Measuring Teacher Candidates' Parent-Teacher Communication Competences: Designing a Valid and Reliable Video-Based Instrument

• In Event: Preparing Teachers for Family-School-Partnerships: Exploring the Use and Impact of Clinical Simulations in Teacher Education

Abstract

1.Objective

The goal of this presentation is to gain insight into how TCs’ parent-teacher communication competencies (PTCC) can be assessed in a reliable and valid way across learning environments implementing clinical simulations. To tackle this goal, the results of the design and implementation of an innovative measurement instrument are presented.

2.Perspectives

In Flanders (Belgium), as in other countries, parent-teacher simulations are designed and implemented in the teacher education program of Ghent University to improve TCs’ preparation for family engagement. The simulations aim to foster TCs’ PTCC development as these competences are crucial to enhance strong family-school-partnerships (Symeou et al., 2012). In the present study, PTCC refer to 9 elements grouped in two dimensions: (1) structuring a parent-teacher conversation, and (2) establishing a positive interpersonal relationship with parents (Walker & Dotger, 2012; Gartmeier et al., 2011). In order to evaluate and reflect on the effectiveness of the simulations, a combination of assessment methods is needed to map TCs’ PTCC development. Because such tools are still scarce, this study presents a new measurement instrument. Underpinning this instrument is the idea that TCs’ competence development can be conceptualized as the development of perception, interpretation, and decision-making skills (PID-skills ) (Blömeke et al., 2015; Sherin & Van Es, 2002). From a methodological perspective, the instrument acknowledges the importance of sampling competence assessments in connection to real-life instructional situations (Blömeke et al., 2015). In summary, a video-based measurement instrument to assess TCs’ PID-skills related to PTCC as expressed during parent-teacher conferences was designed.

3.Methodology

Four steps were followed to design the instrument. First, video-vignettes that present realistic job situations covering PTCC were developed. Critical incidents regarding parent-teacher communication were collected through a literature review, observation of parent-teacher conferences (n=15), interviews with teachers (n=6) and teacher educators (n=5). Each video-vignette was screened by teacher education experts (n=2), teachers (n=4), and parents (n=2) in order to evaluate their quality in terms of content and realism. Second, open-answer questions were designed which prompted TCs’ PID-skills. Third, a coding scheme was developed to qualify TCs’ responses. Finally, the instrument was presented to 269 TCs to test and refine the instrument.

4.Findings

The final instrument consists of three video-vignettes, a series of open-ended questions prompting TCs’ PID-skills regarding PTCC, and three coding schemes to develop a perception, an interpretation, and a decision-making score for PTCC, each ranging from 0 to 2. The results from the pilot study confirmed that the instrument is a promising tool. All data was successfully coded and scored (Table 1). Inter-rater reliability agreement (67,9%-100%) and Krippendorff’s alpha (0,6 to 0,8 ) confirmed the reliability of the coding process.

[insert table 1 here]

5.Significance

The instrument will be used to study - as a base line or benchmark – the state-of-the-art of current TCs’ PTCC. Furthermore, intervention studies will be set up in which the instrument is used in a pre-test/post-test design. In this respect, the effectiveness of teacher education programs and or interventions focusing on PTCC, can be studied.

Authors

• Karen De Coninck, Ghent University

• Ruben Vanderlinde, Ghent University

• Martin M. Valcke, Ghent University