Assessment Policy and Practice Effects on New Zealand and Queensland Teachers' Conceptions of Teaching

Source: Journal of Education for Teaching, Volume 35, Issue 1 February 2009 , pages 61 - 75.

Teachers' thinking about four conceptions of teaching (i.e., apprenticeship-developmental, nurturing, social reform, and transmission) were captured using the Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI). New Zealand and Queensland have very similar teaching-related policies and practices. However, differences around assessment policies and practices are expected to influence teachers' conceptions of teaching. Two surveys were conducted among 241 New Zealand and 784 Queensland primary teachers and 614 Queensland secondary teachers. The results from the surveys found acceptably fitting models. TPI models were not invariant between primary and secondary teachers in Queensland while the models for primary teachers in Queensland and New Zealand were partially invariant. There were only small differences in mean perspectives scores, except for transmission, which elicited large differences.