In pursuit of pink elephants: Sociocultural Theory and the determination of learning in assessments that support L2 teaching and learning

Abstract

It has long been understood that assessment, beyond purposes such as measuring achievement or assigning scores or grades, has relevance to ongoing teaching and learning. Various formulations for describing the relationship between assessment and teaching/learning have been proposed, including formative assessment, assessment-for-learning, and, more recently, learning-oriented assessment. This paper argues that, despite changes to terminology over the years, it is less clear whether advances have been made in articulating precisely how assessment may function in tandem with teaching to bring about desired learning outcomes. Following a critical overview of trends in assessment research since the 1980s, with particular attention to the L2 field, it is proposed that what has been missing is a coherent theoretical framework that offers insight into L2 development, specifyies how teaching may be organized to promote developmental processes, and provides principles for how assessment can guide instruction. Vygotskian Sociocultural Theory is then put forward as a candidate theory that, rather than offering a new term for describing what teachers do with regard to assessment and how it might relate to learning, brings a perspective that can generate new practices and orient research.