RESEARCH CENTRE FOR EDUCATION, ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING

REAL

The Research centre for Education, Assessment and Learning (REAL) conducts large-scale studies on the assessment of education, with a particular focus on learning to learn and transversal competences. The centre aims to contribute to the scientific knowledge in the different areas of educational evaluation and to train experts in educational evaluation. REAL is composed of researchers from the Universities of Tampere and Helsinki and works closely with other universities.

Research interests

REAL's overall aim is to develop the scientific and methodological quality of educational evaluation studies, often based on practical needs, and to train future evaluation researchers to meet the needs of our society. In terms of content, its themes focus in particular on the measurement and practice of transversal competences (e.g. learning to learn and thinking skills) using innovative technological solutions enabled by e-assessment. It will also study learning and schooling support arrangements at system level. The different research themes are linked by the aim of ensuring equity in education by developing feedback systems at different levels, from individual pupils to education providers and policy makers.

Theoretical background and methodological choices

From a theoretical point of view, the work of REAL contributes to pedagogical psychology, but also incorporates educational and sociological approaches in order to understand the development of learning in the context of school. The team focuses on analysing large-scale quantitative assessments, statistics, and inventory data, in particular by using structural equation modeling and multi-platform modeling applications. Moreover, the centre analyses log data from computer-based assessments to explore the relationship between context-specific factors and problems of educational equality (e.g. large gender gaps in learning outcomes).