‘No assessment, no learning’: exploring student participation in assessment in Norwegian physical education (PE)

ABSTRACT

In contemporary educational literature assessment is viewed as a key element of pedagogy, and student self- and peer-assessment is viewed as a vital component of the assessment processes occurring within pedagogical practice. This notion is also present within physical education (PE) literature. Within this body of work however, there has been little attention on how students participate in their own assessment. The focus has rather been towards the teacher’s assessment practices. The aim of this paper is therefore to explore how students themselves participate in the assessment processes that occur in PE. By drawing on assessment theory presented by Black and Wiliam (2009. Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-008-9068-5) and the educational perspective of American pragmatist John Dewey, the paper presents a theoretical reconceptualization of assessment that can occur within learning situations. By utilizing this conceptualization to analyse empirical material gathered within the Norwegian PE context, the paper presents findings under three main headings. These are participating in establishing; (1) where the students are in their learning, (2) where the students are going in their learning and (3) how to get where they are going. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results and general implications of the findings for both practitioners and researchers interested in the phenomenon of assessment in PE.

KEYWORDS:

• Physical education
• self-assessment
• peer-assessment
• student participation
• John Dewey

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 The terms summative and formative refer to the intended function of the assessment practices (see e.g. Black & Wiliam, 2009). Assessment carried out primarily with a summative function, is assessment carried out in order to determine student ability or knowledge in relation to certain criteria, often referred to assessment of learning. Assessment carried out primarily for a formative function, is assessment carried out to aid students in further learning, often referred to as assessment for learning (for use in PE literature see e.g. Hay, 2006; Redelius & Hay, 2012).

2 In general terms ‘habit’ refers to our previously learnt predispositions to respond to our environment in particular ways (Dewey, 1922/1983) where responses are not just intellectual and cognitive, but also emotional and psychomotor. For more insight into habits and their generation, alteration or affirmation see; growth as plasticity and habits as expressions of growth (Dewey, 1916/1980, pp. 49–54), habits as social functions and habits and will (Dewey, 1922/1983, pp. 15–32) or the principle of continuity (Dewey, 1938/1997, pp. 35–39) Knowledge on the other hand concerns itself with the connections between actions and consequences, and within a Deweyan perspective, knowledge is a cognitive phenomenon (see e.g. Biesta & Burbules, 2003a; Dewey, 1916/1980, pp. 151–164).

3 For more insight into the concept of communication, and how communication is possible within a Deweyan perspective see e.g. Nature, communication and meaning in Dewey (1929, pp. 166–207)

4 When a study does not specifically investigate and/or store data surrounding medical or health related topics, NSD is the central institution that pre-approves research projects in Norway