Science teachers’ beliefs about teaching and assessment of scientific competences and their intention to use science e-test feedback

The study explores science teachers’ beliefs about teaching and assessment of scientific competences to estimate their intention to use of Estonia’s nationwide science e-test feedback for improving teaching and student learning. Semi-structured interviews with 15 science teachers were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Three groups of teachers emerged based on their beliefs about teaching and assessment: (1) close-to-constructivist (ConG) teachers, who believe in student-centred teaching and whose assessment beliefs are primarily driven by improvement purposes; (2) close-to-traditional (TradG) teachers, who believe in teacher-led teaching and whose assessment beliefs are primarily driven by accountability purposes; (3) transitional (TranG) teachers, whose beliefs reflect a combination of both teaching approaches and acknowledge both improvement and accountability as key purposes of assessment. Findings suggest that ConG teachers were the most open to using e-test feedback, while TradG teachers were resistant. The TranG acknowledged the importance of developing scientific competences but lacked the skills to effectively use e-test feedback. These findings highlight the need for targeted professional development and supportive policies to help teachers implement competence-based education effectively.