A Qualitative Analysis of Teachers' Beliefs about Student Evaluation and its Relationship with Academic Failure: A Case Study of Elementary Teachers in Kelardasht

Ghafari Mejlej, Mohammad

doi:10.22034/jitle.2024.200364

A Qualitative Analysis of Teachers' Beliefs about Student Evaluation and its Relationship with Academic Failure: A Case Study of Elementary Teachers in Kelardasht

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Mohammad Ghafari Mejlej

Department of Educational Sciences, Chalous Branch, Islamic Azad University, Chalous, Iran

10.22034/jitle.2024.200364

Abstract

Teachers' belief about evaluation, especially in situations leading to failure, has not been considered enough. However, evaluation, like teaching and learning, has a great impact on teachers' views and methods. In this study, the concept of evaluation was investigated by analyzing interviews with 16 primary school teachers of Kelardasht, Mazandaran regarding the failure of students in assessment and evaluation processes. The findings show that teachers held four main beliefs: 1) Evaluation is an opportunity to provide feedback and reflect on performance. 2) Evaluation should show students' learning. 3) Evaluation should measure the attempts of students. 4) The evaluation process is incapable to show the achievement or failure of students. The findings provide a clear picture of the teachers' subjective belief of the students' evaluation. The importance of these results lies in the fact that these beliefs constitute a basic component of evaluation knowledge. It is obvious that any kind of development and progress in the educational evaluation system and its governing models must be planned and designed in order to improve the evaluation knowledge of teachers. Finally, the practical application of the findings of this study in the professional education of teachers has been discussed.

Keywords

evaluation

failure

test

elementary teachers

Subjects