The influence of educational knowledge and professional beliefs on the qualitative implementation of student-teacher-conferences

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Sonja Ertl; Professor Dr. Andreas Hartinger
• Subject Area: General and Domain-Specific Teaching and Learning
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 416681462

The central aim of the present study is to clarify the relationships between teachers' assessment knowledge (as the interplay of general assessment knowledge as part of educational knowledge with corresponding content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge required to adequately diagnose the learning of the children) and professional beliefs and the quality of student-teacher-conferences (German: Lernentwicklungsgespräche = LEG) in elementary school. Related effects on motivational aspects of children's learning and the effects of in-service training in this area will also be investigated. The study focuses on learning to read and write in elementary school. The study follows a previous DFG-funded investigation. Both studies have as the main basis considerations and studies on formative assessment in common. The central assumption of both studies is that the learning-promoting potential of LEG as an innovative format of performance feedback is only realized if they are implemented according to the success criteria of formative assessment. The previous study showed that the qualitative implementation of LEG varies significantly between individual teachers and individual LEG. Furthermore, a connection between the design of the LEG and key motivational aspects of student learning was drawn. However, the question of the reasons for the variance in qualitative implementation remains unclear and has yet not been investigated. LEGs are a specific form of performance feedback and thus the result of a diagnostic and assessment process. Their goal is to support the students in their further learning process. For this reason, it can be assumed that the assessment knowledge and professional beliefs of teachers have an influence on the design of LEG. This relationship – combined with the question of the promotability of the relevant knowledge and the change of professional beliefs through an in-service training – will be investigated in the present study. The study is based on an intervention-waiting-control group design. On the teachers' side, assessment knowledge and professional beliefs (before and after in-service training) are recorded. Students will be asked about their perceptions of LEG (regarding the components "feedback that supports learning", "helpful and appropriate goals" and "consideration of self-evaluation") and (before and after LEG as well as at the end of the school year) about motivational aspects of learning related to learning to read and write.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants