Assessment Matters 10: 2016

International research has found that while Assessment for Learning (AfL) can positively impact on learning, its implementation in different national contexts presents a number of challenges. The integration of AfL in Confucian-influenced settings may be challenged both by traditional beliefs related to the hierarchy of the expert teacher and the passive student and by the dominance of examination-oriented learning. Researchers have now called for different forms of AfL which might be… Read more

This article examines the current use of e-learning to promote preservice teacher development in classroom assessment. Motivating this study are: (1) the perennial challenges assessment educators face in fostering teacher development in the areas of assessment policies, standards, and practices, as documented in the literature and experienced in our own practice; and (2) the potential and promise that recent advancements in web technology hold in enabling new forms of, and approaches to,… Read more

Emergent learning refers to the unplanned and unexpected learning that can occur through student engagement with complex curricular tasks. In this article, we explore expanded conceptions and practices of assessment that recognise and promote emergent forms of learning. We begin our argument by drawing on complexity thinking to define and position emergent learning within current curricular contexts. We then consider four different approaches to the assessment of emergent learning… Read more

This article reports on an exploratory study of over 2,500 secondary school history students in New Zealand who demonstrated gender differences in respect to critical thinking within a disciplinary framework. Initial findings suggest that while boys are not achieving as well as girls in national assessments in history, they (on average) thought more critically about the past. These findings contribute to debates over the disparity between boys’ and girls’ academic achievement. In particular… Read more

Assessment can be powerful when teachers are able to analyse, interpret and use information in ways that enhance their teaching and programmes, and students’ learning. A qualitative approach was used to investigate how teachers of Years 4–8 students analyse, interpret and use information gained from administration of the Progressive Achievement Test: Mathematics (PAT: Mathematics) assessment tool. Six teachers from two schools in a rural district, south of Auckland, participated in the study… Read more

The general editor of Assessment Matters invites interested people to submit articles in the field of assessment in education. The intended readership for these articles is researchers, policy makers and practitioners ...