Christopher Charles Deneen

Patterns of resistance in managing assessment change

Achieving change in assessment practices in higher education is difficult. One of the reasons for this is resistance among those responsible for teaching and assessing. This paper seeks to explore this resistance through an analysis of staff dialogue during a major attempt to change the assessment practices at one institution. An institution-wide intervention to pilot new assessment practices was initiated, involving 35 academics across 12 departments. This paper reports on patterns emerging in dialogue about this among academics, and between academics and educational development personnel. Findings suggest that resistance is not a unitary concept, but that different stakeholders under varied circumstances express it differently; and that resistance to assessment change is particularly resilient. Implications are discussed in terms of relevance to current theories of higher education assessment and learning change management, as well as the practical considerations of attempts by institutions to engage in assessment change.

Understanding Outcome-Based Education Changes in Teacher Education: Evaluation of a New Instrument with Preliminary Findings.

Outcome-based education (OBE) is a current initiative in Hong Kong universities, with widespread backing by governments and standards bodies. However, study of students’ perceptions of OBE and validation of understanding these perceptions are lacking. This paper reports on the validation of an OBE-specific instrument and resulting preliminary findings. Instrument responses (n = 89) were analysed using Rasch and exploratory/confirmatory factor analyses. Both approaches identified two dimensions (i.e. evaluation and comparison). Challenges and modifications to the instrument items and their relationships to constructs are discussed. Preliminary findings suggest students did not perceive significant differences between OBE and traditionally organised courses. Lack of explicit discussion of OBE with the students may have denied students the ability to make fully informed evaluations of OBE innovations. Implications for instrument validation and evaluation of initiatives in an OBE context are discussed as is the broader issue of transparency in teacher education curriculum design and implementation.

Humor in the workplace: A regulating and coping mechanism in socialization

Professionals transitioning into a workplace face the challenge of socializing into their new working communities. One important factor in this process is humor (Plester and Sayers, 2007). We present a case study of how a newcomer transitioning towards integral status interacts with the use of humor in her new workplace. Using the Communities of Practice framework (Wenger, 1998), we examine workplace discourse collected from a new recruit, Emma, and her colleagues in a Hong Kong firm. The analysis portrays a picture of how humor is a critical element as Emma negotiates relationships with other colleagues and works towards her assigned tasks. Findings suggest that humor can be an indicator to newcomers of appropriate or inappropriate behavior. Humor can be used for newcomers’ integration into the workplace; humor can be used by integral members to mold newcomers into the normative ways of doing things. We argue that humor may be used as a regulating and coping mechanism in workplace socialization.

The Impact of Conceptions of Assessment on Assessment Literacy in a Teacher Education Program.

Abstract Assessment literacy is considered essential to modern teaching. Over time, assessment literacy has evolved to include both measurement and assessment for learning perspectives. At the same time, research into teachers’ conceptions of the purpose and role of assessment demonstrates increasing evidence of the impact of teachers’ conceptions on assessment practices. The conjunction of these two factors, assessment literacy and conceptions of assessment has not been adequately explored. This study addresses this need by examining the impact of a master’s level teacher education course in educational assessment on student teachers’ expressed literacy in and conceptions of assessment. Achievement data were collected and interviews conducted in a class of 32 pre-service and practicing teachers. Inferential analysis and qualitative coding were applied to the data. Analytical results included a strong, polarized affective component. These positive and negative affective conceptions appeared independent of level of academic achievement. Academic achievement appeared to play a role in allowing deeper articulation of conceptions, but did not accompany particular conceptual changes. These findings suggest that while fluency in factual knowledge (i.e. assessment literacy) was enhanced; conceptions of assessment that may influence application of assessment literacy were not changed through the mediating influence of the assessment course. Implications of the results and this apparent disconnection between assessment literacy, teacher education and practice are explored.

Chinese award-winning tutors’ perceptions and practices of classroom-based assessment

This study examines Chinese tertiary award-winning tutors’ perceptions and reported practices of classroom-based assessment. Seventeen tutors in the final stage of a national university teaching contest were individually interviewed. An interview framework was developed using three process dimensions of assessment for learning (AfL). A sequential and iterative analysis of resulting data was conducted based on Miles and Huberman’s protocols for qualitative analysis. Participants demonstrated a complex set of connections between perceptions and practices around issues of sharing standards, delivering feedback and response to external assessments. Results deviate from widely promoted principles of AfL and classroom-based assessment espoused in the international literature; in doing so, they challenge existing research and assumptions about the standardised and international nature of award-winning instructors’ assessment practices. Findings are discussed in relationship to understanding best practices in tertiary assessment, given emerging tertiary education markets. Practical implications for the further development of learning and assessment practices and theoretical implications for the AfL theory are also discussed.

Students’ conceptions of eportfolios as assessment and technology

ABSTRACT Student beliefs about assessment and technology play an important role in deploying technology-enabled assessments. Using eportfolios to develop and assess the achievement of curricular outcomes is a global trend, yet little research has investigated student technology and assessment perceptions around eportfolios. This paper examines the interaction of students’ perceptions of technology and assessment and impact on performance. Survey data (n = 360) was gathered from multiple faculties at one university in Hong Kong. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling determined relationships among the two conceptual areas and as predictors of educational achievement. Results showed a positive attitude towards eportfolio use led to positive views about eportfolios as contributing to assessment for learning. Endorsing intention to actively engage with eportfolios and rejecting assessment as irrelevant contributed to a moderate, statistically significant increase in students’ self-reported GPA. Implications for continued research into how eportfolios can be designed to promote learning-oriented assessment are discussed.