Kiely, Richard (2000) Programme evaluation by teachers : an observational study. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

Evaluation is a term used to denote many different processes in Applied Linguistics and
language education, from language proficiency assessment to materials selection to
project management. In this study evaluation is taken as programme inquiry for the
purposes of accountability and development (Rea-Dickins and Germaine 1992; Weir and
Roberts 1994). The context of evaluation is EAP programmes in higher education, where
a policy of programme evaluation by teachers provides base data for the institution's
quality management system.
Evaluation in this sense is a complex process, embedded in and potentially destabilising
for the prevailing social order in classrooms, departments, and institutions. To capture
this complexity and embeddedness, a qualitative methodology is developed from
naturalistic inquiry and ethnography to study two EAP programmes and their evaluations.
The classroom observation and interview data are used to explore the operation of the
evaluation policy, its consequences in terms of programme improvement and teacher
development, its quality assurance functions, and its impact on the programme experience
of one particular student.
The study shows that in this context the evaluation policy has beneficial and problematic
consequences. It looks good, and thus enables a case to be made for rigorous quality
management. It provides a space for students to negotiate the programme, and for the
teacher, opportunities for reflection and development. However, the policy also risks
being seen by teachers as intrusion, compromising teacher autonomy, and aggravating
teacher-manager problems. Students provide feedback on teaching and inputs (including
the teacher) rather than on learning or opportunities for learning in terms of the values
underpinning the programme. The strong students can use the evaluation strategically, to
further their own preferences, at the expense of the weaker students who are
marginalised.
The concluding chapter outlines some ways forward for this approach to evaluation in
this context. These include realigning purposes and methods, building on teacher
ownership of and responsibility for programmes, linking evaluation in the classroom to
other forms of educational inquiry, and managing the programme in its widest sense in an
ethical framework.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Educational evaluation, Academic language -- Study and teaching -- Evaluation, English language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Evaluation
Official Date:	March 2000
Dates:	Date Event March 2000 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Centre for English Language Teacher Education
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Rea-Dickins, Pauline
Extent:	xv, 267 leaves
Language:	eng

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