Rethinking Assessment in an Indigenous Specific Program

Authors

  • Alma Fleet Macquarie University
  • Rosalind Kitson Macquarie University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v55i3.55335

Abstract

Nonstandard entry programs into higher education include worthy goals and problematic processes. Although effective practices in teacher education would seem to be well established, complications arise when good intentions intersect with university protocols, issues of power, history, rights, and cultural complexities. This article reports on an Australian study on assessment approaches in an early childhood Indigenous teacher education program. Focus group investigations with current students and teaching staff and interviews with graduates reveal some similarities in perception, but a range of challenges to be addressed. Diversity of perspective characterizes both the student groups’ and lecturers’ responses.

Author Biographies

Alma Fleet, Macquarie University

Alma Fleet teaches in and coordinates the BTeach (ECS), an early childhood teacher education program in the Institute of Early Childhood. Her research interests also include the nature of teachers’ work and processes of educational change.

Rosalind Kitson, Macquarie University

Rosalind Kitson is a lecturer in the Institute of Early Childhood. Her research focuses on transitions, cultural diversity, and the professional pathways of Indigenous teachers. She is a principal researcher for the Child Care Choices of Indigenous Families project, and her research is grounded in qualitative methodologies and framed in a cross-cultural context. Before joining the Institute, Rosalind was lecturer in early childhood education at the University of Brunei in South East Asia.

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How to Cite

Fleet, A., & Kitson, R. (2010). Rethinking Assessment in an Indigenous Specific Program. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 55(3). https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v55i3.55335