Organization(s): Boston University, University of Michigan, Horizon Research, Inc.
Funding agency: National Science Foundation
Program: Discovery Research K-12 (DRK-12)
HRI Role: Research
Project Description
SimulaTE is an early stage design and development project to explore the use of simulations for formative assessments in teacher preparation, focused on eliciting student thinking about mathematics. The purpose of SimulaTE is to develop tools and scaffolds to enable teacher educators to implement formative assessment simulations and provide feedback to preservice elementary teachers (PSTs). The research component will investigate the use of the simulations across multiple teacher education contexts; study the ways in which users perceive, engage in, and make sense of the assessment information provided through these simulations; and establish the validity/reliability of this form of simulation for formative purposes.
Research Purpose
SimulaTE addresses the following research questions:
- How do PSTs make sense of and use the feedback given to them? Are PSTs able to use the feedback to adjust eliciting and interpreting of student thinking in a subsequent simulation? Is the giving of feedback seen as manageable and meaningful by TEs?
- What evidence of reliability and validity of the simulation assessments can be documented?
- What is the reliability of simulation assessment administration and scoring? To what extent are variations in simulation results attributable to differences between PSTs and to other factors? To what extent is the instrument applicable to responses from PSTs in different teacher education programs?
- What evidence supports the validity of using simulations to provide formative feedback to PSTs?
- What does the assessment reveal about the variability of eliciting and interpreting capabilities of PSTs from a variety of teacher education programs?
