The Importance of Authentic Workplace-Based Assessment: A Study From VET Teacher Education

Context: This article is based on a pragmatic theoretical perspective on education, in which theoretical and practical competences are developed through experiences and participation in real-world teaching contexts. Previous research points to a lack of culture for authentic workplace-based assessment in vocational and professional education in many countries. Prior to this study, professors/authors and student-teachers in a vocational teacher education program in Norway experienced that student-teachers were unable to demonstrate comprehensive teaching competence, as examinations and assessments assess theoretical knowledge separately from practice. Research questions: 1) How can an authentic workplace-based exam during placement give student-teachers an opportunity to showcase their comprehensive teacher competence? 2) What factors are important to emphasize in such an exam? 3) How do the student-teachers demonstrate and develop comprehensive teacher competence through an authentic exam? Methods: Using action research, professors/authors carried out sequential actions to develop a practical-theoretical exam in an authentic professional setting. This included demonstrating elements of practical and theoretical competence conducted during teaching practice. The exam involved planning in line with a guidance document and practical teaching in the classroom in VET-schools, followed by a piece of reflective writing based on teaching experiences. Supervisors and professors/authors observed the student-teachers teaching as part of multiple qualitative methods. Findings: The empirical results show how student-teachers demonstrate and develop comprehensive teaching competence. Both the student-teacher and the supervisors in VET-schools experienced the authentic exam as realistic and professionally based. The biggest challenge involved logistics: Compensating the professors’/authors’ time and financial frameworks related to the observation of the student-teachers. However