Looking in the Wrong Mirror? The Use of Self-Assessments in Teacher Aptitude Testing

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: Investigations of Teacher Education Program Design and Innovations

Abstract

This paper analyzes data from 250 teacher candidates in Germany who completed two self-assessments: “Fit for the Teaching Profession” (Fit; Herlt & Schaarschmidt, 2007) and “Career Counseling for Teachers” (CCT; Mayr, 2011). It examines the extent to which the two tests yield identical results (convergent validity) and whether the candidates deemed “unsuited for the teaching profession” differ from those deemed “suited” in terms of their academic outcomes in the teacher education program (prognostic validity). Results show that the area of overlap between the two tests in terms of the candidates diagnosed as “suited” versus “unsuited” for teaching is very small and that candidates diagnosed as “unsuited” are generally not the “worse” students.

Authors

• Michaela Maria Koeller, University of Kiel

• Uta Klusmann, University of Kiel

• Jan Retelsdorf, IPN - Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education