Prospective educators as consumers of empirical research: an authentic assessment approach to make their competencies visible

Educators today have to be able to make current empirical research results usable for everyday practice. Consequently, there are increasing endeavors to develop and assess competencies in consuming empirical research (CCER) on an academic level. However, problems with regard to recruiting and motivating test participants—rooted in the prevalence of low-stakes testing conditions—could limit confidence in the validity of the findings. The current study presents a structure and proficiency level modeling for CCER under high-stakes conditions. The sample comprises N = 155 bachelor students of Human Resource Education and Management. The assessment design of the 26 items complied with demanding standards for designing tests (such as Evidence-Centered Design and authenticity). The results are as follows: (1) We were able to confirm our expected structural model which consists of two dimensions (‘conceptual competencies’ and ‘statistical competencies’) instead of one overarching dimension. (2) The test items are of a high quality. (3) Three levels of CCER could be defined according to two task characteristics (cognitive processes and complexity) which explain nearly 100% of the prospective educators’ CCER abilities. The results of the study show that we succeeded in designing a reliable and valid test instrument for assessing (prospective) VET-educators’ competencies in consuming empirical research.