A convincing body of evidence shows that teachers are the most significant in-school influence on student achievement. The process of selecting the most effective future teachers has implications not only for individual applicants and education systems, but for society as a whole.
Researchers from the Psychology in Education Research Centre (PERC) at the University of York are working to develop reliable, valid, practical and evidence-supported selection methods. Results show our pilot SJTs exhibit excellent psychometric properties and are significantly correlated with interview criteria, meaning that the tests may be useful for initial screening of non-cognitive attributes. Results to date demonstrate the feasibility of the approach and have provided a robust rationale for extending the work on a wider platform.
Our work has now been extended to Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, Ireland, and Oman with a number of teacher training providers and education authorities involved in development of locally-relevant content and norms. Further development of SJTs and MMIs to reflect the differential non-cognitive attributes necessary for success in primary and secondary settings is in development.
We dream of the day when every teacher in every school is effective and inspirational for all learners
Lead Researcher
Professor and Chair
Psychology in Education Research Centre
University of York, UK