I. INTRODUCTION TO EVALUATION. 1. Evaluation's Basic Purpose, Uses, and Conceptual Distinctions. 2. Origins of Modern Program Evaluation. 3. Recent Developments and Trends in Evaluation. II. ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO PROGRAM EVALUATION. 4. Alternative Views of Evaluation. 5. Objectives-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 6. Management-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 7. Consumer-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 8. Expertise-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 9. Adversary-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 10. Participant-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 11. Alternative Evaluation Approaches: A Summary and Comparative Analysis. III. PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING EVALUATION. 12. Clarifying the Evaluation Request and Responsibilities. 13. Setting Boundaries and Analyzing the Evaluation Context. 14. Identifying and Selecting the Evaluative Questions and Criteria. 15. Planning How to Conduct the Evaluation. IV. PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING AND USING EVALUATIONS. 16. Dealing with Political, Ethical, and Interpersonal Aspects of Evaluation. 17. Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Quantitative Information. 18. Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Qualitative Information. 19. Reporting and Using Evaluation Information. 20. Evaluating Evaluations. V. EMERGING AND FUTURE SETTINGS FOR PROGRAM EVALUATION. 21. Conducting Multiple-Site Evaluation Studies. 22. Conducting Evaluations of Organizations Renewal and Training in Corporate and Nonprofit Settings. 23. The Future of Evaluation. Appendix: Some General Areas of Competence Important in Education Evaluation.

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تقويم البرنامج : طرق بديلة و إرشادات عملية = Program evaluation Alternative Approaches and Practical Guidelines

El programa Iterative BES esta a la vanguardia de una ola de actividad que esta dramaticamente
alterando el panorama de las reformas, vinculando la investigacion con las politicas y la practica. Este interes en las politicas y practicas fundamentadas en evidencias estan impulsadas por una conciencia cada vez mayor de la necesidad de una mejor comprension de los complejos problemas a los que nos enfrentamos y la necesidad de utilizar plenamente los conocimiento para desarrollar mejores soluciones. Muchas jurisdicciones y organizaciones estan emprendiendo revisiones sistematicas de la investigacion educativa con el objetivo de difundir el conocimiento ganado a los responsables de la formulacion de politicas y los profesionales. Ninguno esta tan bien establecido o sistematico como el Programa Iterativo BES del Ministerio de Educacion de Nueva Zelanda.

Teacher professional learning and development: Best evidence synthesis iteration

In this article, professional development in the context of the current reforms in science education is discussed from the perspective of developing teachers' practical knowledge It is argued that reform efforts in the past have often been unsuccessful because they failed to take teachers' existing knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes into account Teachers' practical knowledge is conceptualized as action-oriented and person-bound As it is constructed by teachers in the context of their work, practical knowledge integrates experiential knowledge, formal knowledge, and personal beliefs To capture this complex type of knowledge, multimethod designs are necessary On the basis of a literature review, it is concluded that long-term professional development programs are needed to achieve lasting changes in teachers' practical knowledge In particular, the following strategies are potentially powerful: (a) learning in networks, (b) peer coaching, (c) collaborative action research, and (d) the use of cases In any case, it is recommended that teachers' practical knowledge be investigated at the start of a reform project, and that changes in this knowledge be monitored throughout the project In that way, the reform project may benefit from teachers' expertise Moreover, this makes it possible to adjust the reform so as to enhance the chances of a successful implementation © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc J Res Sci Teach 38: 137–158, 2001

Professional development and reform in science education: The role of teachers' practical knowledge

The research on teachers ’ beliefs, to our knowledge, spans more than 57 years ( Oliver, 1953 ) and runs the gamut of research methodologies, theoretical perspectives, and identifi cation of specifi c beliefs about any number of topics. It seems that the initial goal of the research on teachers ’ beliefs was to establish a clear psychological construct, beliefs, that could serve as an explanatory and predictive mechanism for explaining differences in teachers ’ practices (e.g., Abrami, Poulsen, & Chambers, 2004 ), outcomes with students (e.g., Muijs & Reynolds, 2002 ), and experiences (e.g., McAlpine, Eriks-Brophy, & Crago, 1996 ). Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Although the published empirical research on teachers ’ beliefs includes more than 700 articles, the lack of cohesion and clear defi nitions has limited the explanatory and predictive potential of teachers ’ beliefs. Still, the pervasive conviction in the literature, schools, and teacher education programs is that teachers ’ beliefs matter. We also believe they do. However, the manifestation of beliefs in teachers ’ practice is complicated, and the understanding of what is meant by teachers ’ beliefs in the research literature remains murky.

Spring cleaning for the “messy” construct of teachers’ beliefs: What are they? Which have been examined? What can they tell us?

There is an ongoing tension within educational policy worldwide between countries that seek to reduce the opportunities for teachers to exert judgement and control over their own work, and those who seek to promote it. Some see teacher agency as a weakness within the operation of schools and seek to replace it with evidence-based and data-driven approaches, whereas others argue that because of the complexities of situated educational practices, teacher agency is an indispensable element of good and meaningful education. While the ideological debate about the shape and form of teacher professionalism is important, it is equally important to understand the dynamics of teacher agency and the factors that contribute to its promotion and enhancement. In this paper, we draw from a two-year study into teacher agency against the backdrop of large-scale educational reform – the implementation of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence – in order to explore these questions. We focus on teachers’ beliefs in order to ge...

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The Role of Beliefs in Teacher Agency.

Current literature reports that the reorganization of schools through national ef- forts is not closely paralleled to subsequent local classroom changes. The focus of this study concerns teachers' beliefs and their interpretations of a 2-week summer institute intended to change their treatment of scientific knowledge and assessment strategies at the classroom level. Furthermore, this study suggests that major contextual barriers to change should be identified and support should be provided to help teachers interpret and rethink their practice in venues beyond institutes. Despite collaborative efforts, participants were found to maintain their entry level fundamental beliefs about the nature of scientific content knowledge, teach- ing, and assessment practices. Reaching beyond past research on reform and reports of change in teachers, this study attempts to explicate the struggle of making lasting and deeply rooted change in teacher beliefs that results in the transformation of traditional science teaching. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 81:137 - 159, 1997.

Struggling to Promote Deeply Rooted Change: The "Filtering Effect" of Teachers' Beliefs on Understanding Transformational Views of Teaching Science

We have designed a model for transformational science teaching focused on linking theory and practice through curriculum decision making that has been the framework for professional development sessions for middle-grade science teachers during the past 5 years. Interviews with teachers revealed that their experiences with curriculum development were of significant value in making decisions concerning the design of classroom environments. As teachers reflected on current research about teaching and learning, in collaboration with university scientists and science educators, they were informed by theoretical perspectives which held implications for their practice. Curriculum development became a vehicle for professional development and school reform; however, it was vital that the teachers were in clear communication with their administrators and communities concerning reform issues. Students and teachers from schools implementing the model and from control sites were interviewed to determine the model's influence on instructional practices and student attitude and achievement in science. The five-phase model for transformational science teaching is discussed here, accompanied by teacher comments about tensions experienced at each phase. This discussion is followed by an analysis of teacher and student interview data that reveals teachers' use of instructional strategies and students' attitudes toward science. Results and analysis of student performance on a mandated end-of-grade science test are also included. From this evidence, we recommend a new design for professional development opportunities for teachers that engages them in decision making as they reflect about the connections between theory and practice and the value of continually testing, revising, and reevaluating curriculum and instructional issues. J Res Sci Teach 34: 773–789, 1997.

Teachers Designing Curriculum as Professional Development: A Model for Transformational Science Teaching.

Analogies have been argued to be central in the process of establishing conceptual growth, making overt connections and carryover into an intended cognitive domain, and providing a generative venue for developing conceptual understanding inherent in constructivist learning. However, students' specific uses of analogies for constructing arguments are not well understood. Specifically, the results of preservice teachers' knowledge gains are not widely studied. Although we would hope that engaging preservice science teachers in exemplary lessons would assist them in using and generating analogies more expertly, it is not clear whether or how such curricula would affect their learning or teaching. This study presents an existence proof of how preservice science teachers used analogies embedded in their course materials Physics by Inquiry. This fine-grained analysis of small group discourse revealed three distinct roles of analogies including the development of: (a) cognitive process skills, (b) scientific conceptual understanding, and (c) social contexts for problem solving. Results suggest that preservice teachers tend to overgeneralize the analogies inserted by curriculum materials, map irrelevant features of analogies into collaborative problem solving, and generate personal analogies, which counter scientific concept development. Although the authors agree with the importance of collaborative problem solving and the insertion of analogies for preservice teachers' conceptual development, we believe much more needs to be understood before teachers can be expected to construct and sustain effective learning environments that rely on using analogies expertly. Implications for teacher preparation are also discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 443–463, 2003

Social interaction and the use of analogy: An analysis of preservice teachers' talk during physics inquiry lessons

(1993). Factors that influence the decision of preservice elementary teachers to concentrate in science. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 109-114.

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Factors That Influence the Decision of Preservice Elementary Teachers to Concentrate in Science.

If science education reforms represent a journey toward a vision, then external evaluators play an important, collaborative role in keeping the journey on track.

Helen Parke

Papers

Struggling to Promote Deeply Rooted Change: The "Filtering Effect" of Teachers' Beliefs on Understanding Transformational Views of Teaching Science

Teachers Designing Curriculum as Professional Development: A Model for Transformational Science Teaching.

Social interaction and the use of analogy: An analysis of preservice teachers' talk during physics inquiry lessons

Factors That Influence the Decision of Preservice Elementary Teachers to Concentrate in Science.

Evaluators as collaborators in science education reform