Teachers’ self-ffficacy and attitudes toward educational assessment: A study of in-service and pre-service teachers

Abstract

The accurate assessment of pupils’ learning progress and support needs is a key competence for teachers, one that underpins both adaptive teaching and educational equity. Alongside subject knowledge and methodological skills, personal factors such as diagnostic self-efficacy and attitudes towards educational assessment play a decisive role in this regard. This study examines the characteristics and correlates of these two dimensions among teachers and trainee teachers. To this end, 107 individuals (85 teachers, 22 trainee teachers) from various types of schools were surveyed. The survey was conducted using standardised online questionnaires, including a sophisticated instrument that, for the first time, systematically and differentially measures self-efficacy and attitudes towards educational assessment according to cognitive, emotional and behavioural facets. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results show that teachers exhibit higher diagnostic self-efficacy than students and that this increases with professional experience. Furthermore, attitudes towards assessment vary depending on the type of school: teachers in specialised school types demonstrate more positive attitudes towards assessment and higher self-efficacy. The findings underscore the need for school-type-specific professional development to promote diagnostic skills.