Students are rarely explicitly taught how to develop their writing within a subject discipline, as there is usually a focus on teaching content. However, academic writing, and in particular Academic Reflective Writing (ARW), is very challenging for most students. In this study, a series of three embedded writing development interventions were trailed with successive cohorts of postgraduate Nursing students writing a summative 4000 word piece of ARW. The interventions included the use of example texts to make task requirements more explicit, formative peer feedback on draft texts and facilitating increased dialogue between staff and students regarding expectations of this task. Overall the interventions represented a shift towards assessment for learning. Quantitative results showed a decrease in the number of students investigated for plagiarism, a rise in pass rates and mean grades, and an increased uptake of academic supervision over the three cohorts. In addition, complementary findings from a self-selected focus group interview indicated that respondents perceived the writing development activities to be very useful. In particular, the formative peer and tutor review of written drafts, was valued. However, a limitation of this pragmatic mixed method study was that the three cohorts were non-equivalent. Despite this, it is argued that, as ARW is so complex, disciplinary academics should embed explicit guidance and scaffolding in their teaching in order to enhance written reflection and learning. Failure to do so may lead ARW to become an exclusive educational practice leading to unintentional plagiarism and poor written reflection on practice.

<p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Bedömning inom skolan är något komplext och bedömningsbegrepp likaså, hur de definieras, tolkas och används. Hur bedömning förmedlas till en elev är av stor betydelse för det fortsatta lärandet. Rätt utformad kan denna förmedling resultera i ett ökat engagemang hos eleven och en förbättring av elevens lärande. Behovet av att förstå bedömningsprocesser och olika former av bedömning är idag högaktuellt inom svensk grundskola i och med att landets skolor och rektorer givits i uppdrag att utforma skriftliga omdömen från skolår 1. Även om det gått snart ett år sedan uppdraget gavs är det i kontakter med lärare och rektorer tydligt att utformandet av skriftliga omdömen i många fall är en process som är långt ifrån klar. För att kunna utforma dessa omdömen på tillfredsställande sätt behövs djupare kunskaper om bedömningsbegrepp.</p><p> </p><p>Denna studie är en forskningsöversikt, en analytisk undersökning av aktuell forskning kring bedömningsbegreppet. I översikten problematiseras bedömningsbegreppet inom skolans värld för att tydliggöra hur olika former av bedömning definieras och används inom svensk och anglosaxisk forskning. Undersökningen omfattar 48 källor, varav 27 svenska. Dessa har analyserats genom en studie av definitioner, argument, formuleringar, författarnas perspektiv och eventuella personliga ställningstaganden, samt om de är att betrakta som problematiserande eller enbart konstaterande.</p><p> </p><p>Resultatet visar att det inom den anglosaxiska forskningen, som dominerar den internationella forskningen kring bedömning, finns en betydligt högre grad av problematisering och diskussion kring bedömningsbegrepp än inom svensk forskning. Inom svensk forskning är det istället lätt att tro att det råder konsensus i hur man tolkar och förstår bedömningsbegrepp. Denna villfarelse skapas av en brist på definitioner och en avsaknad av diskussioner kring begrepp. Istället problematiseras summativ bedömning i form av betyg utifrån frågan om likvärdighet, en diskussion som saknas i anglosaxisk forskning.</p><p> </p><p>Vid en jämförelse av svensk och anglosaxisk forskning kring bedömning framträder en tydlig skillnad i fokus, även om svensk forskning börjar närma sig ett anglosaxiskt perspektiv. Detta genom att inta ett övergripande perspektiv på bedömning istället för att se formativ och summativ bedömning som separata företeelser. Att tala övergripande i termer av kunskapsbedömning innebär dock inte att svårigheterna för bedömning att uppfylla kraven för att tillskrivas såväl formativ som summativ karaktär försvinner Detta är något som den anglosaxiska forskningen tydligt vittnar om.</p>

Bedömning inom skolan är något komplext och bedömningsbegrepp likaså, hur de definieras, tolkas och används. Hur bedömning förmedlas till en elev är av stor betydelse för det fortsatta lärandet. Rätt utformad kan denna förmedling resultera i ett ökat engagemang hos eleven och en förbättring av elevens lärande. Behovet av att förstå bedömningsprocesser och olika former av bedömning är idag högaktuellt inom svensk grundskola i och med att landets skolor och rektorer givits i uppdrag att utforma skriftliga omdömen från skolår 1. Även om det gått snart ett år sedan uppdraget gavs är det i kontakter med lärare och rektorer tydligt att utformandet av skriftliga omdömen i många fall är en process som är långt ifrån klar. För att kunna utforma dessa omdömen på tillfredsställande sätt behövs djupare kunskaper om bedömningsbegrepp.   Denna studie är en forskningsöversikt, en analytisk undersökning av aktuell forskning kring bedömningsbegreppet. I översikten problematiseras bedömningsbegreppet inom skolans värld för att tydliggöra hur olika former av bedömning definieras och används inom svensk och anglosaxisk forskning. Undersökningen omfattar 48 källor, varav 27 svenska. Dessa har analyserats genom en studie av definitioner, argument, formuleringar, författarnas perspektiv och eventuella personliga ställningstaganden, samt om de är att betrakta som problematiserande eller enbart konstaterande.   Resultatet visar att det inom den anglosaxiska forskningen, som dominerar den internationella forskningen kring bedömning, finns en betydligt högre grad av problematisering och diskussion kring bedömningsbegrepp än inom svensk forskning. Inom svensk forskning är det istället lätt att tro att det råder konsensus i hur man tolkar och förstår bedömningsbegrepp. Denna villfarelse skapas av en brist på definitioner och en avsaknad av diskussioner kring begrepp. Istället problematiseras summativ bedömning i form av betyg utifrån frågan om likvärdighet, en diskussion som saknas i anglosaxisk forskning.   Vid en jämförelse av svensk och anglosaxisk forskning kring bedömning framträder en tydlig skillnad i fokus, även om svensk forskning börjar närma sig ett anglosaxiskt perspektiv. Detta genom att inta ett övergripande perspektiv på bedömning istället för att se formativ och summativ bedömning som separata företeelser. Att tala övergripande i termer av kunskapsbedömning innebär dock inte att svårigheterna för bedömning att uppfylla kraven för att tillskrivas såväl formativ som summativ karaktär försvinner Detta är något som den anglosaxiska forskningen tydligt vittnar om.

The diploma thesis deals with the primary pupils' assessment aimed to support effective learning. In the first section a theoretical background of school and formative assessment is discussed. The concept of assessment, its history, types and function are briefly commented. Further the proposed thesis addresses the idea of assessment for learning and respective approaches with direct connection to the research inquiries. The following section of the thesis concerns empirical investigation of the assessment of two primary school teachers from selected third and fifth-year primary school classes along with the perception of the formative assessment by their pupils. The practical part based on the gained theoretical insight is carried out in a qualitative manner. For the purpose of investigation, a case study of formative assessment aimed at mapping, analyzing and evaluation in the context of school learning systems is proposed. The proposed thesis provides findings about how is the formative assessment put into effect and how this innovative technique is viewed not only by pupils, but also elementary school teachers. According to the conducted research both interviewed teachers integrate formative assessment principles in their classes. Even though the teacher from the third-year class prefers the...

Published Article / The study addresses a concern in higher education and specifically in Health Sciences and Technology regarding integrated and authentic assessment with an outcomes-based approach. From the information generated, an assessment model is proposed for application in Health Sciences and Technology. By applying the Delphi technique, a validated assessment model is presented for assessment in outcomes-based education and training in Health Sciences and Technology. The process and product of the research should add value to the assessment of learning in the outcomes-based approach in higher education with specific reference to Health Sciences and Technology.

This essay approaches the different kinds of feedback that teachers in Spanish give to their secondary level students in Sweden. The purpose of the study is to investigate how feedback is perceived by students and how students would like feedback to be. Classical studies about assessment divide feedback into two categories: formative feedback and summative feedback. Our study intends, on the one hand, to analyze if students perceive receiving one of these kinds of feedback more than the other. On the other hand, the study intends to find out if students prefer summative or formative feedback. Furthermore, we aim to analyze if there is a link between the students´ perceptions and preferences and their level of proficiency in the Spanish language. The study was carried out with 190 students from Småland (Sweden) that were studying Spanish as a foreign language at school. We used questionnaires in order to gather information about the feedback they get in their Spanish lessons and the feedback they personally prefer. The results of the study show that students do perceive receiving more summative feedback than formative feeback. The students who perceive a higher reception of formative feedback are those who have a higher proficiency in Spanish, and this fact was proved to be statistically significant. The results of the study show as well that students like to get formative feedback as much as summative feedback. Nevertheless, the higher achivers do prefer getting formative feedback in a higher grade than the lower achievers, even though this could not be proved as statistically significant.

The number of students entering higher education has grown considerably during the last decade. High student numbers and the attendant large class sizes present significant challenges for teachers. Such challenges include knowing how to ensure students are engaging in appropriate out-of-class activity, how to provide prompt and personalised feedback and how to establish what students know and what they don't. If these challenges are left un-resolved the students' learning will not be well supported. This could ultimately lead to students failing modules. This research presents a response to the growth of the student population and was prompted by a high failure rate in a core first year engineering module. The large numbers of students enrolled on the module presented exactly the kinds of challenges noted above, and the existing assessment regime did little to motivate student learning. The response presented in this thesis is the design, development, testing, implementation and evaluation of a new assessment programme; an approach to assessment that provides students with unique weekly tasks. The tasks were formally assessed and contributed towards the students' marks for the module. To ensure the viability of the assessment programme, bespoke computer tools were developed to create, collect and mark the tasks, and to provide feedback to the students. The implementation has been evaluated through an exploration of the impact of the assessment programme on student support, teaching and student learning. In three of the four years where the students were exposed to the assessment programme, the failure rate on the module decreased. The reduction in failure rate is arguably associated with the alignment of the assessment programme with good pedagogy. During the implementation of the assessment programme, the students were engaging in appropriate out-of-class activity in relation to the current topic area. The students had an opportunity to engage in dialogue with their peers and were receiving prompt and regular feedback. The teachers also benefited, since they were able to prepare lectures according to the students' level of demonstrable understanding. In the case where the failure rate did not improve, the students themselves suggested they were downloading and using worked solutions to the problems from the internet. It is suggested that such activity neither provides meaningful opportunity to practise, nor alerts the students to their genuine levels of understanding of the topic areas. In this case the students were following solution procedures rather than developing their own. Student feedback on the assessment has been positive, with many noting how being led to engage with their studies was useful. Somewhat concerning was the feedback from students who noted &quot;they thought the work would help them with their examinations&quot;, &quot;they wanted the assessment programme used on other modules&quot; and yet many indicated &quot;they would not have engaged with the activity if it did not count towards the module grade&quot;.

This thesis investigates upper secondary students’ usage of scientific and colloquial language through a custom-designed game. The aim of the game is for the participants to, without any time limit, explain chemical concepts using other words than the one written on the playing card so that the partner is able to guess what the target concept is. During the audio recorded game sessions the students showed usage of scientific and colloquial language as well as a blend of these two linguistic resources. The students also used metaphors and helpwords in some measure together with a linguistic resource that seems to border to spontaneous metaphors and helpwords, here referred to as ‘phonetic metaphors’. These phonetic metaphors seem to lack a direct connection to the chemical meaning of the target concept in return for its phonetic connection to the concept. It though seems like the students’ usage of these different linguistic resources may support meaning making processes as well as memorization processes. The thesis concludes with a discussion according whether this game, if used professionally and thoughtfully, aligns with the guidelines for Assessment for Learning specified by the Assessment Reform Group and whether it may function as a tool for assessment for learning in practice.

A avaliação é um elemento natural presente no cotidiano do ser humano e realizado constantemente em diferentes situações, das mais simples às mais complexas. No contexto escolar, apesar de perpassar toda a dinâmica educativa e ter como um dos objetivos contribuir para a construção de saberes rumo ao êxito do ensino, na memória social coletiva a avaliação de aprendizagem é marcada por diferentes representações, tais como a de ser uma prática social antidemocrática, burocrática e centralizada nas mãos do professor. Com o intuito de propor novas perspectivas às discussões realizadas por pesquisadores que defendem a articulação entre a avaliação de aprendizagem e o desenvolvimento de uma prática pedagógica comprometida com a construção coletiva, esta pesquisa objetivou apreender, a partir das representações de estudantes e de profissionais de secretariado brasileiros, os sentidos e os significados atribuídos à avaliação de aprendizagem de francês língua estrangeira (FLE). Por se tratar de um trabalho que se situa na confluência de áreas do conhecimento que são, ao mesmo tempo, conexas e próprias, como as ciências sociais, a pedagogia e o ensino-aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras, adotaram-se como referenciais teóricos autores como Moscovici (1989), Abric (1994), Lussier e Turner (1995), Sá (1998), Perrenoud (1999), Chardenet (1999), Castellotti e Moore (2002), Bonniol e Vial (2001), Hadji (2001), Py (2004), Tagliante (2005) e Hoffmann (2008). Visto que o repertório linguístico é o suporte considerado mais concreto para o estudo das representações sociais, neste estudo foram analisados os discursos de dezoito estudantes e de oito profissionais brasileiros de secretariado, obtidos por meio da aplicação de dois questionários semiestruturados, elaborados em função das especificidades de cada um dos dois grupos.O tratamento dos dados foi baseado na metodologia de análise de conteúdo proposta por Bardin (2011) e, no caso das respostas fornecidas na questão elaborada com base na técnica de associação ou evocação livre, pelo método proposto por Vergès (1992). Tais procedimentos permitiram a criação de cinco categorizações dos sentidos e significados contidos nas representações investigadas, a saber: 1. A avaliação de aprendizagem como sinônimo de instrumentos avaliativos: noção estável, embora reducionista; 2. A inadequação de instrumentos avaliativos vigentes no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de FLE; 3. A avaliação certificativa como possível diferencial no currículo do profissional de secretariado?; 4. Os papéis desempenhados pelo professor e pelo aprendiz na avaliação: entre a rigidez e a descontração e 5. A avaliação que transcende o espaço da sala de aula. A discussão dos resultados desta pesquisa aponta para a necessidade da instauração de um ambiente de estímulo à autonomia do aprendiz e, consequentemente, à autoavaliação. Para além das categorizações, o estudo propõe uma reflexão em torno da noção da avaliação. / Evaluation is a natural element in the daily lives of human beings, and it is performed constantly in different situations - from the simplest to the most complex ones. In the school context, the assessment of learning permeates the whole educational dynamics and has as one of its objectives to contribute to the construction of knowledge towards the success of education, even if it is featured by various representations - such as being a social undemocratic bureaucratic practice centralized in the teacher\'s hands - in the collective social memory. In order to offer new perspectives to the discussions held by researchers who advocate the link between the assessment of learning and the development of a pedagogical practice committed to the collective construction, the present research aimed at understanding the sense and the meanings attributed to the assessment of learning French as a foreign language (FFL) from Brazilian students\' and secretarial professionals\' representations. As this is a study which deals with areas of knowledge that are related and individual at the same time, such as the social sciences, pedagogy, and foreign language learning and teaching, authors such as Moscovici (1989), Abric (1994), Lussier and Tuner (1995), SA (1998), Perrenoud (1999), Chardenet (1999), Castellotti and Moore (2002), Bonniol and Vial (2001), Hadji (2001), Py (2004), Tagliante (2005) and Hoffmann (2008) were adopted as theoretical frameworks. Since the linguistic repertoire is considered to be the most concrete support for studying the social representations, this study analyzed the speeches of 18 Brazilian students and 8 secretarial professionals. These speeches were obtained by applying two semi-structured questionnaires developed according to the specificities of each group. Data analysis was based on the content analysis methodology proposed by Bardin (2011), and also on the method proposed by Vergès (1992) in the case of the answers provided in the question developed with the association technique or free recall. Such procedures allowed to create five categorizations of the senses and meanings contained in the investigated representations, namely: 1. Assessment of learning as synonymous with assessment tools: stable notion, although it is reductionist; 2. The inadequacy of the assessment instruments in force in the FFL learning and teaching process; 3.Certification evaluation as a likely differential in the secretarial professionals curriculum?; 4. The roles played by the teacher and the learner in the assessment between rigidity and relaxation; and 5. The assessment that transcends the classroom space. The discussion on the results of this research points to the need for establishing a stimulating environment for learner autonomy, hence self-assessment. In addition to the categorization, this study proposes a reflection on the notion of assessment.

A presente pesquisa se propõe a empreender uma reflexão sobre os instrumentos e as práticas de avaliação em alfabetização, no que se refere ao trabalho docente, a partir da análise de episódios de avaliação em uma turma de 1º. ano do ensino fundamental I de uma escola da rede municipal de ensino de São Paulo, tendo como foco o trabalho desenvolvido no âmbito do Programa Ler e Escrever. O estudo intenciona refletir sobre a aplicação do instrumento de avaliação do nível de aquisição do sistema de escrita alfabético dos alunos em processo de alfabetização, denominado sondagem, almejando contribuir para a discussão e o repensar das práticas de avaliação da alfabetização no ensino fundamental. O corpus gerado por meio da metodologia qualitativa de caráter etnográfico é composto por um conjunto de gravações em áudio, realizadas em sala de aula e anotações em diário de campo. Busca-se investigar como a avaliação da alfabetização se configura nas seguintes esferas: na sala de aula, no planejamento da professora alfabetizadora e nos materiais oficiais do Programa Ler e Escrever. Do ponto de vista teórico, a pesquisa se fundamenta nos estudos que se referem ao trabalho docente em ação na esfera escolar e de formação (TARDIF & LESSARD, 2005; AEBY DAGUÉ & DOLZ, 2007; SCHNEUWLY, 2000, 2002, 2009a, 2009b). Nesta direção, as interações face a face (professora/aluno) em que se constitui a avaliação do nível de aquisição do sistema de escrita alfabético, a sondagem, são analisados, em seu nível didático, a partir do conceito de gestos profissionais (AEBY DAGUÉ & DOLZ, 2007; AEBY DAGUÉ, 2009; JACQUIN, 2010; SCHNEUWLY, 2000, 2009b) com destaque para o gesto de regulação e, em nível textual-interacional, a partir da unidade dialógica pergunta-resposta (FÁVERO, ANDRADE, AQUINO, 2006). O estudo considera que a regulação pela sondagem, a partir do momento que passa a ser institucionalizada pela Secretaria Municipal de Educação de São Paulo como principal instrumento de avaliação da alfabetização, determina sob diferentes aspectos o trabalho do professor, ao mesmo tempo que reconfigura-se na interação que ele constrói com crianças em processo de apropriação da escrita. / This research proposes to think about the instruments and assessment practices in literacy, with regard to teaching, from the analysis of episodes of assessment in a first-grade class in a municipal school in São Paulo, focusing on the work done under the Programa Ler e Escrever (Reading and Writing Program). The study intends to reflect on the application of the instrument for assessing the level of acquisition of the alphabetic writing system of the students in the literacy process, called sondagem (poll). It aims to contribute to discussing and rethinking assessment practices of literacy in elementary school. The corpus generated by the ethnographic qualitative methodology consists of a set of audio recordings, performed in the classroom and on field notes. The aim is to investigate how literacy assessment is configured in the following areas: classroom, the planning done by the literacy teacher and official materials of the Program. From a theoretical standpoint, the research is based on studies that relate to teaching in action in education and training spheres (TARDIF & LESSARD, 2005; AEBY DAGUÉ & DOLZ, 2007; SCHNEUWLY, 2000, 2002, 2009a, 2009b). In this direction, face to face interactions (teacher / student) in which it is assessing the level of acquisition of the alphabetic writing system (sondagem) are analyzed in their educational level, from the concept of professional gestures (AEBY DAGUÉ & DOLZ, 2007; AEBY DAGUÉ, 2009; JACQUIN, 2010; SCHNEUWLY, 2000, 2009b), especially the gesture of regulation, and interactional-textual level, from the question-answer dialogue. This study finds that the regulation by the sondagem (from the moment it becomes institutionalized by the Municipal Education as the main instrument for literacy assessment) determines (under different aspects) the teacher\'s work, at the same time that reconfigures itself in the interaction with children in the appropriation process of writing.