Contextual Considerations: Revision of the Wiliam and Thompson (2007) Formative Assessment Framework in the Jamaican Context

Abstract

The research context should be carefully considered in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research as it influences the efficacy of the processes and outcomes. This paper describes how contextual factors in the teaching of English in Jamaican secondary schools led to changes in the Wiliam and Thompson (2007) formative assessment framework. Data collected through interviews and observations of 32 teachers of English in the qualitative phase of a mixed-methods study reinforced the conceptualization of formative assessment as a unified framework. However, they elucidated the manifestations of Jamaica’s colonial past and the language context in Jamaican classrooms that necessitated changes to a widely accepted framework. Changes were made to the sequencing of the five aspects to ensure a more effective implementation of the framework in the Jamaican context.

Assessment tools and strategies used by Jamaican secondary school teachers

“…It is essential to consider school-type differences in Jamaica because there are grave disparities in student academic achievement among the different types of secondary schools: traditional high schools for boys, traditional high schools for girls, coeducational traditional high school, upgraded high schools, and technical high schools (Clarke, 2011;Williams-McBean, 2021). Top performers in the primary-level exit examinations are usually placed in traditional high schools.…”

“…Top performers in the primary-level exit examinations are usually placed in traditional high schools. As students' academic achievement (as measured by the exit examinations) decreases, they are placed in upgraded high schools and technical high schools (Clarke, 2011;Williams-McBean, 2021). However, individual upgraded and technical high schools outperform some traditional high schools, and technical high schools outperform some upgraded high schools.…”

“…In the Jamaican context, The National Education Inspectorate (NEI) has repeatedly reported that teachers' use of assessment needs improvement (National Education Inspectorate [NEI], 2013;2015;2016;. Additionally, there is a dearth of empirical research on assessment in Jamaica, in general, and the formative use of assessment in the Jamaican context (Williams-McBean, 2021). I found only one paper on the assessment strategies Jamaican teachers used, and it focused on only one of the seven education regions in Jamaica (Onyefulu, 2018).…”