Despite the fact that assessment and assessment practices have become a more explicitly significant part of teachers’ responsibilities, there is a lack of reported research concerning the formation of novice teacher EFL identities, in particular with regard to their role as assessors. Likewise, there seems to be a lack of research regarding if and how these identities change over time. In the Swedish context, where teachers are in a unique position of assessing their own pupils’ work, studies on assessment identity development are even more sought after.

This presentation shares some of the insights from a four-year research project investigating the way student and novice teachers think about themselves as assessors of young learners of English (age 10 – 12), and how they experience the balance between accountability demands and making fair assessments. 

Focus-group interviews with 16 novice teachers over 2 years, resulting in 39 hours of transcript, where analysed using content analysis (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004). Dialogical Self Theory (Hermans, 2001), is used to explain dialogical positioning and re-positioning within the self. This view is helpful when studying identity development among novices, as the potential for conflicting positions are abundant.

The results illustrate diverse beliefs and assumptions about assessment among the participants. Based on the findings, a four-field model is introduced, where identities are positioned according to their technical or pedagogical approach, and their compliance to the accountability system. Member checks reveal a need to address assessment identity formation during teacher education, before standing face-to-face with all the complexities of assessment. The study helps nuance our understanding of assessment identity formation and accentuates the importance of the immediate context for classroom assessment practices, high- and low-stakes alike.