Understanding the Assessment in Higher Education in South-east Asia: Four Perspectives

Abstract

In our traditional Chinese culture, there is the widespread dominance of the exam-oriented curriculum with limited students’ engagement in learning. This study is aimed at understanding the assessment issues and investigating the perspectives and experiences towards the assessment of the subject coursework and thesis at doctoral level in South-east Asia since there is scant study on this specific context. Relevant documents and the indepth individual interviews of a few learners and teachers were used to get complementary perceptions on this issue. This paper is analyzed based on several perspectives: the purposes for assessment, language assessment policy, assessment standards and frameworks, and factors affecting the assessment performance. Findings include the coursework assessment practice has aligned with AFL Assessment for learning. Assessment is embedded in the teaching and learning context. Individual abilities including the language proficiency and educational knowledge of learners, and the circumstances are factors related to the performance of the assessment in higher education.