A Phenomenological Study of Teachers' Experiences of the Effect of Qualitative-Descriptive Evaluation on the Psychological Well-Being of Elementary School Students

The descriptive assessment approach is designed to move beyond traditional grading, focusing instead on a continuous process of monitoring student progress. This is achieved through the active involvement of students and parents, using various tools to help teachers closely examine and understand students' efforts and learning pathways. The data gathered is analyzed to create effective learning plans, helping students and their families address learning challenges. This study aimed to phenomenologically analyze the lived experiences of elementary school teachers in Ardal County to understand how the implementation of qualitative-descriptive assessment has affected students' psychological well-being.
Using a qualitative research approach with a phenomenological method, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 elementary school teachers selected through purposeful sampling. Data saturation was reached after these interviews, and the analysis was performed using the three-stage approach by van Manen. Our deep analysis of the teachers' experiences revealed three main themes and nine sub-themes. The findings indicate that implementing qualitative-descriptive assessment has had both positive and negative effects on students' psychological well-being, which in turn influenced how teachers perceived this method.
The study concludes that while qualitative-descriptive assessment can be effective in improving students' psychological well-being when implemented correctly, its success is often limited by challenges such as a lack of adequate teacher training and parental resistance. The insights gained from these teachers' real-world experiences can be valuable for curriculum planners, helping them address existing limitations and enhance the program's effectiveness. The results of this research can be used to inform educational policy reforms and design better professional development programs for teachers. It is important to note that the study's scope was limited to a specific geographic area and did not include the perspectives of other stakeholders.