The mechanism of impact of summative assessment on medical students’ learning
Open Access
- 9 May 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Advances in Health Sciences Education
- Vol. 15 (5), 695-715
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-010-9232-9
Abstract
It has become axiomatic that assessment impacts powerfully on student learning, but there is a surprising dearth of research on how. This study explored the mechanism of impact of summative assessment on the process of learning of theory in higher education. Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with medical students and analyzed qualitatively. The impact of assessment on learning was mediated through various determinants of action. Respondents’ learning behaviour was influenced by: appraising the impact of assessment; appraising their learning response; their perceptions of agency; and contextual factors. This study adds to scant extant evidence and proposes a mechanism to explain this impact. It should help enhance the use of assessment as a tool to augment learning.Keywords
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