Development of a Self-Assessment Tool for Adult Educators in Higher Vocational Training Schools


Published: Jul 14, 2026
Keywords:
self-assessment adult educator vocational training Schools of Higher Vocational Training
Georgios Lazaridis
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1267-4013
Maria Papaioannou
Abstract

Self-evaluation constitutes a critical process in adult education, functioning both as a practice of professional empowerment and as a mechanism of accountability. Within the context of Public Schools of Advanced Vocational Training, where instructors are required to integrate pedagogical, professional, and administrative responsibilities, the absence of standardized self-evaluation instruments creates substantial barriers to the systematic appraisal of the educational work they deliver.


The purpose of this article is to present a new psychometrically validated self-evaluation instrument for Adult Educators serving in Public Schools of Advanced Vocational Training. Its development was grounded in the international literature on adult educator evaluation, reflective practice, and quality assurance, as well as in the institutional evaluation framework governing Public Schools of Advanced Vocational Training. The instrument was developed through a systematic, multi-stage process that included theoretical mapping, expert review, and empirical investigation. Data were collected from 179 adult educators and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and reliability indices. In its final form, the instrument comprises 24 variables organized into three domains: instructional, pedagogical, and administrative competence.


The results supported a second-order hierarchical factor structure consisting of three broad dimensions and seven first-order subdimensions. Overall, the model fit indices indicated an acceptable level of fit, taking into account the conceptual coherence and structural complexity of the model. The internal consistency of the dimensions was found to be high, as evidenced by the reliability indices. Overall, the proposed questionnaire represents a theoretically grounded and empirically substantiated framework for the self-evaluation of educators and can make a substantial contribution to quality assurance processes.

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