Beliefs about classroom assessment: a qualitative study of pre-university mathematics teachers

Assessment reform movements globally and in neighbouring Asian countries have brought about a proposed change to the assessment system in Malaysia, from a highly-centralised examination system to a more holistic system. Within this context, the aim of the study reported in this thesis was to develop understandings about Malaysian pre-university mathematics teachers' beliefs about classroom assessment. The overarching aim consisted of three more focused and subsidiary aims; (a) to investigate teachers' beliefs about the role and purpose of classroom assessment; (b) to investigate teachers' classroom practice with regard to mathematics assessment and the relationship between their espoused beliefs and what they actually do; and (c) to investigate teachers' beliefs about change to their classroom assessment practices. To achieve these aims, a qualitative, multiple-case study approach was adopted within an interpretive framework. Case studies were conducted of five mathematics teachers of a pre-university programme at a private college in Malaysia. Data collection techniques comprised in-depth, semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, document collection, and reflective journal entries. The data were coded and analysed in two stages. The first stage involved within-case analysis for each of the five case studies. The second stage involved a cross-case analysis which generated key themes for each of the three subsidiary aims. Appropriate measures such as triangulation of data, thick description, and member checking were taken to ensure trustworthiness of the data.