Performance assessment in teacher education research—A scoping review of characteristics of assessment instruments in the DACH region

Abstract

In recent years, a new branch of teacher competence research has emerged in which competence is measured close to teaching performance. Such so-called performance assessment approaches are gaining increasing attention, but the research field is still fragmented. A lack of overview and varying reporting practices interfere with its coherent development. This scoping literature review provides an overview of recent advances and the current state of performance assessment instruments in teacher education research in German-speaking countries. We examined assessment instruments that provide objective, standardised measurement procedures based on observable behaviour regarding teaching demands. Based on 20 assessment instruments, a category system with 14 categories was inductively developed, capturing their characteristics in terms of context, test methods, and alignment with criteria for performance assessment. Despite the considerable variation, three types of teacher performance assessment instruments could be identified through qualitative and exploratory statistical analyses. The results show continuity as well as development compared to previous reviews and provide suggestions on advancing the still-emerging research field. For example, they can be used to foster the coherence of the research field by providing information on typical instrument differences and similarities as well as essential reporting demands.