Correction: Mapping teachers' perceived importance of assessment competence: a quantitative exploration in the context of Dutch higher vocational education

Vocational teachers assess whether students are ready to start in vocational practice. Consequently, teachers’ assessment competence is an important facet of their teaching competence. Assessment competence is a multilayered concept, defined in this study through eight aspects that reflect the culture of vocational fields and the diverse assessment-related roles that extend beyond the classroom, in which vocational teachers frequently engage. This large-scale, quantitative study aims to map vocational educational teachers’ perceived importance of assessment competence. Teachers from 18 Universities of Applied Sciences and six vocational fields participated, with 510 teachers completing an online questionnaire. In this questionnaire, participants responded to statements in relation to an assessment situation and their corresponding role, both of which they had described themselves at the outset. All eight aspects of assessment competence were perceived as highly important by the teachers and demonstrated interrelationships. While the overall findings suggest high agreement, a left-skewed distribution revealed variation at the individual level. No significant differences were observed across the various vocational fields. However, five of the eight aspects were rated as more important in beyond-classroom situations compared to classroom settings. Post hoc analysis revealed that differences in perceptions of importance became more apparent with increased experience. Given the distribution of the findings, nuances and manifestations of assessment competence might be very situational, underscoring the need for in-depth research.