Educational Assessment
There have been numerous studies relating the conative factors associated with autonomous learning, Reeve, J., Bolt, E., & Cai, Y. (1999) and Murdock, T. B., Anderman, L. H., & Hodge, S. A. (2000), to cite a few. The salient characteristics associated with autonomous learning (resourcefulness, initiative, and persistence) are crucial for high school-level students. Currently, the school structure in place in the US is composed of a ladder system of advancement as directed solely by academic achievement. As students proceed up the ladder, they are exposed to ever greater needs for learner autonomy. This increase in learner autonomy does not have a linear incremental increase throughout the 13 grades (from K-12), but shows a dramatic increase in the transition from middle (or junior high) school to high school. Studies suggest that students taught methods for autonomous learning have a greater probability of succeeding in a high school setting. Further, students screened for their level of autonomous learning perform better than those advanced simply on scholarly achievement (Dillner, 2005).
An instrument for assessing learner autonomy may play a significant role in determining a student’s readiness for high school. Such an instrument now exists that is appropriate for the adolescent learner. This instrument is suitable for assessing suitability for greater learner autonomy; a quality that should be present in high school students.
Read more about this topic: Learner Autonomy
Famous quotes containing the words educational and/or assessment:
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