School - A good place for learning, but maybe not for making mistakes : Students' perceptions of formative assessment and feedback

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to examine seven upper-secondary school students' perceptions of teachers' use of formative assessment and feedback in the classroom. The basis for the study was Wiliam (2017) and Hattie's (2008) theories on formative assessment and visible learning. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with seven students from six different schools to find out what their perceptions were about the use of formative assessment in the school environment. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of the study show that most students experience a fear of failure in their studies. More specifically, the students reported that they had difficulty understanding and using the teachers’ feedback and that this feedback was often perceived as negative. They also find it difficult to interpret what the teacher wants to say with their feedback and they do not dare to challenge themselves in the tasks they are given by teachers due to the fear of making mistakes. There are challenges in how teachers give students feedback and also how feedback is used by students. Mostly the challenge concerns the time it takes for students to get feedback from their teachers, also the difficulty for teachers and students to work formatively with learning platforms. The students reported that learning platforms risk acting more as a way for students to see what level they are reaching in courses, rather than helping students to develop.