Geography Teachers’ Practices regarding Summative Assessment: A Study of Pre- Vocational Education in the Netherlands

Abstract

To start a teacher professional development programme on the relationship between classroom summative
assessment and learning, the current practices and dispositions of geography teachers towards internal
school-based examinations in pre-vocational education in the Netherlands were investigated. A
questionnaire provided data on how teachers construct these examinations and how they perceive the extent
to which they use test items in these examinations that appeal to distinct cognitive processes. The data were
statistically analysed to explore teachers’ practices regarding the construction of the examinations and the
correlation with their perceptions on test items appealing to distinct cognitive processes. The results showed
that teachers rarely construct test items themselves; instead, they rely to a considerable degree on test items
created by outside sources. In particular, older teachers and teachers with greater teaching experience tend to use more test items from outside sources. According to the respondents, about two-thirds of the test items
appeal to higher cognitive processes. When teachers do construct test items themselves, however, they
perceive to use more test items that appeal to higher cognitive processes. Furthermore, teachers’ dispositions
regarding the purpose of the internal school-based examinations seem to be highly influenced by high-stakes
tests, such as the national exam.