Assessment patterns in teacher education programmes: content analysis of course syllabi

Abstract

Given the crucial role that teacher education programmes play in developing teacher-students’ assessment literacy, this study investigates all the course syllabi (n = 278) in primary and secondary-school teacher education programmes offered by three universities in Norway. This study aimed at identifying: 1) the assessment patterns, 2) the relationship between coursework and examination assessment within the course syllabi, and 3) the similarities (or differences) of assessment in teacher education programmes. The results showed a large variation in assessment patterns, especially in the two categories of coursework and examinations. A large percentage of the course syllabi required a form of written, and to a lesser degree, oral assessment. The results did not show a statistically significant relationship between the two modes of assessment in the course syllabi, i.e. coursework and examination assessments. Further, the course syllabi in the three universities were not similar in many assessment-related categories. Our study reveals that formative assessment patterns are rare, and approaches to train teacher-students in developing assessment literacy for future school practices might be missing.