Julia KlugMara GerichBernhard Schmitz

Can teachers’ diagnostic competence be fostered through training and the use of a diary?

Shortlink: https://www.waxmann.com/artikelART102884

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Abstract

Diagnostics is an integral part of teaching. To date, investigations have been carried out into the accuracy of teachers’ judgments. Recently, a model of teachers’ diagnostic competence describing diagnosing as a three-dimensional process has been developed and empirically tested. A necessity for promoting diagnostic was among teachers with regard to students’ learning behavior was shown. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a training program which utilizes this new perspective. Forty-seven secondary school teachers participated in the quasi-experimental study, split into a waiting control group (n = 17), who did not participate in the training program, but did take part in a pre- and posttest along with Experimental Group 1 (n = 15), who took part in the training program; and Experimental Group 2 (n = 15), who took part and worked on semi-standardized diaries in order to self-monitor their implementation of diagnostic actions for four weeks, returning 176 diaries. Pre- and posttest measures were combined with time-series data. Results showed that the training program enhanced teachers’ diagnostic competence, especially when it came to actions before and during diagnosing. The diary proved to be an accurate instrument for measuring transfer, but had no additional intervention effect above and beyond the training program. As pressures to provide individualized support to students increase, the evaluated training program will prove to be helpful.

Keywords
Training program; Diagnostic competence; Process; Diary; Time-series analysis

APA citation
Klug, J., Gerich, M. & Schmitz B. (2016). Can teachers’ diagnostic competence be fostered through training and the use of a diary?. Journal for Educational Research Online (JERO), 8(3), 184-206. https://www.waxmann.com/artikelART102884