ABSTRACT
Self-assessment is described in the literature as a promising method for teacher learning (Airasian, Gullickson, Hahn, & Farland, 1995; Barber, 1990; Ross & Bruce, 2007). Self-assessment is also considered as an attractive method for fostering teachers’ learning, because it can be easily developed and implemented and requires little of the scarcely available time of teachers. It is argued that self-assessment enhances teachers’ understanding of what constitutes good practice (Samuels & Betts, 2007), stimulates the self-monitoring capacities of teachers (Crooks, 1988) and prepares teachers for lifelong learning (Boud, 1995). Nevertheless, these beliefs about effects of self-assessment are hardly underpinned by empirical evidence (Ross & Bruce, 2007). Little is known about how teachers use self-assessment. Understanding how teachers use self-assessment is an important prerequisite for promoting this kind of learning.
