Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is a classroom practice in which teachers and/or students identify students' learning needs and modify teaching and learning to meet these learning needs. The teacher can identify students' knowledge and skills and modify feedback and learning activities to best meet students' identified learning needs. Students can also be the proactive agents in the formative assessment processes through peer assessment with subsequent peer feedback, and as self-regulated learners assess their own learning needs with subsequent action to achieve their learning goals. When students are the proactive agents, the teacher's role is to support students' motivation and competence to engage effectively in these processes.

The formative assessment group at Umeå University studies many different research questions in relation to formative assessment, uses a variety of research methods and collaborates with researchers in different disciplines and from different countries. For example, we study the effects of formative assessment with different characteristics on both student motivation and learning, teachers' conceptions and formative assessment practices, and what conditions teachers need in their professional development to be able to develop their formative assessment in such a way that student learning increases. We also investigate the underlying mechanisms that cause different characteristics of formative assessment to have different effects on student motivation and learning.

Together with teachers, we also develop new formative assessment practices and study how generative AI can support both research processes and student learning, and the research can include different student groups (e.g. students in a certain class, an entire school, or students in special education).

External funding from Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg foundation, and the Swedish Research Council.