Dimensions of pre-service teachers’ diagnostic judgements of student solutions

Abstract

Judgments are part of teachers’ daily practice and crucial for students’ educational careers. Previous evidence indicated that judgments are informed by various criteria. But how pre-service teachers (PSTs) judge student solutions and how these judgments are structured are still open questions. In two studies we shed light on the construct. First, we investigated PSTs’ judgements of an exemplary student solution regarding the applied categories (n1=110). Based on the results, we then constructed items and investigated the structure of the construct by applying EFA and CFA (n2a=168, n2b=209). The results revealed the following judgment dimensions: understanding, solution quality, presentation of procedure, and motivation. In addition to evidence on the structure of the construct, we gained an instrument to measure PSTs’ judgments.