From fragmentation to coherence: student experience of Assessment for Learning in English
Submitted by:
Julie Arnold
Abstract:
Assessment for learning (AfL) is characterised by teacher clarity about learning goals and processes, student agency, a dialogic classroom culture, and a commitment to the needs of all learners (Assessment Reform Group, 2002). In practice, the cognitive and interpersonal demands of AfL create points of disconnection, especially for students with language and attentional difficulties (Willis et al., 2023). This circumstance is exacerbated in subject English, where the subject matter is amorphous and students may struggle to negotiate a sense of direction and purpose (Marshall, 2004).
Data were collected from 35 student interviews and 22 focus groups in three secondary schools in south-east Queensland, Australia, to answer the questions: How do students experience AfL pedagogies in Year 10 English? and What differences are there in the experiences of students with likely language and attentional difficulties? A variety of methods to elicit recall and response supported students to reflect on teacher AfL practice. Data were analysed in an abductive qualitative inquiry guided by a consideration of six dimensions of student experience of AfL (Arnold, 2022): recognition of whether AfL was occurring, evaluation of the benefits of AfL, emotion, agency, opportunities for interaction, and connectedness.
All students recognised and valued a range of teacher practices. However, students with language and attentional difficulties indicated more uneven recall of processes than their peers, especially when teacher practice of AfL was fragmented and classroom routines prioritised summative assessment. Fragmented AfL in turn compromised the emotional and evaluative dimensions of student experience that can catalyse continuity in learning. Critical insights from all students about how they searched for and secured cohesive participatory experiences points to fragmentation as a 'moment of discomfort' in L1 education that can be mobilised in generative ways to expand students' identities as developing disciplinary experts. The study further indicates how L1 educators can use accessible AfL to expand agentic possibilities for learning beyond the immediate activities of the classroom and improve access to connection and interaction opportunities for students with high-incidence disabilities.
Arnold, J. (2022). Prioritising students in Assessment for Learning: A scoping review of research on students’ classroom experience. Review of Education, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3366
Assessment Reform Group. (2002). Assessment for Learning: 10 principles. Research-based principles to guide classroom practice_. Retrieved from https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/project/the-assessment-reform-group
Marshall, B. (2004). Goals or horizons: the conundrum of progression in English: or a possible way of understanding formative assessment in English. The Curriculum Journal, 15(2), 101-113.
Willis, J., Arnold, J., & DeLuca, C. (2023). Accessibility in assessment for learning: sharing criteria for success. Frontiers in education (Lausanne), 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1170454