The burden of proof

Abstract

This dissertation is accomplished under supervision and in collaboration with a research team, however, to acknowledge my final responsibility for this project I will use the first-person pronoun throughout the Introduction and General Discussion chapters. II This dissertation is a collection of published journal articles and since every chapter is written to be read and understood on its own, some repetition across chapters is inevitable The purpose of assessmentFor decades, researchers and educators have been debating the importance or unfeasibility of the distinction between the formative and summative purpose of assessment. e.g.,20, 25-29 With summative assessment the focus is on making judgements on the outcome of learning processes. These assessments occur at defined points, often at the end of a course or training phase, and are used for selection, certification and accountability purposes. As a result, they tend to shape teaching, learning and the curriculum, and due to the high-stakes consequences of these assessments, mechanisms are put in place to ensure accuracy, consistency, and reliability. The formative purpose of assessment originates from the context of programme evaluation. Formative evaluation was coined by Scriven 30 and used to describe the role that evaluation could 16 CHAPTER 1 Key issues and questions that emerged from the literature described above are conceptualised as:-How is low-stakes assessment constructed and perceived by learners and teachers? How do such conceptualisations influence learning and perceived learning opportunities with assessment? How do teachers and learners conceptualise their own role and responsibility in a whole-system approach?-How do teacher-learner assessment relationships influence assessment perceptions? When and how do these assessment relationships afford (un)productive interactions and guidance for learning?-What are the affordances of an assessment structure designed according to a programmatic approach in relation to its dual-purpose? Methodological choices and dissertation overviewThe research presented in this dissertation aims to explore and advance our understanding of assessment and its potential for learning within a whole-system assessment approach. The methodological choices in this work stem from qualitative research approaches which are particularly appropriate for such an explorative aim. 58,59 Although there are some differences and adaptations, I have used research methodologies originating from an interpretivist paradigm which hold similar stances and assumptions as those in which the questions and aim of this research are positioned. I embrace the idea and value of multiple realities and view myself, as well as the participants, as social beings who construct assessment according to their own values, beliefs and experiences. Consequently, I conceptualise assessment as a value-laden, socially and situated interpretative process. Continuing on this thought, I view the implementation of programmatic assessment as a structure, defined as th...