The diploma thesis is focused on the evaluation of the performance of a selected company using the START Model. The introductory part is dedicaded to clarifying the theoretical basis, basic concepts and the method of measuring performance. The analytical part introduces the evaluated organization, conducts a survey using the selected model and according to the results are interpreted strengths and areas for improvement. In the last section, based on the outputs of the analysis, measures are proposed to increase the company's performance.

The master’s thesis is focused on evaluation of the performance of the company Deceuninck, spol. s r. o. by using the START Model, which is based on the logic of the EFQM Excellence Model. The first part of the thesis contains theoretical bases related to performance and methods of its measurement. The second part is focused on the description of the selected company and evaluation of the results of the questionnaire survey. The final part of this work contains measures which were suggested to improve the current situation.

abstract: This study explores positivist and Indigenous research paradigms as they relate to Indigenous language reclamation. Paradigms, as defined by Kuhn (2012) describe verifiable epistemological approaches that can be utilized in providing solutions for researchers and practitioners. Moreover, in the modern realm of academia, research paradigms are the keystones of research. Nevertheless, when a Eurocentric paradigm such as positivism is utilized in an Indigenous space, it can lead to further colonial trauma. Thus, through an analysis of the philosophical components from the two paradigms this study proposes a paradigmatic pivot in how linguistic students approach research. The purpose of recommending this pedagogical shift is to encourage the academy to normalize the use of Indigenous research paradigms which are intrinsically infused with Indigenous epistemologies and intercultural best practices. Furthermore, to exhibit the expediency and validity of Indigenous research paradigms, this study utilizes Walker’s (2001) Medicine Wheel paradigm to create a self-assessment tool which seeks to assist linguistic students in achieving a more relationally accountable sense of cultural awareness. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Linguistics and Applied Linguistics 2019

In the current study, 34 nine graders in a Swedish school were given a test where they would interpret sarcastic and ironic utterances from the American series Modern Family by explaining the implication in their own words. They were also asked to assess their own knowledge of English by filling out a questionnaire containing both qualitative and quantitative questions. The aims were to investigate whether the students understood the implications and if the total score could be connected to their own perception of their level of proficiency. The results show that although plenty of the students assessed themselves being highly comfortable with English as a foreign language, it did not result in a high understanding of sarcastic and ironic utterances. Out of 646 possible points, the students only reached a score of 156 in total. It was also clear that their self assessments did not comply with their results. While confident students received low scores, insecure students did well on the test.

This work studies the role of self-regulation and self-efficacy during piano practice in improved self-assessment and performance, since in the last couple of decades, research has shown that number of hours of practice is not the only predictor of improved performance. Piano students at the Beirut and Prague conservatories wrote weekly journals assessing their self-regulation during practice for nine months and then performed in an exam, in addition to filling an online questionnaire. Results showed that students self-regulated mostly using the method and social factors dimension. Moreover, although students in Prague performed a harder repertoire, they were not better in self-regulation compared to the students in Beirut, except for the time dimension of self-regulation. A list of self-regulatory behaviors is presented at the end of the work, in addition to the implications for music educators and piano students and the contributions to the field of music education in terms of preparation for performance in the absence of a teacher. Keywords piano pedagogy, practice, self-assessment, self-efficacy, self-regulation

Student practice and the influences that shape self-regulated behavior (habits) remain of interest among educators. This self-regulated behavior includes factors such as what informs a student’s selection of a goal during self-regulated practice, the motivation to engage in an activity, and the value attributed to an activity. Interest exists concerning the discrepancy, if any, in student-versus-teacher evaluation as informed by these factors. Through the application of Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory, I examined the motivators, informers, values, and sustainers of the practice habits of eight university undergraduate performance and music education majors during self-regulated practice. The instructors came from five applied lesson studios in which the students were enrolled. Using a primarily descriptive methodology, the source of the data I collected was two pre-arranged applied lessons and two pre-arranged practice sessions for each student during the fall semester of 2018. I contrasted the information taken from the practice sessions with the goal-directed and instructor-modeled activities typical of the applied lessons. To compare the self-assessment of competencies with the assessment of the instructor, I employed a survey in the form of a questionnaire and reviewed videotapes of the participants in both applied lessons and self-regulated practice. The data collected for applied lessons and self-regulated practice were then separately coded and placed into one of two categories, musical or non-musical behavior. I then compared this data among and within the participating applied lesson studios. My analysis revealed that the preponderance of instructional time was spent in musical activities. The same was true, but to a slightly lesser degree, for students during self-regulated practice. I observed that motivation and the value attributed to an activity were informed by modeling of goal-directed activities (habits) during applied lessons. The students carried this goal-directed activity into self-regulated practice. These practice habits maintained the behavior that supported the goals, the achievement of which informed students’ self-assessment of their performance competencies. Students were less satisfied with their level of performance competency than were their instructors. This lack of satisfaction occurred despite the alignment of the observed selection of practice habits with the activities modeled by the instructor in applied lessons and was contrary to previous research (Varela et al., 2016) that found students’ assessment of their competencies higher than the assessment of their instructors. One implication of this study is the importance of instructors’ training of students in task analysis regarding practice habits. Such training, combined with modeling, may enable students to choose goals wisely and to self-assess accurately to affect the self-regulation necessary to achieve musical proficiency. The differences in goals between students and instructors, practice-room behavior, and self-assessment warrant further exploration.

This study examined the validity of using physicians’ self‐assessed needs, relevance and motivation to learn about clinical topics as a means for setting objectives and priorities for continuing medical education (CME) programmes. In an initial survey family doctors were asked to rate their need, relevance and motivation to learn about 120 different clinical topics. Eight months later, the same population was sent a second mail survey asking respondents to indicate if they had learned about a set of sixteen topics taken from the initial survey and, if so, in what kind of learning activities. Eight of the sixteen topics were highly rated and eight were low rated in the initial survey. In terms of actual participation of family doctors, self‐assessed motivation to learn exhibited a strong positive relationship with actual participation. Both self‐assessed need and relevance were negative to only moderately positive in their association with actual participation. This evidence contributed to the value of using self‐assessed motivation as an indicator of future participation of family doctors in CME and questioned the value of using self‐assessed need and relevance as indicators of future patterns of participation.

While educators agree that using self-assessment in education is valuable, a major challenge is the poor agreement often found between faculty assessment and student self-assessment. The aim of this study was to determine if use of a predefined grading rubric would improve reliability between faculty and dental student assessment on a periodontal oral competency examination. Faculty members used the grading rubric to assess students’ performance on the exam. Immediately after taking the exam, students used the same rubric to self-assess their performance on it. Data were collected from all third- and/or fourth-year students in four classes at one U.S. dental school from 2011 to 2014. Since two of the four classes took the exam in both the third and fourth years, those data were compared to determine if those students’ self-assessment skills improved over time. Statistical analyses were performed to determine agreement between the two faculty graders and between the students’ and faculty assessments on each criterion in the rubric and the overall grade. Data from the upper and lower performing quartiles of students were sub-analyzed. The results showed that faculty reliability for the overall grades was high (K=0.829) and less so for individual criteria, while student-faculty reliability was weak to moderate for both overall grades (Spearman's rho=0.312) and individual criteria. Students in the upper quartile self-evaluated themselves more harshly than the faculty (p<0.0001), while the lower quartile students overestimated their performance (p=0.0445) compared to faculty evaluation. No significant improvement was found in assessment over time in the students who took the exam in the third and fourth years. This study found only limited support for the hypothesis that a grading rubric used by both faculty and students would increase correspondence between faculty and student assessment and points to a need to reexamine the rubric and instructional strategies to help students improve their ability to self-assess their work.

Objective: To describe the psychological mechanisms that underlie biased self-assessment and suggest pedagogical techniques to counter them. Findings: Since the psychological mechanisms that underlie bias self-assessment occur below awareness, strategies that attempt to address bias directly are unlikely to succeed. A more effective approach may be to structure students’ learning experiences in ways that prevent the unconscious biasing mechanisms from operating efficiently. Summary: Given the importance of accurate self-knowledge for professional students and clinicians, as well as its difficulty to attain, an understanding of the psychological mechanisms that contribute the most common forms of biased self-assessment is essential for creating and implementing effective mitigation strategies.

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions about the value of peer and self-assessment as tools for enhancing EFL writing in the context of upper-secondary education in Sweden. In addition, this study examines the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, knowledge of the methods, and their reported teaching practices. Based on teachers’ comments, this paper identifies the ways in which peer and self-assessment can be effectively implemented in EFL classrooms. A mixed-methods approach was used in the study. Three qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The interviews were complemented with a questionnaire survey in order to check the generality of the interview findings. Through a process of triangulation, the datasets obtained from the questionnaires and interviews were analysed and interpreted in light of theory and recent research on peer and self-assessment. Results show that these teaching and learning tools are appreciated by teachers as a way to enhance learning in relation to EFL writing. However, the investigation showed significant inconsistencies regarding teachers’ usage of the method. The results obtained showed that, in order for these practices to be effective, careful training is needed. Moreover, in order to provide proper training for their students, teachers themselves need to understand the value of the tools, and to be trained in how to effectively implement them. Therefore, the study concluded that information about peer and self-assessment should be included in teacher education and in-service training in Sweden.