title: The development of summative assessment literacy: An exploration of the experiences of beginner secondary science teachers in New Zealand

authors: Edwards, Frances

subjects: assessment literacy

abstract: Summative assessment has been identified as an essential element of effective pedagogy. In the New Zealand context, secondary teachers are responsible for summative assessment within their own classrooms and for summative assessment that contributes to standards-based high stakes school leaving qualifications for students.  For this they need high levels of summative assessment literacy. However, there is a lack of evidence on the nature of summative assessment literacy and its development, especially in the New Zealand context.
A qualitative approach underpinned by an interpretivist research paradigm was used to investigate summative assessment literacy development in eight beginner secondary science teachers. The study tracked the teachers from their entrance to a graduate one-year initial teacher education programme until they had completed six months teaching in their first schools. Each teacher was interviewed at five points through this approximately 18 month period. At each interview they were asked to present artefacts that they felt provided evidence of their understanding and use of summative assessment. These interviews helped establish the beginner teachers’ understandings of summative assessment and allowed them to reflect on what and how they were learning. A questionnaire was used three times during the study (at the beginning and at the completion of the teacher education programme and after six months of teaching). The researcher also observed the students within their university classes. The data was analysed initially using a thematic analysis. Subsequently, a rubric (the SALRubric) was developed to allow further analysis of the development of specific dimensions of summative assessment literacy over time. 
In the study, summative assessment literacy was found to be an amalgam of knowledges. Teacher commentary indicated that personal and contextual factors acted as amplifiers and/or filters for what teachers chose to implement in practice. Personal factors included teacher prior knowledge, experience, and conceptions about assessment; beliefs about ethical matters; and emotional responses to assessment consequences. Contextual factors included beginner teachers’ interactions and experiences with influential others as well as wider influences such as school policy and practice, and national policy. Beginner teachers attributed their summative assessment development to particular people, learning activities and teaching experiences. The profile of development of their summative assessment literacy was largely idiosyncratic with all beginner teachers demonstrating shifts over time. Development was more evident following practicum experiences.
This thesis provides a comprehensive and nuanced view of summative assessment literacy and its development. It highlights the need for policy makers as well as those working with beginner teachers in initial teacher education and schools to take a broad perspective on the nature of summative assessment literacy. A shared understanding regarding its development would allow beginner teachers and those working to support them to better understand the complexity of the process and lead to programmes that better prepare teachers for the challenge of this most complex and important task. The SALRubric developed from this study is a useful tool for tracking summative assessment literacy that could be used by and for beginner teachers to track their development and help focus learning.

text: The development of summative assessment literacy: An exploration of the experiences of beginner secondary science teachers in New Zealand Summative assessment has been identified as an essential element of effective pedagogy. In the New Zealand context, secondary teachers are responsible for summative assessment within their own classrooms and for summative assessment that contributes to standards-based high stakes school leaving qualifications for students.  For this they need high levels of summative assessment literacy. However, there is a lack of evidence on the nature of summative assessment literacy and its development, especially in the New Zealand context.
A qualitative approach underpinned by an interpretivist research paradigm was used to investigate summative assessment literacy development in eight beginner secondary science teachers. The study tracked the teachers from their entrance to a graduate one-year initial teacher education programme until they had completed six months teaching in their first schools. Each teacher was interviewed at five points through this approximately 18 month period. At each interview they were asked to present artefacts that they felt provided evidence of their understanding and use of summative assessment. These interviews helped establish the beginner teachers’ understandings of summative assessment and allowed them to reflect on what and how they were learning. A questionnaire was used three times during the study (at the beginning and at the completion of the teacher education programme and after six months of teaching). The researcher also observed the students within their university classes. The data was analysed initially using a thematic analysis. Subsequently, a rubric (the SALRubric) was developed to allow further analysis of the development of specific dimensions of summative assessment literacy over time. 
In the study, summative assessment literacy was found to be an amalgam of knowledges. Teacher commentary indicated that personal and contextual factors acted as amplifiers and/or filters for what teachers chose to implement in practice. Personal factors included teacher prior knowledge, experience, and conceptions about assessment; beliefs about ethical matters; and emotional responses to assessment consequences. Contextual factors included beginner teachers’ interactions and experiences with influential others as well as wider influences such as school policy and practice, and national policy. Beginner teachers attributed their summative assessment development to particular people, learning activities and teaching experiences. The profile of development of their summative assessment literacy was largely idiosyncratic with all beginner teachers demonstrating shifts over time. Development was more evident following practicum experiences.
This thesis provides a comprehensive and nuanced view of summative assessment literacy and its development. It highlights the need for policy makers as well as those working with beginner teachers in initial teacher education and schools to take a broad perspective on the nature of summative assessment literacy. A shared understanding regarding its development would allow beginner teachers and those working to support them to better understand the complexity of the process and lead to programmes that better prepare teachers for the challenge of this most complex and important task. The SALRubric developed from this study is a useful tool for tracking summative assessment literacy that could be used by and for beginner teachers to track their development and help focus learning.

year: 2017

title: Reservoir hill and audiences for online interactive drama

authors: Hardy, Ann

subjects: online drama

abstract: This paper analyses the interactive experiences constructed for users of the New Zealand online interactive drama Reservoir Hill (2009, 2010), focusing both on the nature and levels of engagement which the series provided to users and the difficulties of audience research into this kind of media content. The series itself provided tightly prescribed forms of interactivity across multiple platforms, allowing forms of engagement that were greatly appreciated by its audience overall but actively explored only by a small proportion of users. The responses from members of the Reservoir Hill audience suggests that online users themselves are still learning the nature of, and constraints on, their engagements with various forms of online interactive media. This paper also engages with issue of how interactivity itself is defined, the difficulties of both connecting with audience members and securing timely access to online data, and the challenges of undertaking collaborative research with media producers in order to gain access to user data.

text: Reservoir hill and audiences for online interactive drama This paper analyses the interactive experiences constructed for users of the New Zealand online interactive drama Reservoir Hill (2009, 2010), focusing both on the nature and levels of engagement which the series provided to users and the difficulties of audience research into this kind of media content. The series itself provided tightly prescribed forms of interactivity across multiple platforms, allowing forms of engagement that were greatly appreciated by its audience overall but actively explored only by a small proportion of users. The responses from members of the Reservoir Hill audience suggests that online users themselves are still learning the nature of, and constraints on, their engagements with various forms of online interactive media. This paper also engages with issue of how interactivity itself is defined, the difficulties of both connecting with audience members and securing timely access to online data, and the challenges of undertaking collaborative research with media producers in order to gain access to user data.

year: 2011

title: Lessons from children in Māori medium for teachers: Encouraging greater efficiency when learning to multiply.

authors: Hāwera, Ngārewa

subjects: children

abstract: This research explores the responses of 44 Year 7-8 students from four Māori medium schools who were asked to solve a multiplication word problem. The findings show that there was a range of mental strategies displayed by the children, 29 of whom were able to solve the problem. However, data also indicates that 15 children were not able to either access the problem or utilise an appropriate strategy to solve it. This paper discusses the strategies shared by all of these children and suggests avenues to further support learners to become multiplicative thinkers.

text: Lessons from children in Māori medium for teachers: Encouraging greater efficiency when learning to multiply. This research explores the responses of 44 Year 7-8 students from four Māori medium schools who were asked to solve a multiplication word problem. The findings show that there was a range of mental strategies displayed by the children, 29 of whom were able to solve the problem. However, data also indicates that 15 children were not able to either access the problem or utilise an appropriate strategy to solve it. This paper discusses the strategies shared by all of these children and suggests avenues to further support learners to become multiplicative thinkers.

year: 2012