Οι αντιλήψεις των Κύπριων δασκάλων για την αξιολόγηση των επιτευγμάτων των μαθητών

Περίληψη

This paper reports and analyses finding from an investigation into Cypriot teachers' perceptions of national policy for assessment reform in primary schools. Questionnaires were sent to a representative sample of Cypriot teachers randomly selected (n=340) from the total population. A response rate of 70% was obtained and statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS. Interviews with 20 teachers who replied to the questionnaire were also conducted in order to measure the validity of the research. There were seven main findings. First, formative purposes of assessment were accorded most, and summative purposes least, importance. Second, a correlation between teachers' perceptions of purposes of assessment and purposes of record keeping was identified. Third, teachers conceptualized assessment as natural part of teaching but paradoxically favored more formally structured techniques of assessment. Fourth, they considered record keeping as an essential part of assessment and as a means to achieve formative purposes. Fifth, they believed that assessment should not refer only to pupils' knowledge but also to pupils' skills and attitudes. They considered pupils' abilities to apply their knowledge in unfamiliar situations and pupils' attitudes to the several subjects as important objectives for teachers' assessment. Sixth, they did not believe that there should be a common record, or that pupils' achievement in each subject should be defined only by an overall grade. Finally, they considered further training in techniques of assessment and better working conditions as more important ways of improving assessment than the development of the national and school policy hi assessment. Finally, implications for the implementation of assessment policy are discussed.