Bedömning ur ett elevperspektiv

Sammanfattning: In society and school today there is a major focus on assessment, and this can for example be seen in an increased research on assessment over the last ten years. But one research topic still quite unexplored is how students perceive assessment. The main purpose with this study is to explore students’ experiences of assessment, how assessment interferes with their volition and if the extent of the impact on the motivation varies depending on how the assessment is performed.In order to answer these questions a quantitative investigation was performed at first. 83 students answered a questionnaire about what kind of assessment they experience in school, if they receive feedback, what is important for being successful in school, if they know on what grounds they are assessed, what impact failure and/or success has on their motivation, if they are stressed by school etc. From the questionnaire three areas where detected for further investigation. The students indicated that they got feedback but how was this performed, why did the motivation decrease in case of failure and why did so many students feel stress? To answer these questions a quantitative investigation was performed, in which five students participated, in the form of a semi-structured interview. The results from the two studies, were interpreted from a cognitive as well as a socio-cultural perspective.Students believe that learning primarily occurs in a socio-cultural context and that knowledge is mediated from teachers and other students. The learning process is collective and school success does not depend on innate talent but on hard work and skilled teachers. Most students are motivated by external factors as grades and praise rather than interest and curiosity. This entails that the motivation is affected in a positive direction if the student experiences high grades or positive feedback, or a negative direction if the student receives experienced low grades or negative feedback. A majority of students state that they are stressed by school and that this stress comes from many tests at the same time but also from not knowing on what grounds they are assessed and how to get better, this meaning not getting clear and useful feedback. If the student feels negative stress the result may be less work and a decrease in knowledge acquisition.