Assessment for learning : formative assessment in the English language secondary classroom

Abstract

This dissertation is prompted by the recent NMC (1999), a white paper which places assessment at the heart of learning in schools and presents a strong case for a renewed thrust for formative assessment to be part of secondary schooling. It has fuelled the assessment debate and ushered in an era of discourse on the purposes of assessment. Education researchers find evidence that formative assessment, that is assessment for learning, is effective, however, it is effective if it takes place in a supportive classroom, where the teacher and individual students view teaching, learning and assessment as a whole process occurring in the everyday classroom. This study attempts to capture the practice of formative assessment as observed in a form 1, form 2, form 3 and form 4 boys' secondary classrooms in 2003. In this dissertation, the features of classroom assessment are first examined through systematic observations. Interviews are then held to investigate the meaning of assessment for teachers and students, formative assessment in particular. This study reported that teachers' own views and beliefs about pupils' ability and their use of the deficit model of the student to explain failure, militate against developing a supportive pedagogy. Students' and teachers' responses provided the evidence that summative assessment still dominates classroom techniques and attitudes. In consequence, their responses revealed a desire for an assessment culture change, where the students and their learning process is at the centre. Yet, teachers emphasised that particular present conditions need to be modified for this change to be possible. In all, this research argues for the notion of formative assessment to be developed further through professional support and context-specific training.