Search

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]

Teacher-assigned grades provide important information that is used by universities and colleges to make admission decisions and by employers to make hiring decisions. Besides grades, the results of standardized achievement tests are frequently used for student selection and allocation. However, correlations between the two achievement measures are far from perfect, and researchers have argued that this discrepancy can be at least partially attributed to norm-referenced grading, which is based on the composition of performance in a class. In this study, we investigated the results of a curricular intensification reform, which introduced changes in the distribution of student performance by making enrollment in certain courses mandatory. We investigated whether the reform resulted in changes in the relationship between standardized achievement-test results and teacher-assigned grades. We analyzed cohort control design data from two large representative samples of students from two German states (Baden-Württemberg: N = 5,574; Thuringia: N = 2,202) before and after the reform. Results indicated that students who received a certain grade before the reform (e.g., a grade of A, B, C, or D) differed in their standardized test performance from students who received the same grade after the reform. Furthermore, in math, course-level-specific reform effects on the association between grades and standardized test performance were found to vary between groups of students receiving good and poor grades. Implications for educational policy and school reforms and suggestions for grading are discussed.

The authors examined the extent to which classroom-specific relationships between students' gender and their reading achievement and enjoyment of reading are associated with student-perceived teaching quality. Based on a sample of 10,543 ninth-grade students from 427 classrooms, multilevel analyses revealed that effective classroom management, adequate pacing, and a strong focus on language competencies were related to a less pronounced increase of girls' advantage in reading achievement during Grade 9. High levels of teacher support and focus on language competencies were related to smaller gender differences in enjoyment of reading at the beginning of Grade 9, though not associated with change of these differences over the school year. Our findings suggest that high teaching quality is not only related to higher reading achievement and reading enjoyment in classrooms as a whole, but may also help to mitigate the increase of gender gaps in reading achievement and motivation commonly observed in secondary school.

Valid inferences on teaching drawn from students' test scores require that tests are sensitive to the instruction students received in class. Accordingly, measures of the test items' instructional sensitivity provide empirical support for validity claims about inferences on instruction. In the present study, we first introduce the concepts of absolute and relative measures of instructional sensitivity. Absolute measures summarize a single item's total capacity of capturing effects of instruction, which is independent of the test's sensitivity. In contrast, relative measures summarize a single item's capacity of capturing effects of instruction relative to test sensitivity. Then, we propose a longitudinal multilevel item response theory model that allows estimating both types of measures depending on the identification constraints.

Although there is a common understanding of instructional sensitivity, it lacks a common operationalization. Various approaches have been proposed, some focusing on item responses, others on test scores. As approaches often do not produce consistent results, previous research has created the impression that approaches to instructional sensitivity are noticeably fragmented. To counter this impression, we present an item response theory-based framework that can help us to understand similarities and differences between existing approaches. Using empirical data for illustration, this article identifies "three perspectives" on instructional sensitivity: One perspective views instructional sensitivity as the capacity to detect differences in students' stages of learning across points of time. A second perspective treats instructional sensitivity as the capacity to detect differences between groups that have received different instruction. For a third perspective, the previous two are combined to consider differences between both time points and groups. We discuss linking sensitivity indices to measures of instruction.

In this study we examine the interplay between curriculum-embedded formative assessment--a well-known teaching practice--and general features of classroom process quality (i.e., cognitive activation, supportive climate, classroom management) and their combined effect on elementary school students' understanding of the scientific concepts of floating and sinking. We used data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial and compared curriculum-embedded formative assessment (17 classes) with a control group (11 classes). Curriculum-embedded formative assessment and classroom process quality promoted students' learning. Moreover, classroom process quality and embedded formative assessment interacted in promoting student learning. To ensure effective instruction and consequently satisfactory learning outcomes, teachers need to combine specific teaching practices with high classroom process quality.

In this study, we investigated effects of the proportion of language minority students in classrooms on the development of students' intrinsic motivation in language lessons and the mediating role of instructional climate (e.g., teacher support, focus on student interests). In addition, we explored the interaction between the proportion of language minority students and individual language background affecting students' motivation. Analyses were based on data collected in 352 German 9th-grade classrooms across 2 measurement points in a multilevel framework. We found that students in classrooms with a higher proportion of language minority students were more intrinsically motivated to learn. However, we found no statistical evidence for the prediction that the compositional effect should be mediated by the instructional climate in the classroom. Cross-level interaction analyses revealed that only language minority students were increasingly motivated in classrooms with a higher proportion of language minority students. Our findings add to the growing evidence indicating that the nature and quality of the social environment are important determinants of school-related motivation.

In the present study we compared comprehensive education systems and education systems using between-school tracking with regard to disparities in the quality of student-teacher relations between low and high achieving students, between students with different socioeconomic backgrounds, and between schools with different achievement and social compositions. Data from 271,760 students in 10,125 schools in 40 of the 41 education systems that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment 2003 was analysed using three-level regression models. The results document differences between comprehensive education systems and those using between-school tracking: In the former, but not the latter, high achievers and students with higher socioeconomic backgrounds had better student-teacher relations than their schoolmates. In education systems with between-school tracking, but not in comprehensive education systems, the quality of student-teacher relations was higher in schools with a disadvantaged social composition. These findings indicate a need to develop better strategies to address the socio-emotional needs of disadvantaged students in comprehensive education systems.

The present study examined the extent to which the relationships between student self-reported math grades and different types of student variables (standardized math test scores, interest and effort in math, parental education) are predicted by classroom composition and teachers' classroom management. Based on a representative sample of 31,038 8th-grade students from 1,470 classrooms, multilevel regression analyses revealed that grades were less strongly related to students' test scores and more strongly related to students' effort in classrooms with an unfavorable academic composition (i.e., low average test performance). Classroom management was found to moderate the association between academic classroom composition and the parental education-grade relationship, indicating a noticeable grade advantage of students with high parental education in classrooms with both an unfavorable academic composition and ineffective classroom management. Our findings highlight the relevance of classroom composition and classroom management to research on teachers' grading and point toward possible ways to improve current grading practices.

Students' performance in assessments is commonly attributed to more or less effective teaching. This implies that students' responses are significantly affected by instruction. However, the assumption that outcome measures indeed are instructionally sensitive is scarcely investigated empirically. In the present study, we propose a longitudinal multilevel-differential item functioning (DIF) model to combine two existing yet independent approaches to evaluate items' instructional sensitivity. The model permits for a more informative judgment of instructional sensitivity, allowing the distinction of global and differential sensitivity. Exemplarily, the model is applied to two empirical data sets, with classical indices (Pretest--Posttest Difference Index and posttest multilevel-DIF) computed for comparison. Results suggest that the approach works well in the application to empirical data, and may provide important information to test developers.

Although feedback is a popular topic in educational research, the question of how and on what conditions feedback in mathematics affects learning seldom has been addressed. In this study, we investigated: (1) whether process-oriented feedback in mathematics leads to greater interest and higher achievement development compared to social-comparative feedback; (2) whether students' perception of feedback with regard to usefulness and competence support mediates these effects; and (3) whether the impact of feedback is moderated by students' mastery approach goal orientation. To answer these research questions, 146 ninth-grade intermediate school students in Germany were randomly assigned to both feedback conditions. Results of path analyses revealed (1) no significant total feedback effects on interest and achievement development, but (2) indirect effects on the development of interest via perceived competence support and usefulness, and on achievement development via perceived usefulness, as well as (3) a moderation effect of mastery approach goal orientation on the impact of feedback on perceived usefulness. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)

Outcome-oriented evaluation of school effectiveness is often based on student test scores in certain critical examinations. This study provides another method of evaluation--value-added--which is based on student achievement progress. This paper introduces the method of estimating the value-added score of schools in multi-level models. Based on longitudinal student achievement data, two measures of school effectiveness in one local education authority in China are compared. It is found that the between-school difference in both test-score and value-added is large comparable with that of Western countries. The results of the two measures of school effectiveness are highly different. The value-added measures lack consistency across different subject areas within schools while the test score measures are highly correlated between subjects. Teachers show their preference for value-added measures over test-score measures of education quality. It is suggested that value-added measures of school effectiveness should be used as a complement to rather than a substitute for test-score measures. The shortcomings of value-added approach are also discussed.

Copyright of Beiträge zur Lehrerinnen - und Lehrerbildung is the property of Schweizerische Gesellschaft fur Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung (SGL) 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.)