This is a grounded enquiry which seeks to uncover why Assessment for Learning (AfL) is difficult for teachers to put into practice. Through a subjective-interpretive methodology it explores the experiences of seven teachers in one primary school on the Channel Island of Guernsey who volunteered to make their practice problematic. Analysis of focus group discussions explores their viewpoints, understandings, motivation and experiences to explain how (AfL) is understood and why it is enacted in differing ways. By applying Giddens' structuation theory (1984) the research illuminates the conflicting forces acting on teachers to enable and constrain their agency. It explores how perceptions change through raised discursive consciousness and the conscious articulation of practice which is understood as reflective practice. It draws out the conditions that support transformational change, illuminating the very real issues facing practitioners and implications for those making requirements of them. The research illuminates how the paradigm of technical rationality influences teachers' understanding of the curriculum, their professional identities and enactment of their role, their models of teaching and learning, and ultimately their perception and enactment of (AfL). Within a culture of accountability it draws attention to the significance of the emotional affective aspect of teachers' work.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:695678 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Cassell, Danielle |
| Publisher | Keele University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0022 seconds