Improving Assessment in Schools and Examination Performance in Students

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Business Administration

Abstract

The importance of metacognitive competencies in academic achievement should be addressed in schools and education technology. The author's company, Performance Learning Education (PL), has developed an approach to support teachers and learners in developing these competencies. This aims to test whether a metacognitive approach to predicting and enhancing performance can be more accurate, sustainable, and more meaningful for the pupil, the teachers, parents and the establishment in which they are learning, compared with current methods. A skills-based system alongside academic modules can improve a learner's educational journey and exam results.

This thesis aims to develop a proven, systematic, and scalable approach to identifying the strengths and weaknesses of pupils' learning skills and metacognitive competencies, regardless of their abilities (ranging from low to high), and by doing so, it will provide a prescriptive and effective method for enhancing the pupils' strengths, bridging gaps in their skills, and ultimately resulting in improved exam results and sustainable long-term learning, with higher levels of pupil engagement.

Along with a personalised coaching programme which is delivered through PL’s technology platform for every pupil, the work presented in this thesis aims to enhance the accuracy of predicting grades in schools by providing an online assessment tool that uses an algorithm to link lifestyle and behavioural patterns to academic performance. It also aims to provide more accurate reports to senior education leaders, parents, and pupils so they can better assess performance and improve.

The thesis is segmented around four core objectives to help achieve this overarching vision. The first objective is to prove that assessing a learner's behaviour, perception, and skill set towards a subject accurately predicts their test and exam performance. The second objective is to create an accessible framework that schools and colleges will adopt with stakeholder buy-in. The third objective is to encourage teachers to use technology to measure learners' understanding of the material. The fourth objective is to show that teaching PL's curriculum alongside the core curriculum will improve pupils' ability to access, understand, and apply their learning to a point where they can achieve better results in a faster, more enjoyable, sustainable manner. Through these objectives, the work presented in this thesis will have impact on pupils and educational establishments, as well as shaping my organisation.

Without this work, there will be a lack of targeted support, poor academic performance in hard-to-reach and deprived areas, decreasing pupil engagement and attainment post-Covid-19, with further inequitable outcomes and missed opportunities for innovation in education.
Date of AwardAug 2024
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Coventry University

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