AbstractsEducation Research & Administration

Identifying differences in testing attitudes, practices, and concerns of teachers in outcome- and nonoutcome-based elementary schools

by Janet F. Rope




Institution: Iowa State University
Department:
Year: 1994
Keywords: Professional studies in education; Education (Educational administration); Educational administration; Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Administration and Supervision; Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research; Elementary Education and Teaching
Record ID: 1664568
Full text PDF: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/11315


http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=12314&context=rtd


Abstract

This study sought to determine whether implementation of the outcome-based education (OBE) model was accompanied by a shift in teacher attitudes, practices, and concerns about student assessment. A total of 96 Iowa elementary school teachers in grades one through five volunteered to participate in this study about classroom assessment. Sixty-six teachers in outcome-based schools and 30 teachers in nonoutcome-based schools completed the 20-item questionnaire. In particular, it tried to verify teachers' attitudes about assessment-related decisions, the level of use of six different types of assessment instruments, and the primary concerns of teachers about each test type. The study also attempted to determine whether teachers' responses were independent of the subject on which the respondent was asked to focus, age, and education level of the respondent;Results showed that (1) no significant differences were found for the 20 items between teachers in outcome- and nonoutcome-based schools at the.05 level of significance; (2) reading teachers reported that testing as a means of communicating expectations was less important than did teachers of mathematics; (3) more teachers aged 36 and older reported that they were comfortable using standardized tests in the classroom than did their younger colleagues; and (4) teachers with a bachelor's degree more often reported that they comfortably used structured performance assessment than did teachers with a master's degree or higher education level;Five key conclusions that may explain the lack of differences found between the outcome- and nonoutcome-based teachers are: (1) teachers in the nonoutcome-based school, while not officially part of the OBE movement, may be philosophically aligned with the OBE model; (2) OBE districts in this study have not fully implemented the outcome-based model; (3) the OBE districts may need more time before the assessment aspects of the model can be measured; (4) the 20-item questionnaire is not a valid measure of teachers' assessment practices; and (5) OBE, as practiced, does not make a difference in teachers' assessment practices.