Testing the limits of self-assessment: a critical examination of the developmental trajectories of self-assessment processes

Abstract

In 1998, Black and Wiliam’s landmark review of the literature on assessment revealed that summative assessment was overemphasised, whereas formative assessment was underemphasised. It was argued that the latter was ‘at the heart of effective teaching’, with self-assessment being an integral component (p. 2). Consequently, Black and Wiliam’s (1998b) seminal work set in motion a new impetus towards self-assessment in a plethora of recent policy documents, such as in the renowned Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, Synergies for Better Learning (2013). Accordingly, at a practical level, new approaches to assessment became embedded in an effort to create more opportunities for self-assessment. Such prioritisation may also have been enticed by the wealth of research that has highlighted the reputed benefits of self-assessment, chiefly, self-regulated learning. Hence, self-assessment has been implemented into policy and practices with forceful conviction. However, is the ‘trust’ bestowed on self-assessment granted somewhat prematurely and unsystematically? For example, the policymakers themselves have had trepidations regarding a possible disconnect between assessment policies and practices. Furthermore, it has been argued that we have deficient knowledge of children’s engagement in the self-assessment process (Andrade & Du, 2007). Implicit in this issue is the notion that some children may be unable to engage in accurate self-assessments of their academic work. Specifically, it appears that some developmental pathways render some children more susceptible to making more inaccurate self-assessments than others, with children’s academic abilities and gender also resulting in variability in the self-assessment process. Unfortunately, self-regulated learning, the most coveted by-product of the self-assessment process, has been found to be dependent on accurate self-assessments (Nicol, 2009). Thus, the literature reviewed here tells a cautionary tale for policymakers and practitioners alike, hereby highlighting the need for a reformation of current assessment policy directives and practice in classrooms worldwide.