Learning Autonomy in Post-16 Education

This book makes an important contribution to understanding the political, social and educational impact of assessment. Using a multi-layered approach, it offers a fascinating case study of how post-16 assessment systems are designed and debated inside policy making processes. This case study highlights the broader tensions at the heart of assessment policy. The book also explores the complex factors that affect how teachers and students use formative assessment to achieve higher standards of educational attainment and more autonomous learning. Learning Autonomy in Post-16 Education is a comprehensive and authoritative account of policy and practice in post-16 assessment. The book weaves together new theoretical frameworks with evidence from empirical research to offer a detailed picture of the diverse factors affecting the quality of formative assessment in further education. The book will be of particular interest to teachers and practitioners across the post-16 sector on postgraduate and in-service professional development courses. It will also be of interest to researchers, inspectors and qualification designers.

Kathryn Ecclestone is lecturer in post-compulsory education at the University of Newcastle

Introduction 1. Learning in a risk society: empowerment, care or control? 2. Theorising autonomy, motivation and formative assessment 2. Constructing GNVQ assessment policy 4. Changing FE Colleges 5. Getting through: motivation in GNVQs 6., Doing it their way: autonomy in GNVQs 7. Biting the bullets: formative assessment in GNVQs 8. Risking motivation and autonomy in lifelong learning