The Psychology of Assessment - Informing best practice through insights into positive psychology - Alex Thorp

Why do many learners feel alienated or intimidated by assessment, and what can I do about it? These are critical questions as could have a direct and negative impact on performance.

Through an exploration of recent developments in educational psychology and positive psychological capital, this interactive session explores how engaging the learner as a psychological entity is critical, and can help optimise learning and assessment outcomes.

When a learner undertakes an assessment task, whether formative or summative, they bring their whole self, as a psychological entity, to the experience. However, assessment practice is often driven by content and observed achievement, based on stimulus and anticipated response. This reflects outdated models of psychology, and doesn’t necessarily take the learner and their individual psychology into consideration.

Through exploration into insights into contemporary educational and positive psychology, and how these relate to our teaching and assessment practices, this session explores how the levels of validity and fairness of assessment can be enriched, and how application in our teaching practices can improve the learner experience, and increase learning.

The notion of positive psychological capital is explored, incorporating key themes of Hope, Efficacy, Resilience and Optimism. The practical application of these is covered, both through classroom activities and consideration of implications to assessment task design. The talk considers how engaging the ‘whole’ learner as a psychological being can enhance learning outcomes and help ascertain a truer measure of a learner’s skills and abilities in assessment.

The session will enable teachers to critically evaluate assessment tasks from a psychological perspective, gaining an understanding of the central role of engaging the learner’s psychology. In turn, it reveals how an individual’s psychological perceptions and make-up can predispose them to either excel or flounder.

You will leave this session with a clear understanding of positive psychological capital and its central role in everyday teaching and assessment practice.