Student Perspectives on Seemingly Maladaptive Examples of Assessment Agency: Types and Causes

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 44
  In Roundtable Session: Conceptual and Empircal Advances in Classroom Assessment

Abstract

This paper explores students’ perspectives on potentially maladaptive forms of assessment agency, where actions may undermine learning and assessment integrity. Drawing on theories of self-regulated learning and conceptions of agency, it analyzed data from seven focus groups with New Zealand school students (n=46) and 108 interviews with Australian undergraduate students. Students described three potentially maladaptive assessment actions: Assessment dishonesty, Purposeful underperformance, and Doing it alone, which were done to protect ego and/or relationships; to strategic prioritize resources; and to maximize return for minimum effort. These data show students may resist or undermine assessment practices for a range of justifiable reasons, often related to the assessment’s context, the way the teacher implements it, the classroom environment, and the student’s goals.

Authors

• Lois Ruth Harris, Central Queensland University

• Gavin T. Brown, The University of Auckland

• Joanne Dargusch, Central Queensland University