Top Otago Education Researcher Receives Award

8 January 2002

Top Otago Education Researcher Receives National Award

An internationally influential University of Otago education researcher has been honoured with a national educational research award for his extensive and innovative work on the assessment of children’s education.

Associate Professor Terry Crooks has received the 2001 McKenzie Award for Educational Research from the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE). He was cited for his “outstanding contributions to educational research, policy and practice, most particularly in the field of educational assessment”.

In presenting the award, it was noted that his paper on “The impact of classroom evaluation practices on students”, published in the prestigious American journal Review of Educational Research, had been highly influential in shaping academic and professional thinking on the topic.

The honour is a timely and richly deserved acknowledgement of Professor Crooks’ qualities as a “highly original thinker, meticulous researcher and dedicated educational advocate”, says Otago Vice-Chancellor Dr Graeme Fogelberg.

“I am delighted that Professor Crooks’ lasting national and international contributions to the theory and practice of educational assessment have been formally recognised by his peers. This recognition highlights the standing of Otago in the international research community, which in turn reflects the University’s continuing emphasis on nurturing a strong research culture,” says Dr Fogelberg.

As a director of the University’s National Education Monitoring Project, Professor Crooks has married an impressive body of research with passionate and effective advocacy that convinced politicians to establish a world-leading monitoring programme, says Dr Fogelberg.

“The result has been a innovative framework for assessing our children’s educational performance that extends beyond pencil and paper testing. Through their approach of using hands-on, stimulating assessments, Professor Crooks and his colleagues are allowing us a richer and more diverse picture of New Zealand students’ capabilities and understanding,” says Dr Fogelberg.

Receiving the award represents a “wonderful recognition of both my work and that of my colleagues”, says Professor Crooks.

“Given the calibre of winners in previous years, this is a truly humbling experience. I’m very pleased but at the same time almost embarrassed.”

The Association also awarded the Rae Munro prize for best MA thesis in Education to Otago Education student Judith Sligo. This award also reflects the quality of research work undertaken by graduate students at Otago, says Dr Fogelberg.

Ends

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