Approaches to evaluation Advisor: Mavis Shang Kelly 9710001M Dora 9710011M

1. Approaches to evaluation Advisor: Mavis Shang Kelly 9710001M Dora 9710011M

2. Approaches to evaluation • ＊Curriculum evaluation: • Is the curriculum achieving its goals? • What is happening in classrooms and schools where it is • being implemented? • Who can affect the curriculum (e.g., teachers, • administrators, students, parents, employers) ? • Does the curriculum compare favorably with others of its • kind?

3. Approaches to evaluation • ＊Evaluation focuses on many different aspects : • curriculum design • the syllabus and program content • classroom processes • materials of instruction • the teachers • teacher training • the students

4. Approaches to evaluation • ＊Evaluation may focus on many different aspects : • monitoring of pupil progress • learner motivation • the institution • learning environment • staff development • decision making

5. Approaches to evaluation ＊The scope of evaluation : 1. It focuses from test results to the need to collection information 2. make judgments about all aspects of the curriculum, from planning to implementation

6. Purposes of evaluation • ＊Weir and Roberts (1994): • Program accountability : • to examine the effects of a program or a project • Program development: • to improve the quality of a program or a project

7. Purposes of evaluation • Formative evaluation • To find out what is working well, and what is not, and what problems need to be addressed • Ongoing development and improvement of the program • Some typical questions (p. 288) • To address problems and to improve the program

8. Purposes of evaluation • Formative evaluation • Example 1: * situation: task-oriented communicative methodology * problem: teachers are resorting to a teacher-dominated drill and practice mode of teaching during the implementation => it can’t match with the course philosophy. * solution: provide videos to model teaching strategies

9. Purposes of evaluation • Formative evaluation • Example 2: * situation: to implement integrated skills * problem: teachers spent time on different components of the course and emphasize different things => a series of meeting review teachers’ understanding of the course objectives * solution: peer observation as a way for teachers to compare teaching styles and help them

10. Purposes of evaluation • Formative evaluation • Example 3: * situation: implement conversation skills for low-level, and the pronunciation is not a major element of the course * problem: students have serious pronunciation problem (after four weeks) * solution: refocus one section of the course which includes pronunciation component

11. Purposes of evaluation • 2. Illuminative evaluation • To find out the different aspects of the program and to provide a deep understanding of the processes of the teaching and learning without any change • Some typical questions (p. 289)

12. Purposes of evaluation • 2. Illuminative evaluation • Example 1: * situation: 1) teach many reading skills for students 2) teachers are interested in what is the students’ major focus of the course * evaluated way: conduct a short questionnaire => understand students’ opinion and need

13. Purposes of evaluation • 2. Illuminative evaluation • Example 2: * situation: teacher is interested in teacher-student interaction learning * evaluated way: to invited colleague to do the classroom observation => assess what happened during the course

14. Purposes of evaluation • 2. Illuminative evaluation • Example 3: * situation: teacher wants to know how students carry out group work and prepare students for group-work task * evaluated way: record and review the recordings => know what kind of strategy assigns for members in a group => make sure students participate actively

15. Purposes of evaluation • 3. Summative evaluation • To determine the effectiveness of a program, its efficiency, and to some extent with its acceptability • Used “after” a program • Some typical questions (p. 292)

16. Purposes of evaluation • Different measures of a course’s effectiveness and each one can be used for different purposes a) Mastery of objectives: “How far have the objectiveness been achieved?” ex: speaking skills Objective: In group discussions students will listen to and respond to the opinions of others in their group Disadvantage: it does not provide the whole picture of them effectiveness of a course

17. Purposes of evaluation b) Performance on tests: ◎ such tests might be unit texts given at the end of each unit of teaching materials, quizzes or class tests ◎ Weir: achievement have washback effect on teaching ◎ help to make decision about needed changes

18. Purposes of evaluation c) Measures of acceptability: ◎ satisfactory achievement of the objectives and good levels of performance on exit tests ◎ should be considered some factors: time-tabling, class size, choice of materials, or teachers’ teaching styles

19. Purposes of evaluation d) Retention rate or reenrollment rate: ◎ whether students continue in the course ◎ the percentage of students who reenroll for another course at the end

20. Purposes of evaluation e) Efficiency of the course: ◎ How to develop and implement the course efficiently ◎ some problems may occur during the course: * the time (planning and course development), * the needs (material and teacher training), * the time needed (consultations and meetings)

21. Issues in Program Evaluation • Weir and Robert (1994, 92) proposed: • a need for both insider and outsider commitment and involvement to ensure adequate evaluation • The demonstration of the “product value” of a program or project or their components • An associated commitment to a deeper professional understanding of the processes of educational change

22. Issues in Program Evaluation • Weir and Robert (1994, 92) proposed: • Systematic documentation for evaluation purposes both during implementation and at the beginning and end of a program or project’s life • A willingness to embrace both qualitative and quantitative methodology appropriate to the purpose of the evaluation

23. Issues in Program Evaluation 1.The audience for evaluation • In planning an evaluation it is important to identify (1) who are the audiences (2) what kind of information they are most interested in Ex: developing a new textbook (1) Officers in the ministry: money (2) Teachers:the sufficient materials (3) Outside consultant: the design of the materials, interaction and language practices (4) Vocational training centers:school leavers’ English Evaluation has to satisfy all interested parties.

24. Issues in Program Evaluation 1.The audience for evaluation (questions) • Students: (1)What did I learn? (2)How will the course help me in the future? • Teachers: (1) What did my students learned? (2) How well did I teach? • Curriculum developers: Is the design of the course and materials appropriate?

25. Issues in Program Evaluation 1.The audience for evaluation (questions) • Administrators: (1) Was the time frame of the course appropriate? (2) Were clients’ expectations met? • Sponsors: (1) Was the cost of the course justified? (2) Was the course well managed?

26. Issues in Program Evaluation 1.The audience for evaluation Three audiences are identifiable for all summative evaluation of language courses (Shaw and Dowsett, 1986): • other teachers in the program -- for course design and planning purposes • managers of the institution or program -- determining course offerings and placement • the curriculum support or development -- monitoring the curriculum In planning an evaluation , we should carefully identified different audience and the result should be appropriate for each audience

27. Issues in Program Evaluation 2.Participants in the evaluation process • Two types of participants: (1) insiders: teachers, students, anyone else closely involved in the program Ex: formative evaluation: teachers summative evaluation: students Successful program evaluation are often involve key insiders in the process of designing and carrying out evaluation

28. Issues in Program Evaluation 2.Participants in the evaluation process • Two types of participants: (2) outsiders: consultants, inspectors, or administratorsprovide teachers with some perceptions with independent observation and opinion

29. Issues in Program Evaluation 3.Quantitative and qualitative evaluation • Quantitative evaluation: the measurement of something can be expressed numerically • Quantitative data: collect information from a large number of people and analyze statistically ex: checklists, surveys, self – rating • Advantage: objective Disadvantage: some limitations

30. Issues in Program Evaluation 3.Quantitative and qualitative evaluation • Qualitative evaluation: 1) something can not be expressed numerically 2) depend on subjective judgment or observation => collect information from classroom observation, interviews, journal, logs, case studies… • Merits: more holistic and naturalistic Defects: less rigorous

31. Issues in Program Evaluation 4.The importance of documentation Relevant documentation: (p.297) 1) Course statistics 2) Relevant course document 3) Course work 4)Written comment 5) Institutional documents

32. Issues in Program Evaluation 5.Implementation • In order to make decisions based on the evaluation, it is first necessary to review the process of evaluation Questions : (p.298) 1) Scope 2) Audience 3) Reliability 4) Objectivity 5) Representativeness 6) Timeliness 7) Ethical considerations

33. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 1. Tests 1) institutionally prepared tests 2) international tests 3) textbook tests 4) student records • Advantage: provide a direct measure of achievement or performance Disadvantages: 1) hard to make sure the tests are a direct of teaching or are linked to other factors => further investigation 2) “reliability and validity” problems

34. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 2. Comparison of two approaches to a course Comparative approach: compare the effects of two or more different teaching conditions • Advantage: control all relevant factors and investigate rigorously Disadvantage: impose artificial constraints on the teacher

35. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 3. Interviews: a) could get many views on any aspect of the course b) structured interview is more useful • Advantages: obtain in-depth information Disadvantages: 1) time-consuming 2) the representativeness of their views may be questionable

36. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 4. Questionnaire: elicit teacher’s and students’ comment • Advantages:1) easy to administer 2) representative information • Disadvantages: 1) it may elicit unbiased answers 2) difficult to interpret the information

37. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 5. Teachers’ written evaluation: use structured feedback form • Advantages: 1) good position to report on a course 2) provide information quickly Disadvantages: information may be impressionistic and biased

38. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 6. Diaries and journals 1) provide a narrative record of things 2) problems encountered 3) critical incidents 4) time allocation • Advantages: provide relatively detailed and open-ended information Disadvantages: 1) impressionistic and unsystematic 2) need cooperation and a time commitment

39. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 7. Teachers’ records a) reports of lessons taught b) material covered c) attendance d) students’ grades e) time allocation • Advantages: provide a detailed account of some aspects of the course Disadvantages: 1) some of the information will not be relevant 2) some information may be subjective (teachers’ view)

40. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 8. Student logs: ask students to provide their opinion of the course • Advantages: 1) provide students’ opinion of the course 2) give insights that teachers may not be aware of Disadvantages: 1) need cooperation and time commitment 2) no benefit for students to attend this activity

41. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 9.Case study: how student made use of lesson plans throughout course, or trace the progress of a particular learner • Advantages: 1) provide detailed information 2) provide a rich picture of different dimensions of courses Disadvantages: 1) the subject may not be representative 2) time-consuming

42. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 10. Student evaluation: written or oral feedback on a course ex: the teachers’ approach, the materials used, and their relevant to the students’ needs • Advantages: easy to obtain information which contains a wide range of topics and large numbers of learners to be involved Disadvantages: 1) subjective and impressionistic 2) difficult to interpret or generalize

43. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 11. Audio- or video-recording: provide some examples of different teaching styles and lesson formats • Advantages: provide a rich account of teaching in real time and record information Disadvantages: good recordings are hard to set up

44. Procedures used in conducting evaluations 12. Observation by other teachers or a supervisor ex: 1) give a specific task 2) provide procedures to the observer • Advantage: 1) observers can focus on many things in class 2) provide an objective viewpoint Disadvantage: 1) the observer’s presence may be intrusive 2) require preparation and explicit guidance

45. Thanks for your listening!