Nagaland University researchers develop test to improve teaching practices

GUWAHATI: Researchers at Nagaland University have developed a 50-item achievement test to assess how well trainee teachers understand inclusive education, a statement said on Monday.

The test is expected to help identify gaps in teacher preparation and improve teaching practices for children with diverse learning needs. It assumes significance in the context of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which calls for preparing teachers to create classrooms where children, irrespective of their abilities, can learn together.

The statement said there was a gap in the assessment of teacher education , with most existing tools focusing on teachers' attitudes or confidence in handling classrooms.

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Gap in teacher preparation

"Few actually measure what future teachers know about education - its concepts, practices and policies. The new test aims to fill that gap. It can help teacher education institutions spot areas where trainee teachers struggle," it maintained.

The findings were published in the 'International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science', a peer-reviewed open-access journal covering education, social sciences, economics and management.

The paper was co-authored by Aseto Iralu Meyase, a research scholar, and Gyanendra Nath Tiwari of the Department of Teacher Education, Nagaland University. Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Jagadish K Patnaik called upon researchers to develop solutions with real-world applications.

"The study addresses an important gap in teacher preparation by examining the understanding of prospective teachers and offers valuable scope for strengthening B.Ed. programmes, particularly in Nagaland and the North-Eastern region. I hope this research will contribute to improving teacher education, promoting inclusive classroom practices and advancing the vision of NEP 2020," he said.

The test was developed around Nagaland University's B.Ed. Course-10, titled 'Creating an Inclusive School'. It covers five areas, with questions designed to assess different levels of thinking, ranging from simple recall to applying knowledge, analysing situations and evaluating possible solutions.

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Nagaland University's 50-item test

Explaining the research process, Tiwari said, "We started with 60 questions. We reviewed them before being used with 42 M.Ed. students at the Kohima Campus. We looked at how difficult each question was, how well it could tell strong and weak performers, and how consistent the test was overall."

Meyase said, "Based on our analysis, we removed 10 questions that did not work well. This left us with a 50-item test. The internal consistency of the test, measured by Cronbach's alpha went up from 0.641 to 0.727. This means the test is more reliable now. More testing is needed to confirm its stability across larger and more varied groups of trainee teachers."

"The results showed that questions asking students to apply or analyse knowledge performed better. That suggests it was more useful to test how well future teachers can use what they know, not just what they remember," the statement said.

"Over time, better teacher preparation could lead to more inclusive classrooms for children with different learning needs. The study does not yet prove that higher test scores mean better teaching or better student outcomes. That needs research," it added.

The method used could be adapted to help North Eastern states, especially. Each state has its teacher education curriculum and context, and this approach can guide the creation of tools that fit local needs, the statement said.