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Professional development in formative assessment: effects on teacher classroom practice and student achievement
Umeå University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Science and Mathematics Education.
2015 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The potential of formative assessment, evident in several research reviews, has raised the interest in many countries to invest in reform initiatives to develop its use. However, implementation of formative assessment is not straightforward and there is a lack of knowledge about how to design appropriate professional development. The intervention study presented in this thesis aimed to see if a random selection of teachers, participating in a professional development program with many contact hours and substantial support of an expert, implemented formative assessment in a way that increased their students’ learning in mathematics. It also aimed to examine the reasons for the teachers’ changes in their classroom practice.

The twenty-two year 4 teachers attended a professional development program in formative assessment in mathematics. A mixed methods approach used classroom observations, teacher interviews, questionnaire surveys and student mathematics tests to investigate the effects on teacher classroom practice and student achievement.

It was found that the teachers trained in formative assessment built on their previous formative classroom practice and added new formative assessment activities into their mathematics classroom practice to a level that had significant impact on student achievement in mathematics (p = .036, d = .66). The teachers developed their formative assessment practice in three dimensions: key processes in teaching and learning, agents in the classroom, and the length of the formative assessment cycle.

The reasons for teachers ́ implementation of new formative assessment activities were well explained by the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Important aspects of the professional development program were: (1) A formative and process-oriented character; (2) Activities directly useable in classrooms; (3) Experience of using formative assessment activities; (4) Connection between theory and practice; (5) Time; and (6) Knowledgeable support.

The thesis shows that it was possible to provide sufficient support to a random selection of teachers for them to develop their formative assessment practice in a way that improved student achievement. However, this thesis also indicates that it can be expected that teachers would need substantial time and support to achieve such developments in their classroom practice.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Umeå: Umeå universitet , 2015. , p. 113
Series
Doktorsavhandlingar i pedagogiskt arbete, ISSN 1650-8858 ; 1650-8858
Keywords [en]
formative assessment, mathematics education, professional development, teacher education, student achievement
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-102394ISBN: 978-91-7601-256-7 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-102394DiVA, id: diva2:807530
Public defence
2015-05-22, Naturvetarhuset, N320, Umeå universitet, Umeå, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2015-04-30 Created: 2015-04-23 Last updated: 2018-06-25Bibliographically approved
List of papers
1. Formative assessment in Swedish mathematics classroom practice
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Formative assessment in Swedish mathematics classroom practice
2017 (English)In: Nordisk matematikkdidaktikk, NOMAD: [Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education], ISSN 1104-2176, Vol. 22, no 1, p. 5-20Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Research shows that substantial learning gains are possible through the use of formative assessment. However, little is known about Swedish mathematics teachers’ use of formative assessment, and thus about the possible value of professional development programmes. This study uses teacher interviews and classroom observations to examine the classroom practice of 38 randomly selected primary and secondary school teachers in a mid-sized Swedish municipality. A framework of formative assessment comprising one big idea and five Key strategies structured the analysis. The study identifies characteristics of current formative assessment practices. The results show that the teachers do use a variety of formative assessment activities, but also that there is much room for development towards a more effective formative classroom practice. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Nationellt centrum för matematikutbildning (NCM), 2017
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Research subject
didactics of mathematics
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-132697 (URN)
Funder
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
Note

Originally included in thesis in manuscript form

Available from: 2017-03-20 Created: 2017-03-20 Last updated: 2023-05-17Bibliographically approved
2. Characteristics of improved formative assessment practice
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Characteristics of improved formative assessment practice
2017 (English)In: Education Inquiry, E-ISSN 2000-4508, Vol. 8, no 2, p. 104-122Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

An earlier study showed that the changes in teachers’ classroom practice, after participation in a professional development program in formative assessment, significantly improved student achievement in mathematics. The teachers in that study were a random selection of Year 4 teachers in a Swedish mid-sized municipality. In the present study, we analyse and describe the characteristics of these changes in classroom practice, which were based on a combination of various strategies for formative assessment. Data were collected through teacher interviews and classroom observations. The teachers implemented many new activities that strengthened a formative classroom practice based on identifying student learning needs and modifying the teaching and learning accordingly. The characteristics of the changes the teachers made reveal the complexity of this formative assessment practice and why such developments of practice are likely to require major changes in most teachers’ practices. We also discuss how such changes in practice afford new learning opportunities.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis Group, 2017
Keywords
Assessment for learning, formative classroom practice, mathematics, teaching, teacher change
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Research subject
didactics of mathematics; educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-130287 (URN)10.1080/20004508.2016.1275185 (DOI)2-s2.0-85055696097 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
Note

Originally included in thesis in manuscript form/as oral presentation with published abstract titled "The characteristics of formative assessment that enhance student achievement in mathematics"

Available from: 2017-01-16 Created: 2017-01-16 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved
3. Reasons for teachers' successful development of a formative assessment practice through professional development: a motivation perspective
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Reasons for teachers' successful development of a formative assessment practice through professional development: a motivation perspective
2018 (English)In: Assessment in education: Principles, Policy & Practice, ISSN 0969-594X, E-ISSN 1465-329X, Vol. 25, no 6, p. 576-597Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Formative assessment has been shown to have the potential to significantly enhance student achievement, but a strong research base about how to support teachers to implement such a practice is lacking. This is particularly so for a conceptualisation of formative assessment as a unity of integrated formative assessment strategies. The aim of this study is to investigate why the mathematics teachers who participated in a successful professional development programme in formative assessment developed their formative classroom practice to such an extent that it had a significant impact on student achievement. An analysis of data from teacher questionnaires and interviews shows that the teachers' actions can be explained by expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Characteristics of the professional development programme that the teachers experienced as important for their development of a formative classroom practice are identified, and the characteristics' affordances for the development of the teachers' expectancy and value beliefs are discussed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2018
Keywords
Formative assessment, assessment for learning, professional development, motivation, expectancy-value theory
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Research subject
didactics of mathematics; educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-102340 (URN)10.1080/0969594X.2018.1430685 (DOI)000457093000003 ()2-s2.0-85041599513 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
Note

Originally included in thesis in manuscript form

Available from: 2015-04-23 Created: 2015-04-23 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved
4. The impact of formative assessment on student achievement: a study of the effects of changes in classroom practice after a comprehensive professional development programme
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The impact of formative assessment on student achievement: a study of the effects of changes in classroom practice after a comprehensive professional development programme
2017 (English)In: Learning and instruction, ISSN 0959-4752, E-ISSN 1873-3263, Vol. 49, p. 92-102Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

A random sample of 22 Year 4 teachers in mathematics from a middle-sized Swedish municipality participated in a teacher professional development programme in formative assessment. The content ofthe programme was formative assessment conceptualised as a unity of different, integrated strategies.The study examines the effects on student achievement of the changes in the teachers’ formative classroom practice that followed the professional development input. Results show that, after controlling for pretest scores, the classes in the intervention group significantly out performed the classes in thecontrol group in a posttest administered one school year after the end of the programme (p = 0.036, d = 0.66). The study contributes to the understanding of under-studied areas of the impact of professional development in formative assessment, and the impact of teacher practice based on formative assessment conceptualised as a unity of different formative assessment strategies.

Keywords
assessment for learning, formative assessment, mathematics, primary school, professional development, student achievement
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Research subject
didactics of mathematics; educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-102335 (URN)10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.12.006 (DOI)000403117400009 ()2-s2.0-85008661456 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
Available from: 2015-04-23 Created: 2015-04-23 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved

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