Study on the Dimension of Teachers' Self-Assessment

Abstract

Permanent adaptation and readjustment, as an essential condition of performance in education, requires the development of self-assessment skills in both students and teachers. Self-evaluation completes the evaluation process and refines it by evaluating one's own merits, establishing the value of one's activity. The study on the dimension and method of self-analysis regarding the teaching activity supported by teachers in pre-university education showed a strong consistency between the results of external evaluation and self-evaluation, awareness of the importance, usefulness and necessity of the self-evaluation process in supporting / achieving professional performance. The importance of the self-assessment process lies in deepening self-knowledge and developing self-awareness. At the same time, the self-assessment process allows the identification of the weak aspects of one's own activity, their causes, possible solutions for the improvement of those aspects. Moreover, with regard to the tool frequently used in the self-assessment process by pre-university teachers, the evaluation sheet is noted, which is drawn up on the basis of performance indicators established by a higher hierarchy rather than a reflective journal, indicating the dependence on external perception, the need for external validation of one's own performance.

Keywords: Evaluation, performance, self-assessment, self-analysis

Introduction

Self-assessment, similar to effective learning, is a ubiquitous concept in education (Albulescu et al., 2021). The ability to assess one's knowledge, learning and performance is seen to be a key element in becoming an autonomous learner (Benson, 2011). Self-assessment is defined as a set of skills that encourage students to have an effective role in monitoring their learning process, providing them with appropriate feedback and enabling the improvement of active self-learning (Allam, 2004). Hence, self-evaluation is a form of formative evaluation, which allows reflection on the quality of the end product, understanding the degree to which the explicitly stated criteria are reflected and which generates a consequent revision (Andrade & Valtcheva, 2009). Self-evaluation ensures development through self-regulation, self-correction, being a useful fact without having the role of sanctioning. The real assumption of results leads to the optimization and review of the individual and group functionality, which implicitly relates to an effective management of the educational quality (Manea, 2021). Self-evaluation is a very important technique used to improve the degree of success of an action. Thus, self-evaluations contribute to the development of teachers' personal beliefs related to their own effectiveness in teaching, understanding the dimension at which student learning is achieved/produced. Following the reflection period, accumulating evidence-based materials, having the ability to argue the achievements obtained in the professional field, each teacher will avoid a subjective evaluation/self-evaluation and will be able to critically analyze the strengths and weaknesses, gaps and needs in his/her professional development, drawing up a real professional development plan focused on: self-assessment (gathering information about one's own person); exploring opportunities (recording information from inside and outside the organization related to one's career, making decisions and setting goals – short or long term); planning (establishing the ways and means of achieving the proposed goals as well as identifying the actions to be undertaken in order to achieve them); tracking the achievement of goals (accounting for successes and failures according to the developed objectives). Continuous training is able to ensure an improvement of the professional development plan (Manea, 2014). Within the instructional-educational process, teachers allocate time to train students in self-evaluation skills both by explaining the importance of self-evaluation approaches and by encouraging them to role-play.

Problem Statement

Given the fact that success in the instructional-educational process is conditioned by both the teacher-student interaction and the quality of teaching-learning and evaluation, it is necessary to permanently focus our attention on the self-evaluative aspects aimed at ensuring the feedback necessary for self-regulation. Teaching is a very demanding job. Teachers have to deal with highly complex social situations involving many students, where events occur simultaneously and often take unpredictable turns (Voss et al., 2017). Teachers' and students' perspectives differ in their perception of classroom processes. (Scherzinger & Wettstein, 2019). At the same time, students are able to assess themselves accurately if they are given clear assessment criteria and are trained in how to use them, giving them feedback on self-assessment. Involving students in the assessment process increases their self-confidence, performance and generates satisfaction (Thawabieh, 2017). Allam (2007) emphasized in the undertaken studies that the intensification of knowledge, the involvement of technology in teaching, globalization and the diversity of learning outcomes motivate teachers to involve students in the assessment process to save time, facilitate their learning, develop students' skills and encourage self-learning. Despite the widespread use of self-assessment, teachers have doubts about the value and accuracy of self-assessment techniques (Ross, 2006). Thus, as far as students are concerned, several self-assessment tools were used, but the self-test items seem to have given the most accurate answers. Correct self-assessment is desirable, because in this way students can assess their own performance accurately enough, they will not have to depend entirely on teachers' opinions, and at the same time, they will be able to make teachers aware of their individual needs for learning (Blanche, 1988). Regarding teacher self-assessment, self-assessed competence checklists are a possible successful approach to self-assessment (Borg & Edmett, 2018). Teacher self-efficacy and emotional stability are considered crucial resources for coping with classroom demands (Wettstein et al., 2021). Of the four sources of teacher efficacy identified by Bandura (1997), the most powerful is the experience of perfection—that of being successful in the classroom. Teachers become more confident in their future performance when they believe that thinking about their future actions has helped children learn. Therefore, the importance of self-evaluation resides in the opportunities offered to the teaching staff to identify the weak aspects of the teaching activity, its causes, possible solutions to improve those aspects. In terms of professional learning, the importance of self-evaluation has been emphasized not only for teachers, but also in other professions such as medicine (Davis et al., 2006). Studies of statistically and theoretically significant predictors of teachers' self-reported use in the classroom indicate a structural model for student self-assessment use: positive experience with self-assessment, belief in student participation in assessment, willingness to include self-assessment as percentage of the final grade, advantages of self-assessment and participation in assessment courses. (Panadero et al., 2014). Person-centered learning assessment (PCLA) as a self-assessment tool serves as a customised resource for educators to assess their classroom teaching and learning, particularly in the affective domain. Study results indicate that self-assessment appears to provide beginning educators with a unique form of feedback and has the potential to lead to deeper levels of pedagogical self-reflection and greater change (Snead & Freiberg, 2017). Self-assessment, as a formative assessment tool, can be considered, among other things, as a means to minimize perceptual mismatches between teachers and learners. Studies that have investigated the extent to which learners' self-rated assessment of speaking performance, before and after they are given a list of agreed marking criteria followed by a practice session, matches that of their teachers (Babaii et al., 2015).

Research Questions

Self-assessment is a key element in quality assurance and performance. It is certain that the knowledge society characterized by the informational explosion and the technological assault requires permanent adaptations and re-adaptations (Manea, 2018). According to the principle of subsidiarity, ensuring and controlling the quality of the pedagogical act at the school level is mainly achieved using self-evaluation tools, being the joint responsibility of the educational leader and the teaching staff with the direct involvement of the beneficiaries. Understanding the importance of the self-evaluative dimension both from the teacher's and the student's perspective for school performance and professional, respectively social success, we are concerned with identifying the dimension and the way of performing the self-analysis of the didactic activity/performance self-evaluation carried out by pre-university teachers.

Purpose of the Study

Starting from the question of when, how, with which tools the self-evaluation act is carried out by pre-university teachers, our study aims to highlight the most effective self-evaluation tools, as well as determine the existence of self-regulation mechanisms in the didactic process as a result of feedback provided through self-assessment.

Research Methods

The method used in the current study was a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire consisted of 14 items administered to teachers in pre-university education (preschool, primary, secondary and high school). The sample of subjects is represented by a number of 124 teachers in pre-university education. From the point of view of teaching experience and age, the sample of subjects was representative (age between 55-64 years: 11 respondents; 45-54 years: 28; 35-44 years: 35; 25-34 years: 23; 18 -24 years: 27). Responses are recorded in data logs in a table format to allow their analysis and interpretation.

Findings

We present below the questionnaire items that were appreciated to bear greater relevance to our study. In drawing up the conclusions, all the items of the administered questionnaire are taken into account.

From the data contained in Table 1, we consider that 56% of all our respondents opt for a self-evaluation process supported on a daily basis, which is a gratifying fact, considering the importance of self-evaluation of teaching performance for achieving school performance according to studies and recorded practices so far. We appreciate that the percentage of 6% of those who self-evaluate monthly or at an interval marking a semester (3 months) or half a year is quite small. From the data analysis, we reckon that 88% of the investigated teachers are aware of the importance of self-evaluation and support it daily (56%) or weekly (32%).

The answers to item 2 are presented in Table 2, from which it can be seen that a very large proportion of over 97 of the respondents, respectively 78%, appreciate self-evaluation as very important in the economy of professional activity. Adding this percentage representation sample with the one of respondents whose perception of the importance of the self-evaluation activity marked as "important" is 21%, we reach an overwhelming score of almost 100% of pre-university teachers whose perception of the importance of the self-evaluation activity is positioned at quotas higher than "very important" and "important". This is also in agreement with the results presented in Table 1. The obvious conclusion is that the self-evaluation activity is a permanent preoccupation of pre-university teachers.

Analyzing the data presented in Table 3, we find that the index of self-regulation supported by the self-assessment positioned at the highest rate is "sometimes" - 47%, seconded very closely by "often" in percentage of 42%. The fact that the vast majority of respondents (89%) state that they resort to self-regulation following the self-evaluation process reinforces and justifies the importance of self-analysis of one's teaching activity. It should be noted that 111 (89%) of the teachers who represented our sample of subjects appreciate that the self-evaluation act through the feedback provided leads to the improvement of professional performance and the recording of better school performances, even if 10% of them appreciate it as being an activity that does not generate self-regulation.

Referring to item 4, we wanted to investigate the type of tool used in school practice by teachers for the self-evaluation of teaching performance. The data are presented in Table 4 and indicate that roughly 60% of the respondents appreciate that the evaluation sheet/grid drawn up by the management of the institution for the annual evaluation of the professional performance, together with the reflective journal (23%) and the personal evaluation sheet (prepared by each teaching staff) for self-evaluation of the teaching activity (10%) represent the most important tools used most frequently in the self-evaluation process. The percentage of teachers who appreciate that they mainly use other self-evaluation tools is 11%. We note that the preferred tools for the self-evaluation of professional activity refer primarily to external requirements (evaluation criteria established by the institution's management) - 60% of respondents and fewer who opt for internal evaluation sheets (sheet developed according to one's own criteria and needs, reflective journal) -33 %.

The data presented in Table 5 reveal that there is a concordance between the results of the self-evaluation and the results of the evaluation of the didactic activity carried out at the level of the educational institution (by the school manager, the head of the methodological commission,...). A high similarity of over 90% (excellent-45% and very good-52%) is observed between the results obtained following the evaluation and the self-evaluation, which indicates a good knowledge of the evaluation criteria, with consensus on such criteria.

In order to highlight the importance of self-evaluation of teaching performance by teachers, not only on a personal level, but also on an institutional level, we indicate the degree of dependence of effective management on the teacher's self-evaluation process, in Table 6. The recorded data indicate the teachers' perception of the importance of the self-evaluation activity in achieving a high-performing educational management as very high (71%) and high (28%). Corroborating the data, a score of almost 100% is recorded in the teachers' perception of the importance of self-evaluation of the teaching activity for the achievement of a high-performing management, respectively the achievement of institutional performances. We consider these scores to be objective, in direct relation to the educational reality, in the sense that a high degree of flexibility and adaptability of the activities allows the self-regulation of their design and organization to respond to the opportunities that arise.

Regarding the type of skills that were optimized following the self-evaluation process, the data in Table 7 give us important clues, in the sense that communication skills are in the first position, followed by skills for designing and implementing didactic activities. Ranked thirdly in the hierarchy of the main skills a teaching staff is required to have, the skills for the evaluation of the teaching activity are indicated as having been developed following the self-evaluation act. Interpreting the recorded data, in the sense that the first positions are held by the communication skills, design, implementation and evaluation of the didactic activity, we understand that the need for self-revision of the didactic activity occurred as a result of the feedback obtained as a result of the self-evaluation. The fourth position, held by cognitive skills, entitles us to say that self-learning action has been improved, and self-improvement has emerged as a necessary condition following sustained self-evaluation. On the last positions, 5 and 6, the interrelational/social/managerial and digital skills are indicated, which shows that the self-assessment focused more on the investigation of communication, process and product relationships of students' learning, on the level of scientific knowledge and less on the level of managerial and digital skills.

The degree of influence of self-evaluation on self-esteem is reflected in Table 8. Thus, the

teachers' perception of the influence of the self-analysis process of teaching activities in the self-esteem structuring indicates that this process contributed to a greater extent to the structuring of self-esteem only for less than 50% of the respondents, respectively 39% , while for 8% of the sample of responding teachers, the contribution of self-evaluation was small; at the same time for the vast majority of 59% it had no influence. We understand that, at the level of internal motivation, for the development of self-esteem, self-evaluation has a modest contribution.

The perceived triggering factors of the self-reflection process regarding the didactic performance is presented in Table 9. The analysis of the data shows that the opinions of colleagues regarding the professional activity performed at the collective level of which we are part is the most important triggering factor of the self-reflection process, given the fact that 47% of the respondents state that their colleagues’ opinion matters to them a lot. Of course, this is not the only factor that triggers self-reflection on teaching performance, but according to the opinion of 43% of respondents, student results are the factor that triggers the self-reflexive process. The fact that for almost the majority of teachers their students’results make them reflect on their teaching performance is a very good signal to achieve qualitative school learning. Other triggering factors, such as parents' reactions, personal interests and motives, the need for self-improvement represent/express a minor influence for the vast majority of teaching staff, but of course they also matter for a part of pre-university teaching staff, as follows: one’s own need of self-transcendence causes 4% of respondents to resort to a self-reflective process regarding their teaching activity, while personal interests, parents' opinions are triggering factors that leads to self-reflection for only 2% of respondents.

Conclusion

As a result of the analysis and interpretation of the data, a series of general conclusions can be drawn up, given the empirical nature of the investigation, on the one hand, and the size of the sample if we relate the number of investigated subjects to the large number of teachers in pre-university education at the national level.

The self-evaluation of teaching performance is important, impacting not only one's own activity, but the entire school institution. Thus, teachers' self-evaluation supports organizational development, representing an integral part of the strategic and operational planning of the managerial development plan. The efficiency of any evaluation process requires to be doubled by self-evaluation (Stan & Manea, 2015; Stan et al., 2020). Therefore, the self-evaluation approach is not only carried out under the auspices of internal determinants, but also under the conditions of the action of external contextual factors such as: evaluation carried out by the school management, the valorizing opinions of colleagues, which the present study confirmed.

The approach of a new attitude of self-involvement, of understanding the responsibilities that the teaching staff assumes through self-responsibility, self-determination, self-assurance is revealed by the self-evaluation process which becomes a necessity in obtaining performance, the self-evaluation carried out by the teaching staff being oriented on what was realized as a process and product of learning by students (what, how much and how he/she taught and evaluated, the used strategic toolkit), but also on his/her behavior. The instrument frequently used in the self-evaluation process by pre-university teachers stands out as the evaluation form, drawn up on the basis of the performance indicators established by a higher hierarchical forum, in favour of other instruments related to one's own needs, which highlights the dependence on external perception, the need of external validation of one's own performances. At the same time, the self-evaluation of teaching performance, although it does not contribute significantly to the structuring of self-esteem, generates the activation of self-regulation mechanisms in the teaching process, as a result of the recorded feedback.

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