La evaluación formativa en la adquisición de competencias docentes en la formación inicial del profesorado de Educación Física

Abstract

This research aims to value the relationship between formative assessment during initial Physical Education teacher training and the development of teaching competences including the assessment competence. Four specific objectives are proposed: (1) To know graduates’ perception about the competences acquired during their initial training, the utilization of formative assessment for the acquisition of teaching competences, the assessment instruments utilized and the grading forms used by university teachers during this period; (2) To know if there are differences in these objectives depending on the studies taken, if they are working or not as teachers, or if they have previous experience as teachers or not; (3) To value if there is a relationship between the implementation of formative assessment , the kind of assessment instruments used during initial training, the ways of grading used by university teachers and graduates’ perception of the degree of acquisition of competences; (4) To know the appreciation of graduates in practice about the competences acquired in initial training and their perception about the grade in which formative assessment has helped them acquire those competences. In order to answer the first three aims of this research, a quantitative study was developed. Four hundred and ninety-one graduates from Primary Education (Physical Education specialty) and Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Degree from 20 Spanish universities participated. A questionnaire of teaching competences and formative assessment was used. Results show that graduates value their training in teaching competences and the use of formative assessment for this purpose as good. They show a predominance of the utilization of test exams, written works and teacher grading. Generally, there are no significant differences in the development of teaching competences and the implementation of formative assessment for this purpose depending on if graduates are working as teachers or not, or if they have teaching experience or not. To answer the fourth objective, an instrumental case study was developed. This study involved 4 graduates from Primary Education Degree (Physical Education specialty) and from Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Degree who works as Physical Education teachers in Primary or Secondary education and three university teachers who develop formative assessment processes in initial Physical Education teacher training. Information was collected through semi-structured interviews, observation and documental analysis. The information obtained shows that graduated value positively the formative assessment for the acquisition of teaching competences as long as these processes are developed systematically and accompanied by feedback. The utilization of formative assessment during initial training is also considered to have helped them know alternative assessment forms and to have assessment resources that, adapting them to their context, they can use in their classes.