The dissertation thesis is focused on feedback on writing in English lessons, and describes its character and pupil's perception of its comprehensibility. The theoretical part defines feedback as a tool of pedagogical communication, which informs the pupil about the possibilities of improvement and progress and thus shapes pupil's development within the learning process as well as pupil's personality development. The topic of feedback is presented in the context of school assessment and teaching of writing, the issue of error is mentioned as the basis for corrective feedback and an incentive for learning. Also, writing and the specifics of its assessment are discussed. The empirical part, using the qualitative design of the multi-case study, builds on the data obtained by the interviews and the content analysis of the documents. The four case studies of teachers and their pupils illustrate how teachers and pupils perceive (corrective) feedback as a tool of pedagogical communication providing information on the possibilities of improvement and progress. The feedback on writing takes the form of grading (analytical rubrics), corrective feedback in the form of marking mistakes and problematic places in the work, written comments and oral comments when teachers hand the papers over. Pupils see feedback...

Assessment of writing skills is a part of teachers’ everyday life. According to previous studies on a similar subject, teachers’ education in assessing writing is limited. The lack of education for teachers may lead to negative consequences for the whole educational system. For this reason, the purpose of this study focused on the analysis of English upper-secondary school teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices in assessing writing in Sweden.  The method for this study was adapted from Crusan et al. (2016) research. An Internet survey was used in order to receive information about teachers’ cognition. Firstly, the survey was published in different Facebook groups, and secondly, it was sent to upper-secondary teachers of English in different counties in Sweden via email. In total, 52 English teachers from upper-secondary schools participated in this study.  The results showed that teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices are co-dependent. Teachers need to be aware of their cognition regarding knowledge, beliefs, and practices. In-service teachers need to receive more training as a form of professional development, while institutions for pre-service teachers need to re-evaluate their educational plans. More research about teachers’ cognition and assessment of writing is needed in Sweden.

L’évaluation est une activité intrinsèquement liée à l’acte d’enseigner. Elle se réalise par des pratiques évaluatives qui découlent de pratiques enseignantes et de fondements pédagogiques. La recherche dans le domaine de l’évaluation des apprentissages se développe constamment dans la formation générale des jeunes, ce qui n’est pas le cas dans le secteur particulier de l’adaptation scolaire. En effet, l’évaluation des compétences scolaires des élèves handicapés, en difficulté d’apprentissage ou d’adaptation est un sujet peu abordé dans la littérature scientifique ou professionnelle, et c’est encore plus vrai pour les apprenants présentant des troubles spécifiques comme celui du spectre de l’autisme. Plusieurs chercheurs se sont intéressés aux modalités favorisant l’inclusion en classe ordinaire d’élèves présentant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA), tandis que d’autres se sont penchés sur les interventions permettant le contrôle de leurs comportements autistiques en milieu scolaire. Il en ressort qu’auprès des élèves présentant un TSA, qui sont de plus en plus nombreux dans les systèmes scolaires, il est nécessaire d’aménager un espace et d’offrir des contenus pédagogiques adaptés afin de rendre accessibles les apprentissages et l’évaluation. L’objectif principal de la présente thèse est de documenter les façons d’évaluer les compétences scolaires d’élèves présentant un TSA au premier cycle du secondaire pour la discipline français langue d’enseignement sous l’angle de l’appropriation de pratique évaluatives mises en œuvre par les enseignants. Pour y parvenir, nous aborderons le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle des enseignants face aux pratiques évaluatives, nous observerons la mise en place de nouvelles pratiques évaluatives à travers un processus d’appropriation et nous décrirons le développement d’instruments en support à l’évaluation des compétences. Quatre textes constituent le corps de la thèse. Le premier est une recension des écrits cernant la pertinence sociale et scientifique de notre sujet d’étude, suivi par trois articles scientifiques qui traitent des objectifs spécifiques du projet de recherche. Le premier article scientifique aborde le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle (SEP) des enseignants en lien avec l’appropriation de pratiques évaluatives dans le contexte de classe spécialisée dédiée aux élèves présentant un TSA. Ce concept émanant des travaux de Bandura se prête bien pour analyser la progression dans les pratiques évaluatives mises en place par les enseignants. Le deuxième article présente le processus d’appropriation de pratiques à travers la mise en place de la démarche d’évaluation aménagée spécifiquement pour ce type d’apprenants. En effet, de la planification des apprentissages et de l’évaluation à la communication des résultats, les façons de faire des enseignants sont continuellement réajustées en regard du programme de formation prescrit et des situations d’apprentissage et d’évaluation proposées aux élèves. Le troisième article se concentre sur le développement des grilles d’évaluation descriptives analytiques qui soutiennent les pratiques évaluatives mises en place tout au long du processus. Afin de répondre aux besoins variés d’élèves se situant à différents endroits sur le spectre de l’autisme, ces grilles permettent d’aider les enseignants à porter un jugement juste et équitable. Les résultats de notre projet de recherche mettent en évidence les obstacles rencontrés par les participants lors de la mise en place de pratiques évaluatives. Il semble que leur aménagement soit encore difficile à cerner, à mettre en place et à intégrer à la pratique enseignante. De plus, les spécificités des élèves présentant un TSA rendent la tâche évaluative de l’enseignant plus complexe et peuvent entrainer des difficultés à réaliser une évaluation juste et équitable du niveau de compétences de chacun des élèves. Notre thèse pose un premier regard sur un aspect de l’enseignement-évaluation délicat qui peut être influencé par plusieurs facteurs. Néanmoins, notre contribution au domaine de l’évaluation permettra d’orienter les recherches futures dans la poursuite du questionnement et du développement de pratiques évaluatives auprès d’élèves du secteur de l’adaptation scolaire et ordinaire tout en promouvant une vision inclusive de l’évaluation. / Learning assessment is an activity intrinsically linked to the act of teaching. It is achieved through evaluative practices that stem from teaching practices and pedagogical foundations. Research in the field of learning assessment is constantly developing in the general education of students, however this is not the case in special education. The assessment of the academic skills of students with disabilities, learning difficulties or adaptation is a subject little discussed in the scientific or professional literature. This is even more true for learners living with specific disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several researchers have focused on ways to promote the inclusion of students with ASD in regular classes, while others have focused on interventions to control their autistic behavior in the school environment. Their results suggest that for the increasingly numerous students with ASD, it is necessary to develop a space and educational content to make learning and assessment accessible. The main objective of this thesis is to document the ways to assess the academic skills of students with ASD in the first cycle of secondary school for the French language discipline, from the perspective of the evaluation practices implemented by teachers. To achieve this, we will delve into the teachers' self-efficacy perceptions in relation to these practices, we will observe the establishment of new practices through an appropriation process and we will describe the development of tools in support of competency assessment. Four texts constitute the thesis. The first is a literature review identifying the social and scientific relevance of our subject of study, followed by three scientific articles addressing the specific objectives of the research project. The first scientific article focuses on teachers’ self-efficacy perception relative to the appropriation of evaluative practices in the context of a specialized class dedicated to students with ASD. This concept emanating from the work of Bandura lends itself well to analyzing the progression in the evaluative practices put in place by teachers. The second article presents the appropriation of practices through the implementation of an evaluation process designed specifically for this type of learner. From the planning of learning and evaluation to the communication of results, the teachers’ methodologies are continually readjusted in accordance with the prescribed training program and the learning and evaluation situations offered to the students. The third article focuses on the development of rubrics that supported the evaluation practices implemented throughout the process. In order to meet the varied needs of students located at different places on the autism spectrum, these rubrics provide tools for teachers to make a fair and equitable judgment. The results of our research project highlight the obstacles encountered by the participants when implementing evaluation practices. It seems that their integration is still a process that is difficult to identify, implement and integrate into teaching practice. In addition, the specificities of students with ASD make the teacher's task of assessment more complex and can lead to difficulties in carrying out a fair and equitable assessment of each student. Our thesis takes a first look at a delicate aspect of teaching-evaluation that can be influenced by several factors. Nevertheless, our contribution to the field of learning assessment will help guide future research in the development of evaluation practices with students in the special education and mainstream tracks, while promoting an inclusive vision of evaluation.

This study is a systematic, objective investigation of educator empowerment, where the researcher explores the perspective of ABET educators. This study is presented against the backdrop of striking a balance between the conventional curriculum and Curriculum 2005 (OBE) because they exhibit a variety of challenges, anomalies and imbalances which led to the Revised National Curriculum Statements which will be implemented in 2006. It is informed by the fact that educators, if empowered, form an integral and central feature of changes in educational centres, especially in teaching adult learners to be able to assist their school-leaving children so as to improve provincial matric results, for example. The researcher focused on educators of ABET in Limpopo Province as the unit of analysis in this study. Interactive, cooperative, peer teaching, dialogic meditation, group and team teaching, constructivism and human resource development, reflective and multi-level approaches, are discussed with a particular focus on educator empowerment, including in-service training programmes. The researcher regards ”church settings” (her term) as inappropriate for effective teaching as they reduce educators to preachers and learners to congregants. This occurred as a result of the failure to recognise the importance of educator-learner, learner-learner and educator-educator interaction in the past curriculum. The study argues that the approaches mentioned are appropriate for this study. Educator empowerment is a lived-in and continuous process, monitoring and evaluating of in-service training to ensure quality. It was therefore necessary to develop a research design that would make it possible to enable educators to implement the new curriculum. Qualitative research is based on an in-depth inquiry which captures an educator's personal perspectives and experiences. Focus groups and in-depth interviews, which exemplify qualitative methods, were seen to be the best research tools in gathering the data for this study. The respondents, were UNISA ABET certificate students, and also professional educators at formal schools. They showed zeal in improving the educational situation. Their responses led to the model which has been developed in the thesis, culminating in uplifting the teaching profession and handling its multi-level led dynamic in an interactive and cooperative manner and reflecting in their experiences so that purposes of the National Qualifications Framework can be attained. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

This study is a systematic, objective investigation of educator empowerment, where the researcher explores the perspective of ABET educators. This study is presented against the backdrop of striking a balance between the conventional curriculum and Curriculum 2005 (OBE) because they exhibit a variety of challenges, anomalies and imbalances which led to the Revised National Curriculum Statements which will be implemented in 2006. It is informed by the fact that educators, if empowered, form an integral and central feature of changes in educational centres, especially in teaching adult learners to be able to assist their school-leaving children so as to improve provincial matric results, for example. The researcher focused on educators of ABET in Limpopo Province as the unit of analysis in this study. Interactive, cooperative, peer teaching, dialogic meditation, group and team teaching, constructivism and human resource development, reflective and multi-level approaches, are discussed with a particular focus on educator empowerment, including in-service training programmes. The researcher regards ”church settings” (her term) as inappropriate for effective teaching as they reduce educators to preachers and learners to congregants. This occurred as a result of the failure to recognise the importance of educator-learner, learner-learner and educator-educator interaction in the past curriculum. The study argues that the approaches mentioned are appropriate for this study. Educator empowerment is a lived-in and continuous process, monitoring and evaluating of in-service training to ensure quality. It was therefore necessary to develop a research design that would make it possible to enable educators to implement the new curriculum. Qualitative research is based on an in-depth inquiry which captures an educator's personal perspectives and experiences. Focus groups and in-depth interviews, which exemplify qualitative methods, were seen to be the best research tools in gathering the data for this study. The respondents, were UNISA ABET certificate students, and also professional educators at formal schools. They showed zeal in improving the educational situation. Their responses led to the model which has been developed in the thesis, culminating in uplifting the teaching profession and handling its multi-level led dynamic in an interactive and cooperative manner and reflecting in their experiences so that purposes of the National Qualifications Framework can be attained. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)