Self-assessment as a process for inclusion

Abstract

There are multiple ways that assessment is positioned within education: as a method for accountability, a strategy to attract funding and an approach to support learning. Different assessment practices portray students in different ways and can serve to include or exclude them in their learning and assessment. Students are often categorised and differentiated through assessment, at times, to access resources. This paper explores a model where self-assessment, as a component of a variety of assessment practices, can foster students' involvement and inclusion in choices about their own learning. By strengthening students' sense of identity and belonging through self-assessment, it is possible to counter the impact of assessment practices that might normally serve to exclude and marginalise them. This paper presents a teaching–learning–assessment framework that allows for a comparison of assessment practices and positions self-assessment as comprising three interconnected tiers: socio-cultural context, self-assessment and identity. Embedded in a teaching–learning–assessment framework, this paper shows how students conceptualise self-assessment and the potential for self-assessment as a tool for inclusion.