Contribution in an anthology

Authors list: Braun, E; Schwabe, U; Klein, D

Appeared in: Handbook of Vocational Education and Training: Developments in the Changing World of Work

Editor list: McGrath, S; Mulder, M; Papier, J; Suart, R

Publication year: 2019

Pages: 1-11

ISBN: 978-3-319-94531-6

eISBN: 978-3-319-49789-1

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49789-1_82-1

Edition: 1. Auflage

Abstract: 

Modelling and job-related assessment of vocational
competences has been traditionally a major aspect for vocational education and
training (VET) in order to adequately define and train necessary competences in
the context of a dynamic, ever-changing occupational world, as the “ASCOT”
research initiative has demonstrated. Similarly, one of the main objectives of
higher education (HE) consists in preparing students for the demands of the
labor market. This implies that not only discipline-specific competences and
expert knowledge need to be acquired during studies but also more generic
competences like communication skills. In order to be able to assess such
generic learning outcomes of HE, performance-based test instruments are
required.Within this chapter, a conceptual framework as well as these method of
such a performance-based test of students’ communication skills will be
presented. In vivo role plays are used in order to assess the relevant
communication skills, respectively. Using Habermas’ (1981) theory of
communicative action, the conceptual elements corresponding with the two
distinct types of communicative action, which are strategic and
understanding-oriented communication, have been extracted. Furthermore,
empirical results concerning the relation between discipline-specific
competences of economics and observed performance of communication skills will
be reported. The data were collected from a sample of nearly 500 students from
ten different HE institutions within Germany.The discussion will firstly
address the application for assessment practice in HE as well as the potential
limitations of the test; and secondly possible synergy effects between HE and
VET assessment practices will be reflected.

Harvard Citation style: Braun, E., Schwabe, U. and Klein, D. (2019) Performance-Based Tests: Using Role Plays to Assess Communication Skills, in McGrath, S., Mulder, M., Papier, J. and Suart, R. (eds.) Handbook of Vocational Education and Training: Developments in the Changing World of Work. 1. Auflage. Cham: Springer International Publishing - Springer, pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49789-1_82-1

APA Citation style: Braun, E., Schwabe, U., & Klein, D. (2019). Performance-Based Tests: Using Role Plays to Assess Communication Skills. In McGrath, S., Mulder, M., Papier, J., & Suart, R. (Eds.), Handbook of Vocational Education and Training: Developments in the Changing World of Work (1. Auflage, pp. 1-11). Springer International Publishing - Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49789-1_82-1