assessment in pre-service teachers’ narratives of students’ failure

“…The identified four categories of conceptions of assessment, although obtained and labelled differently, resemble to a certain degree those identified in prior research. Moreover, the fact that these categories of conceptions were not mutually exclusive also tells us, as earlier research suggested, that pre-service teachers hold multiple conceptions of assessment simultaneously (Barnes, Fives & Dacey, 2017;Xu & He, 2019). We observed that the conception 'assessment is about feedback and reflection' corresponds with the improvement purpose of assessment (Black & Wiliam, 1998).…”

“…Only a few studies thus far have addressed pre-service teachers' conceptions of assessment (Brown & Remesal, 2012;Wang et al, 2010;Xu & He, 2019) and the suggestions for teacher education have often been made based on the studies on practising teachers. While pre-service and in-service teachers' conceptions of assessment may appear similar, Brown and Remesal (2012) showed that pre-service and in-service teachers conceive the purposes of assessment differently.…”

“…The authors demonstrated that learner-centred methods of assessment were more common among students of Educational studies, and that assessment was conceived of as fairer when students were assessed via learner-centred, active methods of assessment. In a study on the impact of teaching practicum on the changes in pre-service teachers' conceptions of assessment, Xu and He (2019) found out that various degrees of changes can occur, depending on the individual pre-service teacher. Schoolbased assessment practices, interaction with students, personal experiences of being assessed as students, mentoring from associate teachers, as well as classroom realities, school assessment culture, and national assessment policy were all found to provide opportunities for change, but also withhold them.…”

“…Given that initial teacher education serves as the beginning of professional development of future teachers and it is crucial for the formation of their professional identity (Flores, 2020), and given the vast school time experiences future teachers have on being assessed as students 'it may be that one of the most important changes that prospective teachers need to go through involves their conceptions, that is, their understanding, beliefs, and attitudes towards the uses of assessment' (Brown & Remesal, 2012, p. 76). Moreover, the studies on practising teachers' conceptions have provided suggestions for initial teacher education, however, we do not have sufficient knowledge regarding pre-service teachers' conceptions in particular (Brown & Remesal, 2012;Xu & He, 2019).…”

Assessment conception patterns of Finnish pre-service special needs teachers: the contribution of prior studies and teaching experience

“…In addition to the theoretical knowledge and practical skills provided, assessment conceptions are suggested to be significantly shaped by one's own experiences of being assessed during teacher education (Smith et al 2014). Assessment conceptions of pre-service teachers may also change dramatically during practicum periods, as suggested by Xu and He (2019). The political context consists, among other things, of the public debate on the work and training of teachers, and of political decisions that affect the work of teachers and the organisation of training (Mockler 2011).…”