Narratives of success and challenge: the formative assessment experiences of students with disabilities in vocational education

Abstract

All students require formative feedback on their educational performance, and all students can benefit from inclusive feedback practices. The experiences of students with disabilities are the focus of this study which has been guided by the research question: What can we learn about inclusive formative assessment from the experiences of students with disabilities? The study draws on Sen's capability approach and its specific adaption to TVET education (e.g., Terzi, 2014; Powell & McGrath, 2019) to underpin ideas of how inclusive formative assessment could contribute to the success and well-being of students with disabilities and other learning needs in TVET. The aim of this study is to build knowledge on inclusive formative assessment through narrative accounts of experiences of formative assessment provided by students with disabilities. Accordingly, six narrative interviews were conducted with six students over the course of their first year in a business programme, from February to October 2022. Seven lecturers were purposively included as participants because their classes included students with disabilities. The lecturers were interviewed individually. The interview data were transcribed and analysed, drawing on the inclusive formative assessment framework developed for the study. The study found that students valued formative assessment tasks that combined learning with preparation for working life. These combinations provided opportunities to showcase strengths and improve in areas of weakness. Above all, students appreciated teachers who adapted assessment tasks to their needs. The study argues that formative assessment is key to inclusive educational practice as teachers can use formative assessment to plan future teaching, while students can use it to evaluate their own progress towards achieving their learning goals.