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Empirical studies on effects of formative assessment (FA) on motivational outcomes and underlying mechanisms are scarce. The core elements of FA, feedback and adaptive teaching behavior, might be helpful in promoting the experience of competence, which in turn is a prerequisite for promoting intrinsic motivation. However, instructional impact also depends on the students' perception of teacher behavior. Therefore, this study (N = 27 teachers and 613 students) aimed to test whether FA has a positive effect on intrinsic motivation mediated by students' perceived competence support (PCS). In a three-group design, two versions of FA were compared with a control group. In both versions of FA, teachers used a tool for learning progress assessment (LPA), while in one version, teachers received a combination of LPA and additional support consisting of materials for feedback and adaptive instruction (LPA+). A path model for half-longitudinal designs was estimated. Results support the motivational effect of FA. LPA and LPA+ both positively influence students' PCS which is in turn associated with higher intrinsic motivation. A small indirect effect on intrinsic motivation mediated by PCS was shown for both intervention groups, which was only significant for LPA. For LPA+, higher-performing students particularly benefitted from the intervention. Teachers' use of FA practices can foster students' PCS which seems to be a promising way in motivation-enhancing teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Monitoring learning progress enables teachers to address students' interindividual differences and to adapt instruction to students' needs. We investigated whether using learning progress assessment (LPA) or using a combination of LPA and prepared material to help teachers implement assessment-based differentiated instruction resulted in improved reading skills for students. The study was conducted in second-grade classrooms in general primary education, and participants (N = 33 teachers and N = 619 students) were assigned to one of three conditions: a control group (CG); a first intervention group (LPA), which received LPA only; or a second intervention group (LPA-RS), which received a combination of LPA and material for differentiated reading instruction (the "reading sportsman"). At the beginning and the end of one school year, students' reading fluency and reading comprehension were assessed. Compared with business-as-usual reading instruction (the CG), providing teachers with LPA or both LPA and prepared material did not lead to higher gains in reading competence. Furthermore, no significant differences between the LPA and LPA-RS conditions were found. Corresponding analyses for lower- and higher-achieving students also revealed no differences between the treatment groups. Results are discussed regarding the implementation of LPA and reading instruction in general education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lernen und Lernstörungen is the property of Hogrefe AG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study investigates the effects of learning progress assessment (LPA) combined with student-set goals on students’ reading achievement, reading motivation, and reading self-concept in fourth grade. Classes (n =41) were assigned to either an LPA group with goal setting (LPA-G), an LPA group only (LPA), or a control group (CG). Students of both LPA groups completed eight LPA tests over a period of six months, and teachers received information about their learning progress. Students in the LPA-G group specified goals before the tests and reflected their goal achievement afterwards. Results indicate that growth in reading was higher for students in the LPA group compared to students in the two other groups. Unexpected negative effects of the goal-setting procedure were found on the development of intrinsic reading motivation and individual reading self-concept. The results are discussed with regard to teacher behavior and the use of diagnostic information for instruction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Studies on Child x Instruction interactions show that learning growth depends on the fit of instruction to students' abilities. This study investigates short- and long-term effects of combining learning progress assessment (LPA) as a tool for teachers to constantly monitor their students' progress with differentiated reading instruction to address students' individual needs on reading fluency and reading comprehension. The study was conducted in German elementary school classrooms. Third grade classrooms ( n  = 28) were randomly assigned to either an LPA group with differentiated instruction or a control group (CG). Students in the treatment group showed higher growth in reading fluency than students in the CG ( d  = .30). The effect was stable over the two-year period of the study. Students with lower reading skills benefited more from the treatment. No effects were found on reading comprehension. Results are discussed with regard to teachers’ use of data to differentiate instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of data-based decision-making (DBDM) at the classroom level is that teachers use assessment data to adapt their instruction to students' individual needs and thus improve students' learning progress. In this study, we first investigate this theoretically assumed DBDM process, and second, we evaluate the effectiveness of teacher support on the different steps of this process. Using longitudinal data of N = 120 teachers and their N = 2458 students, we analyzed the relations between teachers' log-file-based data analysis activities, teachers' self-reported frequency of instructional decision-making, and students' learning progress in reading by means of latent mediation analyses. Moreover, we analyzed whether additional teacher support in the form of instructional recommendations, teacher training, and prepared teaching material can promote the implementation of different steps of DBDM. Results of latent mediation analyses revealed positive associations of teachers' data analysis with their instructional decision-making and students' learning progress. Teacher support was positively associated with data analysis and students' learning progress (mediated by data analysis). Results are discussed regarding the theoretically assumed steps in the DBDM process and the potential of teacher support with a focus on teachers' instructional decision-making. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: Providing teachers with assessment data on student learning progress should lead to a better alignment of instruction to students' needs, thereby improving student achievement. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that the more teachers engaged with assessment data, the more they reported using them for instructional decisions. In addition, students of teachers who engaged more deeply with assessment data made greater learning gains over the course of the school year. Some of the teachers received additional support to make data-based instructional decisions in the form of instructional recommendations, teacher training, and prepared teaching materials. This support was associated with more frequent data use by teachers, which in turn was associated with higher student learning progress via an indirect effect. Our analyses of the process of data-based decision-making (DBDM) in schools underline that teacher trainings in combination with instructional recommendations and prepared materials have the potential to improve DBDM practice in general education and increase student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]