Starting from the experience of watching the role of the teacher turn into a bureaucrat, this work examines the factors dominating current education systems. It identies Human Capital Theory as a main inuence on policy and prioritization decisions in education. A central tension that results from this inuence is the fact that economic theory assumes consumer sovereignty, which dismisses many ideological and political aspects of education as paternalism. This inherent conict between economic theory and educational theory leads to an overemphasis on positional goods, goods that are limited by scarcity, over nonpositional goods, such as knowledge. Educating for positional goods is contrasted to the Spinozistic ideal of education for freedom and for increased conatus. It is then discussed how current assessment practices play a central role in cementing the current hegemony in education as governed by economic concerns. Assessment practices are found to both contribute to current trends in education as well as stabilizing the system overall making transformative change less likely. This is more specically illustrated by two particular assessment practices, namely standardized testing and assessment for learning. It concludes with a search for possible paths to meaningful change in education.

In terms of assessment practices, in all facets of education there is a strong focus on assessment at the end of learning. New trends in the literature motivate for the continuous use of assessment strategies in classrooms, with a learner-centred approach. Many questions arise on this topic: When lecturers review their own higher education classroom assessment practices, what will be the extent of their discovery? Are they still inclined to do assessment after teaching and learning has taken place? Or are they moving towards continuous classroom assessment practices in line with the new trends? Is there still a place for classroom assessment at the end of teaching and learning? Should the one or the other be used or should there be a balance between the various strategies? With students perceiving assessment as being judgemental and oppressive and as the most political of all educational processes (Reynolds et al., 2000:268), how does the power struggle unfold in the classroom? By means of participatory action research I encouraged lecturers to reflect critically on their own classroom assessment practices. The lecturers engaged in critical discourses regarding their teaching, learning and assessment strategies and subsequently engaged in transformative actions resulting from their critical reflections. The aim of the research was to determine whether an emancipatory praxis had been developed and whether their reflections had brought about change and improved their classroom assessments. I wished to understand how the changes they had experienced were infused with theories of empowerment, emancipation and liberation. The nature of curriculum praxis of classroom assessment was investigated to determine the status of classroom assessment in a specific higher education context and to see how the balanced assessment system is reflected and how classroom assessment develops as an emancipatory praxis. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In terms of assessment practices, in all facets of education there is a strong focus on assessment at the end of learning. New trends in the literature motivate for the continuous use of assessment strategies in classrooms, with a learner-centred approach. Many questions arise on this topic: When lecturers review their own higher education classroom assessment practices, what will be the extent of their discovery? Are they still inclined to do assessment after teaching and learning has taken place? Or are they moving towards continuous classroom assessment practices in line with the new trends? Is there still a place for classroom assessment at the end of teaching and learning? Should the one or the other be used or should there be a balance between the various strategies? With students perceiving assessment as being judgemental and oppressive and as the most political of all educational processes (Reynolds et al., 2000:268), how does the power struggle unfold in the classroom? By means of participatory action research I encouraged lecturers to reflect critically on their own classroom assessment practices. The lecturers engaged in critical discourses regarding their teaching, learning and assessment strategies and subsequently engaged in transformative actions resulting from their critical reflections. The aim of the research was to determine whether an emancipatory praxis had been developed and whether their reflections had brought about change and improved their classroom assessments. I wished to understand how the changes they had experienced were infused with theories of empowerment, emancipation and liberation. The nature of curriculum praxis of classroom assessment was investigated to determine the status of classroom assessment in a specific higher education context and to see how the balanced assessment system is reflected and how classroom assessment develops as an emancipatory praxis. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The study intends to investigate the nature and cognitive demands of contextual word-problems posed in the FET mathematics examinations of IEB and NSC. The analysis of the mathematization of real-life situations to form contextual word-problems is based on the theory of authentic task situations. The theoretical basis for analyzing mathematics teaching and learning is the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) theory. Data was obtained using the schedule of mathematization of real-life situations and the schedule of total marks of contextual word-problems and national performance. All contextual word-problems included in the 2008-2013 question papers of IEB and NSC mathematics examinations were analysed. The research revealed that 509 marks out of 1800 marks were allocated to contextual word-problems in IEB examinations; whereas 473 marks out of 1800 marks were allocated to contextual word-problems in NSC examinations. / Mathematics Education / M. Sc. (Mathematical Education)

The study intends to investigate the nature and cognitive demands of contextual word-problems posed in the FET mathematics examinations of IEB and NSC. The analysis of the mathematization of real-life situations to form contextual word-problems is based on the theory of authentic task situations. The theoretical basis for analyzing mathematics teaching and learning is the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) theory. Data was obtained using the schedule of mathematization of real-life situations and the schedule of total marks of contextual word-problems and national performance. All contextual word-problems included in the 2008-2013 question papers of IEB and NSC mathematics examinations were analysed. The research revealed that 509 marks out of 1800 marks were allocated to contextual word-problems in IEB examinations; whereas 473 marks out of 1800 marks were allocated to contextual word-problems in NSC examinations. / Mathematics Education / M. Sc. (Mathematical Education)

This dissertation could be viewed as being exploratory on the role that teachers play in continuous assessment in Windhoek primary schools. The demand for new knowledge, skills and abilities necessitate the change in assessment of learning. The various literature that the researcher consulted indicate that not only Namibia, but many other countries worldwide have implemented continuous assessment methods in schools. The challenges and experiences with regard to continuous assessment in these countries are somehow different although there are also some commonalities. Thus, sharing and exchanging of views and ideas on continuous assessment among these countries is advisable. A deducible meaning of continuous assessment from the various literatures is that continuous assessment means any assessment event or activity in which there is a high level of interaction between the learner and the teacher who conducts the assessment. Thus, continuous assessment may be used solely for formative purposes but may also contribute in part or in whole to a summative decision. It became clear that all assessment practices reflect a number of assumptions relating to the nature of learning and teaching, and the purpose of assessment. The researcher gained insight from the teachers themselves as participants through analysis of their textual responses. The research was primarily qualitative. Open-ended questions were used to gain a contextualised and comprehensive understanding of the teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding continuous assessment. From this study, it transpires that an effective and transparent assessment policy is not only vital to the success of educational practice, but it can help to meet the aspirations contained in the prevailing national education system of a country. The findings provide an alternative point of view from teacher-focussed research which is often conducted in Namibia. The data analysis outlines the role teachers’ play in continuous assessment in Windhoek primary schools. The researcher proposes concrete actions and programmes that could be embarked upon for the benefit of continuous assessment practice in schools. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Previous research has shown that substantial learning gains are possible when formative assessment and support for students’ development of self-regulated learning skills are implemented in classroom practice. Such implementation is not straightforward and there is a need for both further understanding of the knowledge and skills teachers require to practice formative assessment, and further insights into how different characteristics of ordinary teaching practices support students’ in becoming proficient self-regulated learners. This doctoral thesis includes a licentiate thesis and two articles. In the licentiate thesis, classroom observations are used to investigate the knowledge and skills used by a teacher engaged in a comprehensive formative classroom practice. The results show that the teacher's practice is complex and requires advanced knowledge and skills that are often used simultaneously and under time pressure. For example, the teacher, sometimes in a matter of seconds, handles new (to her) mathematics, makes inferences from students’ responses to their understanding, and based on these inferences makes decisions about her teaching. The first article is a literature review focusing on the effects of formative assessment on student achievement in mathematics since there is a lack of knowledge of the effects of formative assessment on student achievement, in particular for subject areas such as mathematics. In the review, a systematic literature search is made for articles studying the effects of both teacher-centered approaches and approaches emphasizing student involvement in the formative assessment processes. The latter type of approaches includes teacher practices that support students’ development of aspects of self-regulated learning competence. The results show that all approaches included in the review have significant positive effects on student achievement in mathematics. The second article examines in what ways learning situations in authentic classroom practices provide opportunities for the students to develop self-regulated learning skills, and how students experience these opportunities. The analysis is based on data from classroom observations of three teachers’ mathematics lessons, and on interviews with their students. The results show that instruction in self-regulated learning skills mostly occurred implicitly, and the opportunities to develop the skills were mainly provided and experienced at the observational level.

Syfte och frågeställningar Syftet med undersökningen är att undersöka hur nyckelstrategin ”att klargöra, dela och förstå lärandemålen och framgångskriterierna” beskrivs i idrottsdidaktisk litteratur. Följande frågeställning syftar till att uppfylla syftet: Hur skildras nyckelstrategin i de idrottsdidaktiska böckerna? Den övergripande frågeställningen förtydligas med följande frågor: 1) Nämns nyckelstrategin explicit i texterna? 2) Finns det spår av nyckelstrategin i texterna? Metod För att uppfylla syftet och besvara frågeställningarna analyserades fyra idrottsdidaktiska böcker med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Insamlandet av relevant material har gjorts manuellt utifrån ett antal kodningsprinciper. Efter insamlandet av data kodades materialet och sorterades in i teman. Resultat Analysen visar att nyckelstrategin inte nämns explicit i någon av texterna, däremot finns det spår av nyckelstrategin i texterna. Dessa spår förmedlar i princip samma innehåll som nyckelstrategin. Dock är det tveksamt om läsare kommer att förstå detta som viktiga aspekter eller veta hur de ska arbeta med detta som lärare då det relevanta innehållet inte har en framträdande roll i böckerna. Slutsats Det verkar fortfarande, även fast uppdaterade böcker inom ämnet nyligen publicerats, finnas en brist på information om bedömning för lärande och nyckelstrategin ifråga i den här typen av böcker. Det finns ett behov av mer forskning om hur vi kan arbeta med bedömning för lärande inom ämnet och även ett behov av att detta förmedlas till lärare i ämnet. / <p>Fristående kurs Idrott III</p>

Nationwide, higher education institutions are increasingly interested in infusing sustainability content into their curricula. The world is facing complex and interconnected problems creating a need for college graduates with an understanding of the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. There is a shortage of research studying sustainability-related teaching practices, particularly in higher education contexts. The University of Vermont (UVM) recently established Sustainability Learning Outcomes (SLOs) as a general education requirement. As a result of this initiative, sustainability-designated courses are offered across the university that fulfill the requirement, creating a unique opportunity to explore related teaching practices. The purpose of this study was to explore how instructors structured and taught the SLOs, how students learned UVM's SLOs, and which teaching practices students found helpful to their learning, within courses designed to meet this general education requirement. To systematically gather people's perceptions of and experiences with the new general education requirement, this study used the following methods: 1) instructor interviews; 2) course document reviews; 3) classroom observations; 4) student focus groups; and 5) an online student survey. Data were collected from eight sustainability-designated courses. The variety of data collection methods enabled identification and triangulation of strong themes. Instructors used class discussions, papers, readings, projects, guest speakers, case studies, and reflective activities to teach sustainability content and skills. Students reported the following teaching practices as particularly helpful: experiencing a real world application, discussing sustainability issues in class, exploring different perspectives, and hosting guest speakers. Moreover, certain instructional methods may be better received with students with prior exposure to sustainability content. Findings suggest that learning from case studies, guest speakers, and written papers may be more helpful to students with higher levels of prior exposure to sustainability courses. This study's findings add to what we know about how instructors teach sustainability content and students' experiences of their teaching practices. They also suggest a number of implications for policy and practice around supporting professional development opportunities in teaching practices and assessment strategies, creating a teaching culture of experimentation and reflection, and using a variety of methods to assess teaching and learning.

Studien syftar till att belysa huruvida bedömning för lärande (BFL) har institutionaliserats bland lärarna på Lindängsgymnasiet efter ett genomfört skolutvecklingsprojekt. Den har också som mål att, med utgångspunkt i en teori om framgångsrik skolutveckling som utvecklats av Ulf Blossing, ta reda på vilka faktorer under initierings- och implementeringsfasen som kan ha varit avgörande för huruvida projektet nådde institutionaliseringsfasen eller inte. Studien syftar vidare till att klargöra om det finns skillnader mellan lärare som undervisar på yrkesförberedande program och lärare som undervisar på högskoleförberedande program samt mellan lärare som undervisar i karaktärsämnen och lärare som undervisar i allmänna ämnen när det gäller institutionaliseringen av BFL i undervisningen. Studiens ansats är kritiskt realistisk och består dels av en kvantitativ enkät, som besvarats av 58 lärare på Lindängsgymnasiet, och dels av en kvalitativ intervju med den förstelärare som fungerade som projektledare under skolutvecklingsprojektet. Enkätresultatet visar att BFL inte har institutionaliserats bland lärarna på Lindängsgymnasiet och analys av både enkätresultat och intervju gör gällande att förklaringarna står att finna i såväl initierings- som implementeringsfasen. För att ta reda på om det finns skillnader mellan lärare som undervisar på yrkesförberedande program och lärare som undervisar på studieförberedande program samt mellan lärare som undervisar i karaktärsämnen och allmänna ämnen användes Chi2-test, t-test och Mann-Whitney U-test. Resultaten av testen tyder inte på några skillnader mellan lärare som undervisar på yrkesförberedande och högskoleförberedande program när det gäller institutionaliseringen av BFL. Resultaten tyder dock på att lärare som undervisar på yrkesförberedande program i något större utsträckning upplever att de har förändrat sin undervisning beroende på BFL-projektets genomförande än lärare som undervisar på högskoleförberedande program. Testen visar inte på några skillnader mellan lärare som undervisar i karaktärs- respektive allmänna ämnen. Studien kan vara användbar för till exempel skolledare vid planering av utvecklingsarbete och kollegialt lärande, då studien bland annat pekar på vikten av en genomtänkt initieringsfas samt kontinuerlig medverkan av skolledare under ett skolutvecklingsprojekt. / This study aims to highlight whether assessment for learning (AFL) has become institutionalized among the teachers at Lindängsgymnasiet after a school improvement project. It also aims to investigate, based on a theory on successful school improvement developed by Ulf Blossing, what factors during the initiation and the implementation phase that may have been crucial for whether the project reached the institutionalization phase or not. The study further aims to clarify if there are differences between teachers who teach on vocational programs and teachers who teach on preparatory programs and between teachers who teach characteristic subjects and teachers who teach general subjects regarding the institutionalization of AFL in the classroom. The approach of the study is critical realistic and it consists of a quantitative survey, that was answered by 58 teachers at Lindängsgymnasiet. It also consists of a qualitative interview with the head teacher that had the role of project manager during the school improvement project. The results of the survey show that AFL has not been institutionalized among the teachers at Lindängsgymnasiet and analysis of both survey results and the interview claims that the explanations can be found in the initiation and implementation phase. In order to find out if there are differences between teachers who teach on vocational and teachers who teach on preparatory programs, and between teachers who teach characteristics and teachers who teach general subjects, Chi2 test, t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used. The results of these tests do not indicate any differences between teachers who teach on vocational and on preparatory programs in the institutionalization of AFL. The results indicate that teachers who teach on vocational programs to a greater extent experience that they have changed their education due to the implementation of the AFL-project than teachers who teach on preparatory programs. The tests do not indicate any differences between teachers who teach characteristics and teachers who teach general subjects. The study can be useful for school leaders in planning of school improvement work and collaborative learning, as the study focuses on the importance of a well-considered initiation phase and continuous participation by school leaders during a school development project.