Standards and criteria for assessing the competence of student teachers as assessors in a distance education context

Abstract

Competence as assessors drives effective learning and teaching. This study concentrates on such competence, and detailed descriptions of standards and criteria for assessing the competence of student teachers as assessors. Scholarly literature reveals the significance of a firmly established set of standards as a means to improve and maintain teacher performance, including the ability to assess learners reliably and effectively. What is lacking in the literature are detailed descriptions of what every standard requires, particularly at student-teacher level. Clearly described standards and criteria for assessing student teachers’ competence as assessors are critical in strengthening, supporting, and monitoring teacher education. This study concentrates on detailed descriptions of standards and criteria in this context. Within an interpretivist paradigm, this study takes as its context a distance education institution in South Africa, namely the UNISA College of Education, in order to explore assessment of student teachers as assessors, including standards and criteria used. The central aim is to describe such standards and criteria using words and language, rather than numbers and statistics, and requiring a qualitative research approach. Qualitative document analysis as well as hermeneutical phenomenological interviews were employed. The findings revealed that there is an inevitable fracture between the ideal striven for and the reality of what is achievable in a distance education context, including assessment of student teachers during teaching practice. Although several challenges are experienced in this context, the fracture is manageable when particular approaches are followed. The most critical of these approaches is to apply clearly described standards and criteria for assessing the competence of student teachers as assessors in a distance education context. This study describes such standards and criteria in detail and with clarity.

Doeltreffende leer en onderrig word deur die bevoegdheid van assessors aangedryf. Hierdie studie konsentreer op sodanige bevoegdheid, tesame met uitvoerige beskrywings van standaarde en kriteria vir die assessering van die bevoegdheid van proefonderwysers as assessors. Skoolliteratuur toon die belangrikheid van ’n aantal stewig gevestigde standaarde as ’n manier om onderwyserprestasie te verbeter en te handhaaf – insluitende die vermoë om leerders op ’n betroubare en doeltreffende wyse te assesseer. Wat ontbreek in die literatuur, is uitvoerige beskrywings van wat elke standaard vereis, veral op die vlak van proefonderwyser. Duidelik omskrewe standaarde en kriteria vir die assessering van proefonderwysers se bevoegdheid as assessors is deurslaggewend om onderwyseronderrig te versterk, te ondersteun en te moniteer. Hierdie studie fokus op uitvoerige beskrywings van standaarde en kriteria in hierdie konteks. Binne ’n interpretivistiese paradigma is die konteks van hierdie studie ’n afstandsonderrig-instelling in Suid-Afrika, naamlik UNISA se Kollege vir Opvoedkunde, met die oog daarop om die assessering van proefonderwysers as assessors te ondersoek; dit sluit standaard en kriteria wat gebruik word, in. Die sentrale doelwit is om sodanige standaarde en kriteria met woorde en taal te beskryf, eerder as syfers en statistiek, terwyl ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering gebruik word. Kwalitatiewe dokumentontleding sowel as hermeneutiese fenomenologiese onderhoude is gebruik. Die bevindinge het gewys dat daar ’n onafwendbare skeiding is tussen die ideaal wat nagestreef word, en die werklikheid van wat bereikbaar is in ’n afstandsonderrigkonteks, insluitende die assessering van proefonderwysers gedurende proefonderwys. Hoewel talle uitdagings in hierdie konteks ervaar word, is die skeiding bestuurbaar wanneer bepaalde benaderings gevolg word. Die mees deurslaggewende van hierdie benaderings is om duidelik omskrewe standaarde en kriteria toe te pas vir die assessering van die bevoegdheid van proefonderwysers as assessors in ’n afstandsonderrigkonteks. Hierdie studie beskryf sulke standaarde en kriteria duidelik en in besonderhede.

Bokgoni jwa batlhatlhobi bo tsamaisa go ithuta le go ruta go go bokgoni. Thutopatlisiso eno e totile bokgoni joo, le ditlhaloso ka botlalo tsa dipeelo le ditlhokego tsa go tlhatlhoba bokgoni jwa baithuti ba barutabana jaaka batlhatlhobi. Dikwalo tsa borutegi di senola botlhokwa jwa dipeelo tse di beilweng sentle jaaka tsela ya go tokafatsa le go tsweletsa tiragatso ya barutabana, go akarediwa bokgoni jwa go tlhatlhoba barutwana ka boikanyego le ka bokgoni. Se se tlhaelang mo dikwalong ke ditlhaloso ka botlalo tsa gore peelo nngwe le nngwe e tlhokang, bogolo segolo mo legatong la moithuti wa morutabana. Dipeelo le ditlhokego tse di tlhalositsweng sentle tsa go tlhatlhoba bokgoni jwa baithuti ba barutabana jaaka batlhatlhobi di botlhokwa go matlaafatsa, go tshegetsa, le go baya leitlho thuto ya barutabana. Thutopatlisiso e lebeletse thata ditlhaloso tsa dipeelo le ditlhokego ka botlalo mo seemong seno. Mo molebong wa boranodi, thutopatlisiso e dirisitse seemo sa setheo sa thuto ya o le kwa kgakala mo Aforikaborwa, e leng Kholetšhe ya Thuto ya UNISA, go tlhotlhomisa sentle go tlhatlhobiwa ga baithuti ba barutabana jaaka batlhatlhobi, go akarediwa dipeelo le ditlhokego tse di dirisiwang. Maikaelelo magolo ke go tlhalosa dipeelo le ditlhokego tseo ka go dirisa mafoko le puo, go na le dipalo le dipalopalo, le go tlhoka molebo wa patlisiso e e lebelelang mabaka. Go dirisitswe tokololo ya dikwalo ka mabaka gammogo le dipotsolotso tse di kokoanyang le go sekaseka maitemogelo. Diphitlhelelo di senotse gore go na le bothata jo bo ka se tilweng magareng ga se go elediwang gore se fitlhelelwe le bonnete jwa se se ka fitlhelesegang mo seemong sa thuto ya o le kwa kgakala, go akarediwa go tlhatlhobiwa ga baithuti ba barutabana ka nako ya tiragatso ya go ruta. Le fa go itemogelwa dikgwetlho di le mmalwa mo seemong seno, go ka samaganwa le bothata fa go ka latelwa melebo e e rileng. Molebo wa botlhokwa mo go eno ke go dirisa dipeelo le ditlhokego tse di tlhalositsweng sentle tsa go tlhatlhoba bokgoni jwa baithuti ba barutabana jaaka batlhatlhobi mo seemong sa thuto ya o le kwa kgakala. Thutopatlisiso e tlhalosa dipeelo le ditlhokego tseo ka botlalo.