Why do I assess? Construction and validation of the Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment scale (CoVI)

Abstract

The study outlines the construction and validation process of the Teacher’s Conceptions of Assessment scale (CoVI), designed to evaluate primary and secondary school teachers’ perceptions of student learning assessment purposes. The validation sample comprises 1,545 serving teachers nationwide. The CoVI scale, subjected to both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, demonstrates robust psychometric properties and encompasses the following dimensions: assessment as accountability (Acc), verification of learning outcomes (AoL), teaching and learning improvement (AfL), and self-regulation and sustainability of learning (AaL). The scale addresses a gap in available instruments in the field by focusing on the specificities of different assessment approaches, including AfL and sustainable assessment, which have been less empirically explored.

Keywords

• assessment for learning
• assessment as learning
• sustainable assessment
• teachers’ conceptions
• validation