Assessment guides, restricts, supports and strangles : Tensions in teachers’ conceptions of assessment during an assessment reform
Abstract
This study examines tensions in teachers' conceptions of assessment following an assessment reform in Finland, which has traditionally been a low-stakes assessment culture. There are no national examinations in comprehensive education; instead, teachers assign students' final grades. Recently, the country has introduced more detailed criteria for the final assessment to improve the comparability of grades. The analysis of 28 teacher interviews reveals that this relatively minor reform has created four significant tensions in teachers’ conceptions of assessment. We call for assessment reforms to be culturally sensitive, carefully considering the context in which they are implemented and paying attention to possible tensions.
Main Authors
Format
Articles
Research article
Published
2024
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
Elsevier
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202408225616Käytä tätä linkitykseen.
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0742-051X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104737
Language
English
Published in
Teaching and Teacher Education
Citation
- Ketonen, Laura, Nieminen, Juuso Henrik. (2024). Assessment guides, restricts, supports and strangles : Tensions in teachers’ conceptions of assessment during an assessment reform. Teaching and Teacher Education, 150, Article 104737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104737
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Additional information about funding
This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland [grant number: VN/25994/2021] and Kone Foundation [grant number: 202303077].
Copyright© 2024 the Authors