Professionalism in action : Music teachers on an assessment journey

In this article, a participatory action research project focusing on assessment of music within Swedish Upper secondary school is presented. The points of de-parture are questions regarding assessment in music education in relation to Dewey’s holistic view on education and issues of professional responsibility in relation to accountability. The latter concerns assessment, and the risk of crite-ria compliance. The purpose of the research project is to develop knowledge about music teachers’ experience and conceptualizations regarding assessment practices within the frame of the National Arts Programme, and is enabled by asking the following research questions: In what ways do teachers conceptual-ize musical knowledge and learning and communication in relation to assess-ment? What musical qualities appear within the teachers’ conceptualizations regarding knowledge, learning and assessment of music? Aims from the field of praxis are integrated in the project, with focus on equivalent assessment and legal certainty. Results from the research project show the music teachers’ ability to shift between atomistic and holistic perspectives but at the same time keep their holistic view of assessment and learning. Equivalence is according to the teachers something different than uniformity, and is only possible through reflection and collaboration, internally as well as externally with other practi-tioners.<p>Upprättat; 2014; 20140508 (johnyb)