The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Investigating identity-related assessment practices and decisions in EMI: A narrative Inquiry

Investigating identity-related assessment practices and decisions in EMI: A narrative Inquiry
Investigating identity-related assessment practices and decisions in EMI: A narrative Inquiry
Research in Assessment Literacy AL has long focused on the knowledge and skills that assessors need to ensure that their assessments are fair and accountable. However, assessors are not neutral, and they bring to their assessment design and interpretations more of their backgrounds, past assessment experiences and beliefs about assessment. For this, researchers called for the need to go beyond assessment literacy to explore the human and the social conditions of assessment (Brown et al., 2016) particularly Assessment Identity AI (Looney et al., 2017). This thesis aims to capture the extent to which assessors’ identities influence assessment-related decisions and practices. This issue is most evident in contexts where the focus of the assessment is not English, like in the context of English Medium Education/Instruction EME/EMI, as assessors need to make some decisions that can be aligned or opposed to their conceptualisation of English and their first language. However, research on assessment in EME/EMI contexts is scarce (Macaro et al., 2018). In response to this call and to fill this gap in EME/EMI research, this study explored assessors’ identity regarding the assessment practices in a Problem-Based Program PBL in a Saudi medical school from the Positioning Theory PT perspective. The aim is to explore agents' positions of themselves and others regarding the use of English in their assessment practices. Additionally, this study aims to explore the functions of English and Arabic used in PBL assessment in the light of agents’ positions. The study also aims to explore the consequences of agents’ positions on their observed and self-reported assessment practices and decisions. Positioning is one approach to identity exploration in which researchers can access identity as displayed and negotiated narratively in interaction (Davies & Harre, 1990; De Fina, 2013). Therefore, the data of this study were collected from observing academics (N=7) as they assessed their students in PBL sessions (N=20). Academics were then invited to interviews (n=7), and their students (n=41) participated in seven focus groups. The data were small stories collected from the participants and analysed employing the Small Story Approach to narrative (Bamberg & Georgakopoulou, 2008) and through the lens of Bamberg’s refined version of Positioning Theory, the Three Positioning Levels (Bamberg, 1997). Further analysis was conducted at positioning level one utilising the Identity Navigation Spaces (Bamberg, 2020). At positioning level three, a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was also conducted to connect the stories and the data to the macro level (master narrative) of assessment in EME/EMI contexts. Findings showed that agents’ positioning of themselves and others has significantly influenced their assessment practices and decisions. For example, an academic’s decision to assess English in EME was found to be the result of his concerns that students would make a life-threatening mistake as a result of their miscommunication with other staff in the hospital. This was evident in his story about himself when he committed a similar mistake. Additionally, the functions of Arabic and English were found to be conceptualised in light of agents' positions. Therefore, in addition to the pragmatic reasons for using a specific language code for assessment, identity-related factors were also found to be relevant. Moreover, positions were found to have consequences on assessment decisions, providing more insights into how identities are performed in action. These consequences are not only evident at the discursive level in the interviews but were also observed in the PBL sessions. This study contributes to understanding assessors’ identity in EMI, which can be central to fair and sustainable assessment practices and thus ensure quality classroom assessment. It also expands the knowledge of EME assessment in the unique assessment context of PBL. Additionally, the study contributes to Positioning Theory by acknowledging the role of agency in linking positions to performed identities. It also provides some practical implications for EME assessment practices by highlighting the need to take the human and social dimensions of assessments into consideration when planning EME assessment.
University of Southampton
Alzahrani, Ahmad Khidhr
12c3ac30-b936-4d31-8e89-bf762cd069ef
Alzahrani, Ahmad Khidhr
12c3ac30-b936-4d31-8e89-bf762cd069ef
Zheng, Ying
abc38a5e-a4ba-460e-92e2-b766d11d2b29
Moran Panero, Sonia
ed8406bd-916f-4da2-9227-26a93e352408

Alzahrani, Ahmad Khidhr (2024) Investigating identity-related assessment practices and decisions in EMI: A narrative Inquiry. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis, 220pp.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

Research in Assessment Literacy AL has long focused on the knowledge and skills that assessors need to ensure that their assessments are fair and accountable. However, assessors are not neutral, and they bring to their assessment design and interpretations more of their backgrounds, past assessment experiences and beliefs about assessment. For this, researchers called for the need to go beyond assessment literacy to explore the human and the social conditions of assessment (Brown et al., 2016) particularly Assessment Identity AI (Looney et al., 2017). This thesis aims to capture the extent to which assessors’ identities influence assessment-related decisions and practices. This issue is most evident in contexts where the focus of the assessment is not English, like in the context of English Medium Education/Instruction EME/EMI, as assessors need to make some decisions that can be aligned or opposed to their conceptualisation of English and their first language. However, research on assessment in EME/EMI contexts is scarce (Macaro et al., 2018). In response to this call and to fill this gap in EME/EMI research, this study explored assessors’ identity regarding the assessment practices in a Problem-Based Program PBL in a Saudi medical school from the Positioning Theory PT perspective. The aim is to explore agents' positions of themselves and others regarding the use of English in their assessment practices. Additionally, this study aims to explore the functions of English and Arabic used in PBL assessment in the light of agents’ positions. The study also aims to explore the consequences of agents’ positions on their observed and self-reported assessment practices and decisions. Positioning is one approach to identity exploration in which researchers can access identity as displayed and negotiated narratively in interaction (Davies & Harre, 1990; De Fina, 2013). Therefore, the data of this study were collected from observing academics (N=7) as they assessed their students in PBL sessions (N=20). Academics were then invited to interviews (n=7), and their students (n=41) participated in seven focus groups. The data were small stories collected from the participants and analysed employing the Small Story Approach to narrative (Bamberg & Georgakopoulou, 2008) and through the lens of Bamberg’s refined version of Positioning Theory, the Three Positioning Levels (Bamberg, 1997). Further analysis was conducted at positioning level one utilising the Identity Navigation Spaces (Bamberg, 2020). At positioning level three, a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was also conducted to connect the stories and the data to the macro level (master narrative) of assessment in EME/EMI contexts. Findings showed that agents’ positioning of themselves and others has significantly influenced their assessment practices and decisions. For example, an academic’s decision to assess English in EME was found to be the result of his concerns that students would make a life-threatening mistake as a result of their miscommunication with other staff in the hospital. This was evident in his story about himself when he committed a similar mistake. Additionally, the functions of Arabic and English were found to be conceptualised in light of agents' positions. Therefore, in addition to the pragmatic reasons for using a specific language code for assessment, identity-related factors were also found to be relevant. Moreover, positions were found to have consequences on assessment decisions, providing more insights into how identities are performed in action. These consequences are not only evident at the discursive level in the interviews but were also observed in the PBL sessions. This study contributes to understanding assessors’ identity in EMI, which can be central to fair and sustainable assessment practices and thus ensure quality classroom assessment. It also expands the knowledge of EME assessment in the unique assessment context of PBL. Additionally, the study contributes to Positioning Theory by acknowledging the role of agency in linking positions to performed identities. It also provides some practical implications for EME assessment practices by highlighting the need to take the human and social dimensions of assessments into consideration when planning EME assessment.

Text
Doctoral Thesis Ahmad Alzahrani PDFA - Version of Record
Restricted to Repository staff only until 24 May 2029.
Available under License University of Southampton Thesis Licence.
Text
Final-thesis-submission-Examination-Mr-Ahmad-Alzahrani
Restricted to Repository staff only
Available under License University of Southampton Thesis Licence.

More information

Published date: May 2024

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 490495
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/490495
PURE UUID: a804a894-a94e-4db3-ba34-1ebebcd7960d
ORCID for Ying Zheng: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2574-0358
ORCID for Sonia Moran Panero: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9895-4379

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 28 May 2024 17:16
Last modified: 14 Aug 2024 01:53

Export record

Contributors

Author: Ahmad Khidhr Alzahrani
Thesis advisor: Ying Zheng ORCID iD
Thesis advisor: Sonia Moran Panero ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×