Assessment Policies in VET
Wicked Problems and Conflicting Expectations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/sjvd.4548Keywords:
VET teachers, assessment, policy, wicked problemsAbstract
Assessment in vocational education and training (VET) is a relatively unexplored theme in assessment research. The assessment roles and responsibilities of VET teachers are challenging to codify in educational policies, leading to policymaking processes where social issues cannot be solved in an efficient or definitive manner. This study uses thematic analysis (Clarke & Braun, 2017) to investigate the expectations for VET teachers in Norwegian policy documents. In order to understand the dilemmas inherent in VET assessment policies, we draw on two bodies of knowledge: a) research on teacher assessment literacy and b) the concept of wicked problems (Rittel & Webber, 1973). The research question guiding this study is: How do national policies frame the expectations for VET teachers’ assessments? We identified five frames in the policy documents. VET teachers are expected to 1) negotiate legal requirements, 2) educate young people for social participation, 3) use assessment to support learning and motivation, 4) qualify a workforce for the future, and 5) become VET teachers. We discuss how conflicting expectations for VET teacher assessment may lead to a fragmentation of assessment responsibilities, threaten validity in assessment, and raise the question of what constitutes appropriate content in professional development.
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