The influence of the National Assessment Tool (Reading) on lecturer identity in Foundation Studies

1. The influence of the National Assessment Tool (Reading) on lecturer identity in Foundation Studies Sue Crossan - Foundation Studies Trisha Hanifin – Te Puna Ako

2. Teacher identity “…an ongoing and dynamic process which entails the making sense and (re)interpretation of one’s own values and experiences…” (Flores & Day, 2006, p220) “A teacher’s identity is shaped and re-shaped by interaction with others in a professional context.” (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009, p178) Sue Crossan, Trisha Hanifin

3. TEC-AT and teacher identity Recent lecturer engagement with the AT and their perceptions of the effect it has on their students highlight a number of factors that may impact on teacher identity in Foundation Studies: The influence of government policy Foundation learners and their specific needs The role of pastoral care in foundation teaching

4. Action Research Enquiry project to: establish how the Assessment Tool results are used by Foundation lecturers to inform teaching identify what issues help or hinder lecturers as they use the data help tailor professional development to help lecturers use the results to inform teaching

5. Adult Literacy and Numeracy National Assessment Tool (reading) Levels 1 – 3 students Mandatory diagnostic assessment – week 1 Snapshot reassessment – week 15 Online adaptive assessment

6. Emerging themes from the research project Lecturers’ concerns about: the effect of theAT on students time pressures nature of the texts used how the results from the AT will be used.

7. Lecturer responses: “Some less able (students) have expressed considerable anxiety about what it means/how it may be used/that a poor result may bar them from future education.” “Students who score at lower levels simply see it as ‘crushing’. It is another negative experience in education.” “Will it be used to judge us as teachers?”

8. Literature Review “…lecturers are… put into a situation of conflict where they are aware of the real needs and lives of their learners but also of the tension created by the policy of priority given to linear progression in tested literacy.” (Tett, Hamilton & Hillier, 2006). “Staff…may find themselves meeting conflicting demands and also trying to reconcile these demands with their own cultural and professional values, as well as with their own priorities for the jobs that they do.” (Edward, Coffield, Steer & Gregson, 2007).

9. Questions for discussion In what ways does a government policy or strategy like the AT (or national standards) highlight issues around teacher identity? In what ways might the students we teach shape teacher identity? Do Foundation teachers have a distinct professional identity?

10. Reference List Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L. (2009). Understanding teacher identity: an overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. In Cambridge journal of education. 39, 2. p. 175 – 189. Edwards, S., Coffield, F., Steer, R., & Gregson, M. (2007). Endless change in the learning and skills sector: the impact on teaching staff. In Journal of vocational education and training. 59, 2. p 155 – 173. Flores, M A., & Day, C. (2006). Contexts which shape and reshape new teachers’ identities: a multiperspective study. In Teaching and teacher education. 22, 2. p . 219 - 232 Tett, L., Hamilton, M., & Hillier, Y. (2006). Introduction: social practice of adult literacy, numeracy and language. In Adult literacy, numeracy and language: policy, practice and research. Maidenhead: Open University Press.