Víctor Manuel López-Pastor

Fifteen years of action research as professional development: seeking more collaborative, useful and democratic systems for teachers

This paper presents the experience of a group of teachers who have developed action research (AR) dynamics for 15 years aimed at their professional development and teaching practice improvement. The focus is first on the importance of AR, collaborative dynamics and theory and practice relationships for in‐service teacher training. It also shows the different spiral and cycle stages carried out, as well as the group’s characteristics, its evolution during these 15 years and the annual operation structure currently in use. The results show the five large AR thematic spirals developed and the materials generated and disseminated. There is also an analysis of the main benefits and problems so far encountered. Finally, a series of reflections and conclusions on the implications of keeping such a workgroup for so long is detailed.

Formative assessment strategies and their effect on student performance and on student and tutor workload: the results of research projects undertaken in preparation for greater convergence of universities in Spain within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)

This paper analyses two aspects of developing formative assessment processes within universities in Spain: the academic performance of the students and the workload that formative assessment creates for both academic staff and students. It presents the results of 10 research projects covering the first semester of the 2007–08 academic year, mainly involving teacher education degrees. The research was undertaken to understand the impact on Spanish universities of introducing more formative assessment as part of moving towards greater convergence as envisaged by the Bologna process and addressing the concerns of tutors on an increase in workload. The research highlights: (a) the positive impact that formative assessment has on student engagement and performance; (b) the reduction in student failures and withdrawals; and (c) the disparity between the subjective views of students and tutors regarding the workload created by using more formative assessment. The final analysis suggests that it is true that moving from the traditional assessment methods to include more formative assessment does increase student and tutor workload, but not to the degree that students and staff might perceive.

The process of creating a cross‐university network for formative and shared assessment in higher education in Spain and its potential applications

During the academic year 2005–2006 a Cross University Network for Formative and Shared Assessment in Higher Education was formed among 48 academics from 16 different universities within Spain and representing a range of academic areas. The Network was formed in response to the determination of a group of individuals who were dissatisfied with, or unconvinced by, the traditional forms of assessment used within the Spanish higher education environment. Its aim was to provide a framework within which these individuals could provide mutual support for their work on developing more innovative and effective assessment strategies within their own subject areas and at the same time provide a focus to stimulate a wider debate and more extensive research within the HE sector in Spain. The aim of this article is to explain the background and rationale for the formation of the Network, the framework it has provided, some of the initial findings and how this type of framework may be applicable to similar situations in other sectors or countries.

Students' Self-Grading, Professor's Grading and Negotiated Final Grading at Three University Programmes: Analysis of Reliability and Grade Difference Ranges and Tendencies.

This study was undertaken at three teacher education programmes and was designed to determine the following within each programme: (1) the reliability correlations among students’ self‐grade (SSG), the grade granted by the professor (PG) and the negotiated final grade (NFG); (2) the range and frequency of grade differences between SSG and PG; and (3) the tendency of the negotiation on NFG as compared to SSG (i.e. NFG > SSG or NFG < SSG), when SSG was not equal to PG. The samples were made up of three professors and their corresponding student groups (students, n = 100, 34 and 53, respectively), each in a different teacher education programme. The results show that there was a high reliability correlation among SSG, PG and NFG in all three programmes. Furthermore, in these programmes, the grade differences were never higher than 1.5 on a scale of 0 to 10 points; in fact, agreement between DDG and PG was reached 96%, 35.29% and 43.39% of the time), and, when disagreement emerged, it was mainly within a minimum range of 0.1 to 0.5 points. As for the tendency of NFG versus SSG in each programme, slightly higher percentages were obtained for NFG > SSG in Programmes B and C, whereas the opposite (NFG < SSG) was true in Programme A; overall, however, it could be said that both tendencies balanced each other out, being the total percentages in each programme 0%, 41% and 30% for NFG > SSG; and 4%, 23% and 26%, for NFG < SSG, respectively.

Formative and shared assessment in higher education. Lessons learned and challenges for the future

Formative assessment is the process by which teachers provide information to students during the learning process to modify their understanding and self-regulation. An important process within this is shared assessment, which refers to student involvement in the assessment and learning practice, a process of dialogue and collaboration between teacher and students aimed at improving the learning process, both individually and collectively. The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of affairs in depth. This paper therefore highlights, on the one hand, the lessons learned through research and development in higher education (i.e. providing clear learning goals and feedback, guiding learning, involving students in learning and assessment, promoting feedback as a process of dialogue, and making processes viable). On the other hand, these lessons also suggest some challenges and difficulties that must be addressed in the future in order to further improve formative and shared assessment in higher education. These include the need for more research on its effects, further conceptual clarification, the intersubjectivity of the process, recognition of the divergent processes and ethical principles, students’ involvement not only in assessment but also in determining academic grades, and broading learning goals and objetives in FA & SA.

If I experience formative assessment whilst studying at university, will I put it into practice later as a teacher? Formative and shared assessment in Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

Abstract The aim of this article is to analyse whether having experience of formative assessment during their initial teacher education courses (ITE) influences graduates’ subsequent practice as teachers. That is, if the assessment methods that university students are subject to during their learning process are then actually employed by them during their professional practice as schoolteachers. To address this issue, questionnaires were issued and focus groups were held with a sample of ITE graduates. The main results of the study are that: (1) formative and shared assessment (FSA) is not used a great deal during ITE, but is highly valued; (2) some graduates have implemented FSA in their practice as teachers, following their experience on their ITE course; and (3) significant variables are found regarding the implementation of FSA in schools (possible resistance from colleagues and/or pupils’ parents, etc.).

Teaching for understanding and school sport: a study in an intercultural context and situation of social risk / Enseñanza para la comprensión y deporte escolar: un estudio en contexto intercultural y situación de riesgo social

Abstract This study analyses the integration of Mapuche-Huilliche students who participate in a school sport programme based on the teaching for understanding model in a situation of social risk. In this context, 41 students (aged nine to 12) participate, 24 of whom are from the aforementioned ethnic group. To collect data, participant observation was conducted for eight months and group and individual interviews were held. The results show that the Mapuche-Huilliche students recognize themselves as members of the same collective when participating in games associated with their ethnic group. Their main motives for participating in school sport are the teaching approach and the acquisition of social capital. Cooperative learning activities are shown to foster positive interactions with non-Mapuche students.

¿Hay evaluación formativa y compartida en formación inicial del profesorado en Chile? Percepción de alumnado, profesorado y egresados de una universidad

espanolEste estudio se centra en conocer las practicas de evaluacion formativa empleadas en el proceso de formacion inicial del profesorado de Educacion Fisica en el contexto de una Universidad Publica de Chile. Se compara la percepcion de alumnado, profesorado y egresados. El estudio se llevo a cabo con una muestra de 23 alumnos de ultimo curso, 50 egresados y 17 profesores de la carrera de pedagogia, mencion en educacion fisica. Para la obtencion de datos se utilizo un cuestionario previamente validado, denominado: “Cuestionario para el estudio del sistema de evaluacion en la formacion inicial del profesorado de educacion fisica”, que cuenta con 63 items, medidos a traves de una escala tipo Likert. Los resultados muestran que: (a) existe una alta coherencia interna entre los programas de asignatura y los sistemas de evaluacion realmente utilizados; (b) las tecnicas e instrumentos de evaluacion mas y menos utilizados, que parecen indicar que se estan llevando a cabo sistemas de evaluacion formativa; (c) la escasa participacion del alumnado en la evaluacion. Parece necesario seguir investigando esta tematica en mas universidades chilenas. EnglishThe paper is focused on knowing formative assessment practices used in Pre-service Physical Education Teacher Educacion (PETE) in a public university of Chile. It compares the perception of students, teachers and graduates. The investigation was made with a sample of 23 students, 50 graduates and 17 physical education teacher´s. To obtain the data a previously validated questionnaire was applied, named: “Questionnaire for the study of assessment systems used in preservice PETE”, which contains 63 items, evaluated by a Likert scale. The results are: (a) high internal coherence between programs and assessment systems; (B) the techniques and instruments more and less used in assessment, which suggests that they are carrying out formative assessment systems; (C) student has a scarce involvement in the Assessment. It seems necessary to further investigate this issue in more Chilean universities.

Transforming a municipal school sports programme through a critical communicative methodology: The role of the of advisory committee

This research applies a communicative methodology (CM) to the transformation and improvement of the Municipal Comprehensive School Sports Programme in Segovia, Spain (MCSSP), using egalitarian dialogue, based on validity rather than power claims to achieve intersubjectivity and arrive at consensus between all of the Programmes stakeholders through the intervention of an advisory committee (AC). The AC is a body comprising representatives of all stakeholder groups involved in the programme. During the 2013-2014 academic year the programmes AC met four times, operating as a communicative focus group (CFG). The meetings focused on: (1) excluding dimensions (barriers preventing transformation) and transforming dimensions (ways of overcoming barriers), (2) the programmes strengths, (3) the programmes weaknesses and specific actions to remedy them, and (4) the resulting conclusions which were then incorporated into the subsequent programme contract signed between the University and the Segovia Local Authority for 2014-2018. The key conclusions were: (1) the recommendations of the AC widen the range of perspectives and help the research team to make key decisions and (2) the use of CM to fully evaluate the programme and to reach a consensus on how to improve it proved very valuable.

Percepción del alumnado sobre la utilización de una escala graduada para la autoevaluación y coevaluación de trabajos escritos en la formación inicial del profesorado de educación física (FIPEF). (Students’ perceptions of a graduated scale used for self-assessment and peer-assessment of written work in pre-service physical education teacher education (PETE)).

La finalidad de este trabajo es estudiar la percepción del alumnado universitario de formación inicial del profesorado (FIP) sobre la importancia y funcionalidad de una escala graduada en el proceso de elaboración de trabajos grupales monográficos escritos. Se establecen cuatro objetivos secundarios para analizar diferentes resultados de su aplicación: la importancia de conocer previamente los criterios de calificación, las experiencias previas del alumnado, la valoración del alumnado sobre las ventajas y dificultades de su uso y su intención de utilizarlos en su futura labor profesional. El estudio se ha llevado a cabo en tres centros de FIPEF. Se ha aplicado un mismo protocolo durante el proceso de elaboración y evaluación continua y final del trabajo monográfico grupal, que combina la autoevaluación y coevaluación grupal con la heteroevaluación del profesor, utilizando un instrumento elaborado “ad hoc”. Tras finalizar el proceso formativo se aplica un cuestionario final de evaluación a toda la población implicada y se llevan a cabo entrevistas con una pequeña muestra. Los resultados indican que: (a) conocer previamente los criterios de calificación les ayuda a mejorar la calidad del trabajo durante su elaboración; (b) en función del centro, existe una notable variedad de experiencias previas en lo relativo a la utilización de este tipo de instrumentos de evaluación; (c) los estudiantes valoran positivamente la utilización de una escala graduada durante el proceso de elaboración de trabajos grupales; (d) el alumnado muestra una elevada intención de utilizar este tipo de instrumento en su posterior labor profesional como docentes.