Abstract:
This research was framed as a participatory action research project. Action research is an
approach that enables practitioners to study their own pedagogical practices and to conduct an inquiry
in a systematic way. This paper reports on the implementation of a collaboratively assessed mastery of
science concepts test and the impact that it had on teaching and learning for student teachers in a short
science education course. The course was part of a one-year Graduate Diploma of Teaching
programme as teachers in New Zealand primary schools are generalists. Their teaching reaches a wide
range of subjects to students from 5-12 years old. Collaborative learning strategies advantage students
educationally by marshalling peer group influence to focus on intellectual and substantive concerns.
Students take a far more active role in constructing knowledge firstly in the supportive small expert
groups, which is later put into practice in a larger knowledge group. This sociocultural perspective of
learning positions individuals as active participants in a process of transforming their understanding in
collaboration with others, rather than acquiring knowledge and skills as a property or end point of an
individual.