Evaluation and Assessment (EnA)

Evaluation and Assessment have always been important areas of policy and practice in education, inextricably linked with many aspects of teaching and learning, including educational policy, teaching, curriculum design, teacher development, subject knowledge acquisition, teacher/student competence/performance, to name just a few. In recent years, discussions and research in the field of Evaluation and Assessment have been motivated by the following premises: 

• The growing role of assessment to support learning.
• The significant increase of computer-based and multimedia-based learning and assessment environments.
• The shift away from knowledge transfer towards learning strategies aimed at more generic skills, such as 21st century skills and global competence.
• The need for high quality teacher education programmes that lead to enhancing teacher (and other stakeholder) assessment literacy. 

The overall purpose of EnA is to promote the understanding of theoretical principles of evaluation and assessment, and the improvement and sharing of evaluation and assessment practices throughout members of the group and the institute it belongs to.  

We define educational assessment and evaluation in its broadest sense by including academic, professional and vocational contexts and are equally concerned with both assessment processes and products. We aim to enhance understanding of issues of evaluation and assessment for diverse groups of participants, e.g. primary and secondary school students, teachers, principals, policy-makers, and for diverse needs (e.g. immigration, special learning needs, etc.) with a view to examining those issues from a multidisciplinary perspective and variety of methodological and theoretical approaches.  

Evaluation and Assessment is an important focus area and the purpose of our group will be to visualize and further develop the work in this field at the Faculty of Education and International Studies (LUI). The group has its origins in the Department of Primary and Secondary Teacher Education (GFU) and is open to research and development at all stages of teacher education, level and in all subjects. There are possible partners, including potential participants from other research and development groups, as well as the three other institutes and the National Centre for Multicultural Education (NAFO) at LUI. 

EnA is a new group, and the group's interests and research areas will be defined further by those who become participants. Possible topics for our research group could be the following (the list is not exhaustive):  

• Critical approaches in educational evaluation and assessment.
• Developments in theory and practice of formative assessment.  
• Links between learning theories and assessment.
• Validity issues with regard to assessment design and preparation.
• Fairness and equality in educational assessment.
• Teachers’ use of technology in assessment.
• Teachers and/or students as stakeholders in the development of new assessment paradigms.
• School-based assessment data and its use in monitoring and supporting learning.
• Assessment for citizenship and global understandings.
• Alternative assessment paradigms/methods.
• Enhancement of levels of teacher assessment literacy (and other stakeholders).
• Technological and psychometric innovations in assessment.
• The nature and impact of external vs school-based (teacher) assessment.
• The legal framework of educational assessment.
• Stakeholders mandates affecting the assessment agenda of schools and teachers.
• Public’s reactions towards national and teacher assessments.
• The social responsibility of Examination Committees and Awarding Bodies.
• Public trust in low- and high-stakes assessments and teacher assessment.
• Social and political underpinnings of educational assessment and evaluation.
• Tensions between assessment for learning and accountability.
• Tensions between teacher assessment and external examinations.
• The social responsibility of test developers and policy agents.
• Cross-region comparisons of educational reform and associated assessment approaches.
• Technological and psychometric innovations in assessment.
• Validity issues in educational assessment generally and in e-assessment specifically.

• Teachers’ Assessment Literacy Enhancement (TALE) (taleproject.eu), Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships for school education. Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, 2015-2018. This project won the British Council Innovation in Assessment Research Award in 2019.
• English as a Lingua Franca Practices for Inclusive Multilingual Classrooms (ENRICH) (enrichproject.eu), Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships for school education. Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, 2018-2021.
• Digital and inclusive challenges for Norwegian and German Learning and Education (DINGLE) (researchgate.net), 2020-2021 
• Training programme on Formative Assessment for the EOI de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain KA1 Erasmus+ Project 2020-2022
• Supporting Content and Language Learning Across Diversity (SCALED)

• Michel Alendre Cabot defended his thesis: Meaningful Grammar Feedback in English Writing Teacher Education Researching Perspectives on Feedback-as-an-artefact, Feedback Reception, and Feedback Provision, Department of Teacher Education and School Research, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo.
• Anne-Grete Kaldahl defended her thesis: The educational challenge of oracy - a rhetorical approach: Exploring and articulating the oracy construct in Norwegian schools. Faculty of Education and International Studies. OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University .
• Lynell Chvala: Teachers’ pedagogical vision for 21st century English education - Expanding landscapes for English as a multilingua franca of global citizenship in Norwegian schools. Faculty of Education and International Studies. OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.
• Theresé Marie Tishakov: Developing Competence of English Language Teachers of Multilingualism and Multilingual Pedagogy (tentative title). Faculty of Education and International Studies. OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University .
• Trine Gedde-Dahl: Stages, developmental leaps and orchestration. Writing development in a group of students with the main emphasis on writing development from 6th to 8th grade (tentative title). Faculty of Education and International Studies. OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University
• Tone Holt Nielsen: A Study of the English Language Needs of Norwegians Working in Private Enterprises. Department of Teacher Education and School Research, Faculty of Education, University of Oslo.
   

We have collaborations with national and international professional associations.

• European Association for Language Testing and Assessment (eu.org)
• Classroom-based Language Assessment – CBLA SIG group affiliated with EALTA (eu.org)
• International Language Testing Association
• Language Assessment Literacy –  LAL SIG group affiliated ILTA
• Language Assessment for Young Learners –  Young Learners SIG group affiliated ILTA
• Association for Language Testing and Assessment of Australia and New Zealand – ALTAANZ (altaanz.org)
• Association for Educational Assessment, Europe - AEA (aea-europe.net)
• eAssessment, SIG Group affiliated with AEA (aea-europe.net)
• Assessment Cultures affiliated with AEA (aea-europe.net) 
• Latin American Association for Language Testing and Assessment (LAALTA)
• IATEFL Testing, Evaluation and Assessment Special Interest Group (iatefl.org)

PhD course PHUV9440 Assessment and learning.

• 20th Conference of the Association for Educational Assessment Europe (AEA-Europe): November 3 – 16 2019, Lisbon, Portugal. Conference website (2019.aea-europe.net).
• EUROCALL 2019: August 28 - 31 2019, Louvain, Belgium. Conference website (sites.uclouvain.be).
• RELANG Seminar: June 2019, OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University and the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML). Host: Kirstin Reed.
• 16th Annual Conference of the European Association of Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA):  May 30 - June 3, 2019, University College Dublin, Ireland.
• 9th Meeting of the Classroom-based language Assessment SIG, 16th Annual Conference of the European Association of Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA): May 2019, University College Dublin, Ireland. Organiser: Dina Tsagari.
• Teacher Well-Being and Diversity (TWBD): Managing Language and Social Diversity in Classrooms: June 2019, OsloMet.
• Online Meeting of the Classroom-based language Assessment SIG, European Association of Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA): June 2020, CBLA SIG, EALTA. Organiser: Dina Tsagari.
• ENRICH Multiplier Event in Norway - ENRICH ME: Linguistic Diversity in English Language Teaching: Webinar 26 October, 14.30-18.10, OsloMet
• Evaluation and Assessment (EnA) and International Language Testing Association (ILTA) YL SIG meeting 8 March 2023. Please see ILTAs web pages if you wish to download the slides (iltaonline.com). Programme:
  • 17.30-17.35: Welcome
  • 17.35-17.55:  TEYL to dyslexic students in Brazil, Juliana Reichert Assuncao Tonelli, State University of Londrina, Brazil
  • 17.55-18.15:  A test for assessing the metalinguistic awareness of young language learners (the MetaLearn project), Christine Möller-Omrani & Kaja Haugen, Western Norway University of Applied Science, Norway
  • 18.15-18.35: Research into young language learners’ achievement in time: challenges and perspectives. Lucilla Lopriore, Roma Tre University, Italy
  • 18.35-18.45 Break
  • 18.45-19.05: World language learning in U.S. preschools and kindergartens: Perspectives from pre-primary teachers in the United States, Veronika Timpe-Laughlin, ETS, USA
  • 19.05-19.25: Exploring Test Uses and Consequences of International Young Learners’ English Tests’, Jia Guo, Queen’s University, Canada
  • 19.25-19.30: Closing remarks
• Second online ILTA Young Learner SIG & OsloMet EnA meeting 7 November 2023. Programme:
  • 8:30 PST / 11:30 EST / 17.30 CET: Welcome
  • 8:35 / 11:35 / 17:35: Refinement of Text Structures and the Interplay Between Literacy Skills: Breadth of Comprehension, Depth of Thought, Complexity of Discourse by Miriam C.A. Semeniuk, Canada
  • 9:00 / 12:00 / 18.00: Investigating the Relationship between Item Difficulty and the Visual Complexity of Item Support and Response Images in a Listening Test for Young Learners by Monique Yoder, Ph.D. Candidate at Michigan State University
  • 9:25 PST / 12:25 EST / 18.25 CET: Closing remarks.
• Public Open Lecture: Harmony and Dissonance: Orchestrating Effective Instructional Feedback
  by Dr. Anastasiya Lipnevich, Professor of Educational Psychology, New York, USA. 
   

Wednesday 24 January - Hybrid

• 9.00 – 10.15 EnA meeting for internal members only

Wednesday 14 February - Online

• 15.00 – 16.30  
  Dr. Anastasiya Lipnevich: Harmony and Dissonance: Orchestrating Effective Instructional Feedback (oslomet.no)

Dr. Anastasiya Lipnevich: Professor of Educational Psychology, Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York

In this presentation, I will describe a series of studies that have investigated instructional feedback, exploring its mechanisms and the diverse (and often paradoxical) effects it has on various educational outcomes. I will delve into the underlying processes that contribute to the effectiveness of instructional feedback and discuss conditions that optimize its potential for enhancing student performance, learning, and individual characteristics.

I will share research on assessment approaches employed by instructors and highlight cognitive biases that may influence assessment-related decisions made by both teachers and students. Further, I will propose strategies for equipping students with the necessary tools to generate self-feedback effectively, promoting autonomous learning.

The studies discussed in this talk will encompass a wide range of contexts, cultures, and academic disciplines, emphasizing potential pitfalls with generalizations of findings. Additionally, I will outline potential avenues for future research and highlight some of the current challenges faced by the field. By addressing these challenges, we can advance our understanding of instructional feedback and its implications for educational settings.

Wednesday 15 May - Online

• 9.00 – 9.40: Ulla Hietamäki: Learning Assessment Practices in a Multidisciplinary Learning in Finland - A Phenomenographic Approach on Teachers’ Perceptions
• 9.45-10.30: Eleni Kartalia: EFL teachers’ self-reflective awareness of assessment instruments and practices as metacognitive flashbacks

Ulla Hietamäki, PhD cand. Faculty of Education, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Learning assessment is a tension area in multidisciplinary learning (ML) context. ML offers to students large opportunities to learn real-world phenomena but on the other hand learning assessment in ML units is perceived as difficult. Since the 2014 curriculum reform in Finland, certain aspects of learning assessment have changed in Finnish basic education, and learning assessment emphasis has been placed on student participation. 

These educational policy reforms and their practical implementation, in particular ML units, have increased national and international interest in the Finnish curriculum. Using a variety of assessment methods brings challenges for teachers, but also increases opportunities for students to demonstrate their skills in different ways. 

Assessment practices research in ML context is a topical and relevant issue that has been scarcely studied. This study addresses this research gap and investigates Finnish primary school teachers’ (PST) perception of assessment practices in the ML unit. The data was collected using the phenomenographic research tradition and it is based on semi-structured interviews (n=15).

EFL teachers’ self-reflective awareness of assessment instruments and practices as metacognitive flashbacks

Eleni Kartalia, MA cand. European University Cyprus, Greece

Research evidence in the field of Applied Linguistics investigating Second Language Assessment indicates that a significant shift in good pedagogic practices in the classroom reality is attributed to Formative assessment procedures, as they provide a privileged accessibility to quality learning outcomes which benefit both teachers and learners by transforming performance data into valuable learning resources. 

The rationale behind this study is to focus on the EFL teachers’ views and preferences on the assessment instruments they use, as metacognitive flashbacks which interpret their assessment culture and pedagogic philosophy, but also the extent of the reflective awareness which encourages their professional growth. 

Feedback and reflective practice are considered as factors which foreground the flux of assessment data as a method which capitalizes on quality instruction. Data collection included four case studies and structured interviews and it was analyzed within the framework of Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). 

Research Themes provided insights into the EFL teachers’ schema constructs in assessment culture and unveiled dimensions of the Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) that teachers have developed through various strata specifications. 

The local context of Greece and its impact on teachers’ self-perceptions of navigating assessment procedures with the intentionality of harnessing the potential of Formative Assessment is indicative of the interrelation between quality instruction strategies and effective learning outcomes.

Wednesday 29 May - Hybrid

• 9.00 – 9.40: Elin Merete Løvnæseth Hauer: Inclusive Assessment – Learning Conversations as Formative Assessment in the Subject English
• 9.45-10.30: Isa Steinmann: Unexpected Gender Differences In Teacher Ratings Of Academic Skills And School Track Recommendations 

Elin Løvnæseth Hauer. Faculty of Teacher Education and Pedagogy, Høgskolen i Innlandet, Norway

This project will examine how learning conversations are used in an interactive situation by ESL teachers in 5 different lower secondary schools in Norway. Furthermore, it is a study of how learning conversations are used as an assessment method in the mapping of the students’ current level of competence and skills; when used in teacher-student interactions where the students are seen as active participants. 

The learning conversations referred to in this project are the conversations where students and teachers engage in sustained shared thinking where all students are given the opportunity for development, mastery, learning, and well-being based on their circumstances. Using formative assessment practices and adjusting instructions based on student needs, gives the teachers possibilities to promote individual learning and help students to reach their full potential.

This is a qualitative study based on teacher interviews about inclusive assessment and learning conversations, video observations of learning conversations followed by video-stimulated recall interviews with the participating teachers, and group interviews with the participating students.

Research Question:
How can learning conversations be used as a formative assessment method in mapping of the students’ current level of competence and skills, and provide individualized support based on the students’ needs in promoting individual learning?

Dr Isa Steinmann. OsloMet, Norway

Previous research suggests that girls get better school marks and are more often recommended for academic school tracks after primary school. Using data from a representative sample of 4529 students who were followed longitudinally between grades 1–4 in Germany, this study adds nuance to this picture. 

In simple logistic regression models, girls were found to get more favourable teacher ratings in terms of language and written skills and more favourable school track recommendations, while boys got better teacher ratings in terms of nature knowledge and mathematical skills. 

In models that included control variables (achievement test scores, teacher-rated ability to concentrate, teacher-rated social skills, and teacher-rated personality characteristics), gender gaps shifted to the boys’ advantage, with written skills remaining the only domain with female advantages. 

Linear growth models showed that in three out of four cases, gender gaps in teacher-rated skills widened over the course of primary school.

Wednesday 15 November

• 9.00 – 9.30: Siv Måseidvåg Gamlem: ‘How the assessment system in Norway operates’  

Wednesday 6 December

• 10.30.00-11.00: Karin Vogt: ‘Artificial Intelligence-AI as a stress test for Classroom-based Language Assessment-CBLA’
• 11.00-13.00: Asli Saglam: ‘ChatGPT in the Classroom: Pre-Service English Language Teachers' Perspectives on AI’

Wednesday 25 January

• 9.00- 9.30: Justyna Bell: Key Inclusive Development Strategies for Lifelong Learning - KIDS4ALL (kids4all.eu). 
• 9.30-10.00: Kirsti Marie Jegstad: Critical Thinking in Primary Education (KriT)
• 10.00-10.30: Michel Alexandre Cabot: Critical Thinking and Intercultural Competence Instigated by Teacher-in-Role: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Wednesday 15 February

• 9.00-10.30: Tone Holt Nielsen: Business English Lingua Franca Learning Needs; a study of communication practices in Norwegian Multinational Corporations

Wednesday 22 March

• 9.00-9.30:  Henning Fjørtoft: Going Gradeless (ntnu.no) 
• 9.30-10.00: Harald Eriksen: Results from a survey on history education in Norway
• 10.00-10.45: Cecilie Andreassen: A literature review on quality in written texts on 5th grade in Norway

Wednesday 5 April

• 9.00-9.30: Irina Engeness: AI4AfL- Artificial intelligence for assessment for learning to enhance learning and teaching in the 21st century (hiof.no) 
• 9.30-10.00: Magdalini Liontou: How do Finnish and Chinese students’ diverse pedagogical experiences shape feedback interpretation?
• 10.00-10.30: Dmitri Leontjev and Ari Huhta

Wednesday 3 May

• 9.00-9.30: Isa Steinmann: Ongoing research project on inconsistent responders to mixed-worded questionnaire scales
• 9.30-10.00: Katalin Egri Ku-Mesu and Salahuddin Hawa: Teaching and learning ESP in a fragile, conflict-affected area.
• 10.00-10.30: Karin Vogt and Dina Tsagari: What's New? Pandemic-induced changes in language assessment practices and cultures. Please answer the questionnaire (docs.google.com). 

Wednesday 31 May

• 9.00-9.30: Therese Tishakov: What English teachers say and do: Beliefs about language and language teaching in multilingual school settings
• 9.30-10.00: Tony Burner: The implementation of the English curriculum in primary schools
• 10.00-10.45: Lene Kristine Marsby Ramberg: California teachers before and ten years after the Federal government No Child Left Behind Act

Wednesday 24 August 2022, 9.00-10.30, Oslo time

• Cecilie Hamnes Carlsen: ‘IMPECT at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences’ NFR-funded research project (hvl.no).
• Therese Tishakov: ‘Studying the language beliefs of English teachers in Norway - methodological considerations’.

Wednesday 21 September 2022, 9.00-10.30, Oslo time

• Harald Eriksen: ‘Results from survey on history education/on washback effect from exams on language arts teaching’.
• Lynell Chvala: ‘Teachers’ pedagogical vision for 21st century English education’ .              

Wednesday 19 October 2022, 9.00-10.30, Oslo time

• Thomais Rousoulioti and Christina Nicole Giannikas: ‘Parents’ New Role and Needs During the COVID-19 Educational Emergency’.
• Ece Sevgi and Asli Lidice Göktürk Saglam: ‘LAL EVO 2022 adventure and related research in progress’.
• Anna Mouti: ‘Assessing Language Needs and Investigating Plurilingual Profiles of Adult Refugees and Migrants’.

Wednesday 16 November 2022, 9.00-10.30, Oslo time

• Dina Tsagari: Presentation of SCALED-EEA project.
• Katalin Egri Ku-Mesu: ‘Decolonial perspectives on ELT’.
• Olga Kvasova, Viktoriya Osidak and Karin Vogt: ‘Exploring the use of CEFR CV in Ukrainian context: work in progress’. 

Wednesday 2 February 2022, 9.00-11.00 am, Oslo time

• Lynell Chvala ‘Teachers’ vision for 21st century English education: Expanding awareness of “little e” English and English as a lingua franca (ELF) in Norwegian basic education’.

Wednesday 16 February 2022, 9.00-10.30 am, Oslo time

• Niki Kouvdou ‘Implementing systematic classroom observation for the assessment of oral performance in the multicultural EFL class’.
• Eleni Meletiadou ‘The use of peer assessment as an inclusive learning strategy in Higher Education Institutions’.

Wednesday 16 March 2022, 9.00-10.30 am, Oslo time

• Astrid Gillespie ‘Lower Secondary School students’ Self-Assessment in EFL’.

Wednesday 30 March 2022, 9.00-10.30 am, Oslo time

• Lucilla Lopriore ‘Challenges of ELF in Italian schools’.
• Sviatlana Karpava ‘Critical Digital Literacy Development: Teaching and Learning during Pandemic’.

Wednesday 27 April 2022, 9.00-10.30 am, Oslo time

• Trine Gedde-Dahl ‘Skriveutvikling fra ulike perspektiver’.

Wednesday 18 May 2022, 9.00-10.30 am, Oslo time

• Harald Eriksen – draft about survey-based research (tentative).

Wednesday 25 May 2022, 9.00-10.30 am, Oslo time

• Henrik Bøhn ‘Intercultural competence in the Norwegian school context’.
• Hiltrud Awad ‘Intercultural Competence Assessment’.

Wednesday 15 September, 8.30-11.00 am, Oslo time

• 8.30-10.00: Harald Eriksen ‘Feedback in the homeschool environment’. 
• 10.00-10.15: Hiltrud Awad ‘Assessment tool for cross-linguistic and intercultural competences at the University of Antwerp in Belgium’ Marie Sklodowska Curie Action (Horizon 2020) Postdoc fellowship.
• 10.15-11.00: Nansia Kyriakou & Dina Tsagari ‘Experienced but detached from reality: theorizing the relationship between experience and rater effects’. 

Wednesday 3 November, 9.00-11.00 am, Oslo time

• Stine Sørlie & Hanne Lauvik:  ‘Accessible assessment? Inclusive practices in language testing and assessment’.
• Armin Berger ‘Language assessment literacy’.
• Nikh Kouvdou ‘Classroom-based assessment in multicultural EFL contexts’.

Wednesday 8 December, 9.00-11.00 am, Oslo time

• Magda Liontou ‘University Students' Perceptions of assessment: a case study of Finnish and Chinese university students’.
• Τhomai Rousoulioti & Ifigenia Karagouni ‘Dynamic Assessment on Writing: A Case Study of Adult Greek Second Language Learners’.
• Leanne Henderson ‘Modern languages qualifications in the UK: issues of difficulty, grading and decision-making’.

The journal Language Teaching from Cambridge University Press announces the award of an essay prize which honours one of the founding editors of this journal.

Read more about the Christopher Brumfit Essay Prize 2024 (cambridge.org).