<p dir="ltr">This three-article dissertation explores Learning by Evaluating (LbE), an educational approach that enhances student learning through the process of assessing and providing feedback on peer work. Leveraging principles of comparative judgement, students evaluate pairs of exemplars side-by-side to determine which is better and provide a rational for their decision, actively engaging in the assessment process. Students engage in critical thinking to justify their decisions, enhancing their understanding of the task at hand by discerning quality where they can apply these principles to their own assignments. Teachers may use this as a formative assessment tool to elicit student insights and misconceptions to better utilize teaching strategies and address specific needs. Engaging students in feedback allows teachers and students to communicate about a shared value structure, making the design process more comprehensive and manageable. Importantly, teachers have control over the duration of student engagement with LbE in the classroom. Once students have started the decision-making process, teachers can use a website interface to bring the session to a close, ensuring that all students finish simultaneously. Once these sessions have been created, they can be reused, further enhancing the efficiency of LbE in the classroom.</p><p dir="ltr">An important part of this process is the selection of exemplars for student evaluation. In my first paper, I engage in a systematic literature review of 33 articles on exemplars and their influence on the student learning experience in secondary and post-secondary education. Through this process, nine key themes were identified: clarity of instruction, learner focus, motivation for learning, student reflection on learning, building student self-efficacy, identifying instructional challenges, providing contrasting cases, the relationship between exemplar quality and student work quality, and raising the bar for learning outcomes. Findings suggest that the selection of exemplars has a significant influence over student motivation, understanding, and application, and that time should be taken not only to identify these items, but to use them as a means to discuss and clarify expectations to enhance the learning experience.</p><p dir="ltr">After establishing the educational merits in the first paper, I explore how selected pre-engineering teachers integrate LbE into their classrooms. To do this I use a design-based research approach in my second paper to both analyze and optimize the implementation of this method in a secondary STEM education setting through an investigation of student comments and justifications throughout the design process for five teachers after the first year of piloting the program in their classrooms. Findings show diverse student engagement and decision-making patterns, highlighting the importance of strategic integration of Learning by Evaluating for both students and educators.</p><p dir="ltr">In my final paper, recognizing that much of the research of Learning by Evaluating has focused on student outcomes in groups, I investigate the benefits on students as individuals. Using quasi-experimental research, a conceptual replication study was initiated to investigate the influence of Learning by Evaluating of 325 undergraduate students in an entry-level design thinking course as they prepare for and conduct qualitative research interviews. While the original study used LbE to have students develop PoV statements as a group, this replication study builds on that research by using the same methods and a similar sample of students from the same course, but shifts the focus to individual interviews to inform the PoV problem statement. The findings show that students in the treatment group prepared more open-ended questions, indicating improved interview preparation, however, the actual length of interviews showed no significant improvement. The study used random sampling and independent samples t-tests to compare treatment and control groups, with results suggesting that this is an effective pedagogical strategy for individualized work, highlighting its value for educators and researchers in optimizing comparative judgement to enhance student learning experiences.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Die studie handel oor die belewing van die onderwyser-leerlingrelasies deur die senior sekondere skoolleerling. Bepaalde faktore uit die literatuur blyk 'n invloed uit te oefen op onderwyserleerlingrelasies, naamlik opvoedingsklimaat, opvoedingstyl en intermenslikheid van die onderwysers. Onderwyser-leerlingrelasies word deur 'n outokratiese opvoedingstyl en onwarme opvoedingsklimaat benadeel. 'n Betroubare meetinstrument is ontwikkel en in 'n empiriese ondersoek op standerd 6- tot 10-leerlinge afgeneem. Die resultate van die faktorontleding het getoon dat daar veral twee faktore is wat 'n invloed kan uitoefen op die onderwyser-leerlingrelasies, naamlik opvoedingsklimaat en opvoedingstyl van die onderwyser. Daar is ook bevind dat standerdgroepe en taalgroepe in hulle belewinge van die opvoedingsklimaat en opvoedingstyl verskil. Dit wil uit die resultate voorkom asof geslag 'n rol speel in leerlinge se belewing van opvoedingsklimaat en opvoedingstyl van die onderwyser. Norms is vir die vraelys bepaal deur routellings in staneges om te skakel. / This study concerns the experience of the teacher-student relationship by the senior secondary pupil. A literature study revealed that specific factors seem to influence teacher-student relationships, namely educational climate, educational style and the human nature of the teacher. An autocratic educational style and climate could harm teacher-student relationships. A reliable measuring instrument was developed and administered to standerd 6 to 10 pupils in an empirical study. The results of the factor analasys indicated that two major factors could influence the nature of the teacher-student relationship, namely educational climate and educational style of the teacher. The results also indicated a significant difference in standard groups' and language groups' experience of teacher-student relationships. It also appears from the results as if gender could play a significant role in pupils' experience of educational climate and educational style of the teacher. Norms were established for the questionnaire. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

In the light of growing concerns regarding the quality of higher education after a period of rapid expansion, in 2003, the Chinese government launched the Undergraduate Teaching Evaluation (UTE), the first nation-wide evaluation of universities. In 2008, the UTE was replaced by the Quality Project, which signalled a change in its quality assurance approach, with a move from evaluations to the issuing of awards. In order to investigate the impact of the two national quality assurance policies, along with the impact of two long-standing internal quality assurance mechanisms employed by universities - class observation and student evaluation of teachers - on teaching, the researcher adopted policy analysis and a case study approach. Three different universities in the same region were selected as cases. Semi-structured interviews with 56 heads of department and teachers across three departments at each university were conducted. National and university policy documents, as well as interview data, were analysed thematically in the light of concepts derived from the political sciences, namely Knoepfel et al.'s (2007; 2011) framework for policy analysis and Schneider and Ingram's (1990) classification of policy tools. University policies and interview data revealed the patterns of impact of these two quality assurance policies. Faced with the UTE inspection, universities shifted their focus from assuring the quality of teaching to achieving good results in the exercise and therefore engaging in 'game-playing'. In order to ensure good UTE results, universities even resorted to the manipulation of data. University policies resulting from the UTE required teachers to produce standardised documents and to follow particular procedures. The majority of interviewed teachers regarded the impact of the UTE with cynicism, seeing it as a waste of time and effort, an interference with academic freedom, and believing it had the effect of undermining ethics. However, some teachers reported as positive impact of the fact that the UTE helped to keep teachers disciplined, and that it provided an impetus for ensuring teaching quality. Interview data showed that the Quality Project awards only had an impact on the award winners, who perceived the incentives on offer to be substantial. These award winners considered the acknowledgement given by the awards and the information obtained through reflection and good examples as valuable impacts. However, the Quality Project awards did not have impact on non-award winners, i.e. the majority of teachers. This study revealed that in order to have impact the institutional practices of class observation and the student evaluation of teachers relied on a number of conditions being in place. These practices had impact when the stakes were high or when university teachers received valid and reliable feedback. Whilst high stakes were found to lead to mixed impact, valid and reliable feedback contributed to the improvement of teaching. This study contributes to the understanding of the impact of quality assurance policies and mechanisms on teaching in Chinese higher education, an area that has not yet been the subject of significant empirical research. Covering the two major quality assurance policies in recent years, and also the institutional mechanisms teachers face, this research was able to capture the interdependence between these policies. No such research has previously been conducted in the context of Chinese higher education. In regard to the theoretical aspect of the research, the empirical evidence that was collected and a comprehensive review of other empirical research enabled the development of an Impact Framework. The Impact Framework identified patterns in the impact of various quality assurance policy tools and revealed their inherent strengths and weaknesses. Hence, the Impact Framework can serve in the future as an important reference for policy-makers who are seeking to design and implement effective quality assurance policy tools.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Die studie handel oor die belewing van die onderwyser-leerlingrelasies deur die senior sekondere skoolleerling. Bepaalde faktore uit die literatuur blyk 'n invloed uit te oefen op onderwyserleerlingrelasies, naamlik opvoedingsklimaat, opvoedingstyl en intermenslikheid van die onderwysers. Onderwyser-leerlingrelasies word deur 'n outokratiese opvoedingstyl en onwarme opvoedingsklimaat benadeel. 'n Betroubare meetinstrument is ontwikkel en in 'n empiriese ondersoek op standerd 6- tot 10-leerlinge afgeneem. Die resultate van die faktorontleding het getoon dat daar veral twee faktore is wat 'n invloed kan uitoefen op die onderwyser-leerlingrelasies, naamlik opvoedingsklimaat en opvoedingstyl van die onderwyser. Daar is ook bevind dat standerdgroepe en taalgroepe in hulle belewinge van die opvoedingsklimaat en opvoedingstyl verskil. Dit wil uit die resultate voorkom asof geslag 'n rol speel in leerlinge se belewing van opvoedingsklimaat en opvoedingstyl van die onderwyser. Norms is vir die vraelys bepaal deur routellings in staneges om te skakel. / This study concerns the experience of the teacher-student relationship by the senior secondary pupil. A literature study revealed that specific factors seem to influence teacher-student relationships, namely educational climate, educational style and the human nature of the teacher. An autocratic educational style and climate could harm teacher-student relationships. A reliable measuring instrument was developed and administered to standerd 6 to 10 pupils in an empirical study. The results of the factor analasys indicated that two major factors could influence the nature of the teacher-student relationship, namely educational climate and educational style of the teacher. The results also indicated a significant difference in standard groups' and language groups' experience of teacher-student relationships. It also appears from the results as if gender could play a significant role in pupils' experience of educational climate and educational style of the teacher. Norms were established for the questionnaire. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)