Rationale and Background

In the 1980s, the growth of student-centred learning and the introduction of

modularised, fl exible curricula were accompanied by new systems of
assessment
and accreditation. Although systems using continuous assessment measured
against speci fi c criteria were already in use, as in the Technical Education
Council
quali fi cations introduced in the UK in the late 1970s, these ideas were further
expanded. Systems of training, professional development and assessment, which
involved a continuous monitoring of performance with a focus on an
individual’s
capacity to implement effectively various skills and competences, gained
increased
prominence. As a result, many educational systems and related sub-sectors
nowadays have established standards or competencies for the assessment of
performance
and consequently for the training and professional development of teachers
(Trorey, 2002 ) .
The foundation of the CBA is best exempli fi ed by the work of Good and
Brophy
( 1984 ) and Good ( 1979 ) . An overall list of strategies and competences has
been
developed by experts in the fi eld. Usually such strategies are highly explicit, for
example, how to greet students, how to praise, how to review homework and
how to
ask higher-level questions. The information comes from outside the classroom,
and
the rationale is that research has shown positive effects on student achievement
when one or more such strategies are employed (Rosenshine, 1987b , p. 90). In
this
context, the basic assumptions of all the variations of this approach are as
follows:
there is a core of information and skills that expert and professional teacher
educators have developed in terms of independent and isolated teaching skills.
This knowledge base forms the framework for training and professional
development
programmes within a variable time frame, for example, short- or long-term
workshops.
There is also variation in the nature of the skills and processes to be acquired,
from
a single discrete concrete activity, such as the use of a 5-second pause in
questioning,
to the development of a comprehensive model for classroom management.
However,
as Sprinthall, Reiman, and Thies-Sprinthall ( 1996 ) argue, in spite of such
differences,
the overall premise is that teachers (student teachers, beginners and experienced
teachers) need expert advice to improve their teaching practice.
From this perspective, we consider that one of the theoretical bases for the
development
of the CBA derives from research on teacher effectiveness related to the
process-product model. Between the 1960s and 1980s, this research led to the
identi fi cation of a range of behaviours which are positively associated with
student
achievement (Borich, 1992 ; Brophy & Good, 1986 ; Doyle, 1986 ; Evertson &
Anderson, 1980 ; Galton, 1987 ; Muijs & Reynolds, 1999 ; Reynolds, Creemers,
Hopkins, Stoll & Bollen, 1996 ) . The fi ndings, many of which have been
validated