Skolbesökets osynliga bedömningsprocesser : en studie av hur lärarstudenters yrkeskunnande bedöms under verksamhetsförlagd utbildning

This thesis treats the assessment of student teachers’ professional skills within the school-based section of Swedish teacher education, more specifically the school visits organized by the university. School visits ordinarily consist of an observed lesson, followed by a post-observation conference. School-based teacher education is regarded as a specific educational element, where the education is transferred to the organisation of professional teachers who educate the student teacher. However, there is a lack of direct research about what happens to the assessment of the student teacher’s proficiency when the assessment system of the education is applied outside the university domain. Research shows that there is tension regarding the view of professional skills between players in teacher education and school organisations, and uncertainties regarding the mandate to develop the student teacher’s professional skills. From a political perspective the school visit is perceived as a guarantee for the fulfilment of the increasing demands for equal and legally secure assessments. The aim of this thesis has therefore been to enhance the understanding of the function of assessment within school-based teacher education. The interactive assessment process of the post-observation conference has been in focus and studied through video observations and interviews. The study assumes multiple theoretical perspectives; a new institutional perspective, Goffman’s interactionist perspective and a professional theoretical perspective. The result shows that simultaneous and conflicting assessment logics guide the assessment task, creating protective and defensive interaction patterns to establish a loyal consensus between conference participants. The situation needs to be played down. The interactive patterns of the conference counteract the institutional logics of the visit, making access to information selective and limited. Judgements and feedback become invisible and the aim of the assessment process is unclear. The controlling purpose of the process, and partly also the formative purpose, is impaired. However, in the execution of assessment itself, assessment logics collaborate with interaction patterns, displaying a secondary adaptation to the situation. This collaboration contributes to a reasonable and legitimate manner of executing the assessment process, assigning meaning to the school visit