Conceptualising evaluative judgement in the context of holistic competency development: results of a Delphi study

Abstract

Learning to make informed evaluative judgement of holistic competencies prepares students for well-rounded development on a lifelong and self-directed basis. However, a review of the literature reveals that empirical studies framed under evaluative judgement have not yet explicitly acknowledged the judgement of these competencies. If we are to further promote evaluative judgement as a systematic line of research worthy of independent attention, there is a need to better theorise what evaluative judgement means when it comes to judging holistic competencies. In consideration of the above, this article presents an expanded framework of evaluative judgement in the context of holistic competency development. Based on three rounds of Delphi inquiries with 14 international experts, the framework conceptualises evaluative judgement as a multi-faceted construct comprising knowledge, attitude, capability, action and identity-related dimensions. The article concludes with both theoretical and practical implications for developing students’ evaluative judgement of holistic competencies.

Keywords:

• Evaluative judgement
• holistic competency
• Delphi inquiry
• self-assessment

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the 14 experts who generously shared their insights with us in this study. Many thanks to the two anonymous reviewers and the Editor for their constructive comments on this paper.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jiahui Luo

Jiahui Luo is a doctoral student in Education at the University of Hong Kong. Prior to joining HKU, she obtained her MPhil degree from the University of Cambridge. Her main research area lies in assessment in higher education (in particular evaluative judgement, assessment literacy, and holistic competency assessment).