Learning for assessments, assessments for life : Conceptualisations of assessments among secondary students in Singapore

Abstract

In the past decade, there has been huge interest in assessment given its influence on students’ learning. Countries all around the world, including Singapore, have embarked on rapid transformations of their assessment systems to meet new economic needs and equip their students with 21st century skills. Though many studies have begun to understand how teachers in Singapore conceptualise assessments and their views about the change, there has been few studies investigating students’ perspectives on assessments in Singapore. The current study investigates the conceptualisations of assessments among secondary school students in Singapore amidst the current assessment reforms and illuminates possible sources of influences that shaped these conceptualisations. 12 secondary students (14 and 15-year-old) were interviewed, and a thematic analysis of the data revealed six major themes (assessment purposes, future, self-regulation, parental involvement, peer). Results showed that students were aware of the purposes of assessments for measuring and for improving learning. However, this learning appeared to be narrowly defined in terms of learning for summative assessments. Students were also very concerned about the future consequences relating to assessments. The study also highlighted the interactions with parents and peers and revealed the powerful influences from these stakeholders on students’ conceptualisations of assessments.