Teachers’ views regarding assessment in technology education

Numerous studies have demonstrated that there is a lack of certified technology teachers in Swedish schools. In this study we explore possible differences between teachers with and without subject-specific education in technology didactics. The research question highlights to what extent teachers with subject-specific training (1) are using steering documents and (2) assessing students differently compared to teachers without academic subject-specific training. The collected data consists of a survey within a large teacher-training project ‘Tekniklyftet’, a technology initiative in which 28 schools in the Stockholm area have signed up for an ambitious technology education development program in their school. The results show that teachers with subject-specific training perceive themselves as more secure in their professional (technology) teacher role and express greater confidence in how to assess pupils in the subject of technology and also in how to use steering documents compared to non-subject specific trained teachers. QC 20140129Tekniklyfte