EDUCATIONAL-GOALS AND TEACHERS PREFERENCE OF INDIVIDUAL REFERENCE-NORMS IN EVALUATING ACADEMIC-ACHIEVEMENT

In evaluating student's achievement teachers can be differentiated whe ther they prefer a social or an individual reference standard (Referen ce-Norm Orientation, RNO). Using a social reference standard (sec. RNO ) means that the results of the student to be evaluated are compared w ith the results of other students. Using an individual reference stand ard (ind. RNO) means that the student's results are evaluated with reg ard to his past achievements. The latter strategy has proven to be mot ivationally effective. Until now it has remained unclear where the RNO -differences between teachers come from. In contrast to the prevailing trait oriented research strategy this study is focussed on the questi on, if the RNO-difference between teachers is due to different educati onal goals. 38 educational goals were rated in a first step according to their general desirability, in a second step according to the exten t in which the goals guide the teacher's classroom activities. Each se t of variables was intercorrelated and factorized (separatly). Teacher s with different RNO did not differ with regard to the educational goa ls' general desirability, but they did however differ in the extent th at these goals guide their classroom actions: Teachers with (relativel y) high individual RNO had higher factor scores on factor I named (<<i ndividual support of student's personality and social behavior>>) and on factor IV (<<effort towards a disciplined curriculum>>). As only 18 % of the RNO variance can be explained by educational goals, it is ass umed, that the evaluating standards partly function as an instrumental strategy for the realisation of educational goals and partly have it' s own value.