Abstract :
[en] The ability to assess learning outcomes is vital to effective teaching. Without
understanding what students have learned, it is impossible to tailor information, tasks
or feedback adequately to their individual needs. Thus, assessment literacy has been
increasingly recognized as a core teacher competency in educational research, with
many empirical studies investigating teachers’ abilities, knowledge and subjective
views in relation to classroom assessment. In contrast, relatively few studies have
focused on students’ perspectives of assessment. This is surprising, since gathering
students’ feedback on their teachers’ assessment practices seems a logical step
toward improving those practices. To help fill this gap, we present an explorative
study using the recently developed Fairness Barometer as a tool to help identify
specific strengths and weaknesses in individual teachers’ assessment methods. Viewing
assessment through the lens of classroom justice theory, the Fairness Barometer asks
students and teachers to rate aspects of procedural and informational justice in their
own (teachers’) assessment practices. We examined the resulting fairness discrepancy
profiles for 10 Austrian secondary school classes (177 students). Results showed wide
variation in profile pattern, evidence that both students and teachers can differentiate
between different aspects of assessment fairness. Further exploration of the resulting
discrepancy-profiles revealed certain problem types, with some teachers differing
from their students’ perception in almost every rated aspect, some showing specific
assessment-related behaviors that require improvement (e.g., explaining grading criteria
of oral exams), and others demonstrating almost identical responses as their students
to the addressed fairness aspects. Results clearly indicate the potential of the Fairness
Barometer to be used for teacher training and teacher self-development within the
domain of teacher assessment literacy.
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