Communication and Shared Understanding of Assessment : A phenomenological study of assessment in Swedish upper secondary dance education

Abstract: The aim of this study is to describe and explore the phenomenon of assessment in dance education within the Swedish upper secondary schools’ dance orientation. The phenomenon was researched based on teachers’ experiences of assessment in dance education and formulations in the syllabi for upper secondary school. Life-world phenomenology constituted a base for the study. The methods used in the investigation were document analysis, observations, teachers’ written and verbal reflections and interviews. Documentation of observations was made through field notes, video recordings and sound recordings. The generated material was analysed based on Spiegelberg’s (1960) seven stages of phenomenological analysis. Syllabi from Lpf94 and Gy11 were researched to describe and analyse in what ways dance knowledge becomes visible. In total, five teachers and three schools were involved in the study. Within the framework of the course Dance technique 1, observations of dance education in ballet, contemporary- and jazz dance were made as well as of ten grade conferences. The teachers read the field notes and were able to change formulations in case something was misunderstood or it needed to be commented on in the form of teachers’ written or verbal reflections. Interviews with four of the observed teachers were made and the conversations related to what appeared in the observations. Comprehension of teachers’ experiences resulted in a description of the phenomenon and answers to the research questions. The study is communicated through four intertwined papers. The result reveals various conditions for assessment in dance education. Two themes appeared in the overall findings of the study, namely: The design of the assessment practice and Communication within the assessment practice. The syllabi appeared as one condition among others for dance education in upper secondary school including views of dance knowledge that appeared through analysis of the syllabi. In the assessment practice, it was seen that teachers’ conduct of assessment involved conditions for formative assessment to emerge. Conditions in order for communicated assessment to become meaningful for the students also emerged, including shared understanding. The teachers expressed various conditions for the assessment practice to became visible, namely the students’ participation, their own actions, as well as the overall school context. The study contributes to the dance educational research field through making teachers’ experiences of assessment in Swedish dance education visible. The thesis discusses dance teachers’ various approaches to syllabi, how the teachers’ conceptions of quality influence the assessment practice, and finally the importance of shared understanding of communicated assessment is emphasised. Furthermore, collegiate discussions are brought to the attention as a way to improve and reflect upon assessment.Keywords: upper secondary school, dance education, assessment, life-world phenomenology