Historically, the Nuu-chah-nulth People of Vancouver Island passed down knowledge and skills utilizing methods analogous with traditional Indigenous pedagogies around the world. These traditional teaching and assessment methods of the Nuu-chah-nulth have ensured the successful transfer of important physical, mental, cultural and spiritual knowledge over thousands of years. Within these pedagogies, assessment and evaluation is integral and inclusive, achieved through authentic and holistic means. Conversely, contemporary assessment in the post-secondary realm, despite endeavours to integrate formative assessment more frequently, tends toward a summative end result. The historical traditional assessment methods of the Nuu-chah-nulth exemplify holistic values and are illustrated through the concept of heshook-ish-tsawalk, or ‘everything is connected’. This dissertation argues that there are insights to be gleaned from identifying these assessment and evaluation methods, and in bringing them forward into contemporary pedagogy. Through a series of in-depth interviews, the researcher examined the learning and teaching understandings and experiences of several Nuu-chah-nulth Elders and cultural experts. Interviews took place within the homes of the Elders, and care was taken to ensure representation across a wide range of Nuu-chah-nulth territory. Augmenting these interviews, the researcher examined translated recordings of past Nuu-chah-nulth Elders while reflecting on her personal experiences as a Nuu-chah-nulth person. These personal experiences were analyzed through a self-study style examination of her own journey through education, and her recollections of traditional and contemporary assessment practice. Significant themes emerged from the collected data, including the overarching importance of time, relationships, echoing, and demonstration in historical Nuu-chah-nulth assessment. These themes fit naturally within a circular medicine wheel framework, which effectively illuminates the holistic and connected nature of an Indigenous pedagogy. This study concludes that these themes hold significant importance for contemporary assessment practice. / Graduate

This study aims to investigate university preparatory class students&rsquo / attitudes towards the assessment system by which they are evaluated and alternative assessment before and after the implementation of the electronic portfolio, their attitudes towards the electronic portfolio before and after keeping it for two months, their suggestions about improving the electronic portfolio and how keeping the electronic portfolio affects their computer literacy. For this purpose, 19 intermediate level EFL students in the Department of Basic English, METU were chosen as subjects. For this study, data were collected by administering two questionnaires before and after the implementation, conducting informal interviews with the students and keeping a diary in order to record teacher reflection. Then, the data collected through these data collection tools have been analysed. Finally, the results are discussed in order to interpret students&rsquo / attitudes towards the current assessment system at DBE, alternative assessment tools and the electronic portfolio. The findings of this study indicated that although the students are not completely dissatisfied with the current assessment used at DBE, their attitude towards alternative assessment tools, portfolio, and electronic portfolio was also positive before the implementation and keeping the electronic portfolio for two months made their attitudes towards these assessment tools even more positive. In addition, some of the students indicated that using both traditional and alternative assessment tools may reflect better assessment of their performance.

There are a myriad of factors that influence the teaching and assessment of English as a foreign language in Israel. One such factor is the change in perception of how the mind collects and processes information. The transition from behaviorist theories of learning to constructivist and cognitivist theories has resulted in a new concept of learning that recognises the pivotal role of the learner in the learning process. Another instrumental factor is the creation of standards in education that are intended to raise the level of academic achievement and provide equitable educational opportunities for all learners. Both of these factors have impacted the study of English as a foreign language. Countries around the world have assumed monumental changes in the way they approach foreign language study. Following the examples of foreign countries Israel has recently implemented a standards-based curriculum that supports alternative assessment. Since this is a relatively new concept, the principles underlying standards and assessment are unfamiliar to many EFL teachers. Novice teachers, as well as experienced teachers, are experiencing difficulty incorporating standards and alternative assessment into their lessons. In the light of the above it was clear that a need existed to investigate how English foreign language teachers relate to assessment and to examine the extent to which they implement alternative assessment in their teaching. The aim of the study is to explore teachers' understanding of alternative assessment and find out how teachers incorporate alternative assessment in their EFL classes. Against this background, an empirical investigation was undertaken. It comprised a textual analysis of ten assessment packages and two focus group interviews. The research produced a wealth of descriptive data that illuminated the subject. The findings magnified the disparity between the theory behind alternative assessment and actual practice. It was apparent that the assessment activities which EFL teachers employed, were not in sync with the principles that were being promoted by the new curriculum for EFL teaching and assessment in Israeli schools. The study discusses the results of the investigation, suggests the implications and presents recommendations. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

There are a myriad of factors that influence the teaching and assessment of English as a foreign language in Israel. One such factor is the change in perception of how the mind collects and processes information. The transition from behaviorist theories of learning to constructivist and cognitivist theories has resulted in a new concept of learning that recognises the pivotal role of the learner in the learning process. Another instrumental factor is the creation of standards in education that are intended to raise the level of academic achievement and provide equitable educational opportunities for all learners. Both of these factors have impacted the study of English as a foreign language. Countries around the world have assumed monumental changes in the way they approach foreign language study. Following the examples of foreign countries Israel has recently implemented a standards-based curriculum that supports alternative assessment. Since this is a relatively new concept, the principles underlying standards and assessment are unfamiliar to many EFL teachers. Novice teachers, as well as experienced teachers, are experiencing difficulty incorporating standards and alternative assessment into their lessons. In the light of the above it was clear that a need existed to investigate how English foreign language teachers relate to assessment and to examine the extent to which they implement alternative assessment in their teaching. The aim of the study is to explore teachers' understanding of alternative assessment and find out how teachers incorporate alternative assessment in their EFL classes. Against this background, an empirical investigation was undertaken. It comprised a textual analysis of ten assessment packages and two focus group interviews. The research produced a wealth of descriptive data that illuminated the subject. The findings magnified the disparity between the theory behind alternative assessment and actual practice. It was apparent that the assessment activities which EFL teachers employed, were not in sync with the principles that were being promoted by the new curriculum for EFL teaching and assessment in Israeli schools. The study discusses the results of the investigation, suggests the implications and presents recommendations. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

Department of Curriculum Studies and Educational Management / PhD (CS)