Non -participation in formative assessment: a study of post-graduate professional students

Formative assessment is used by proponents of student centred learning to facilitate summative attainment. This study uses a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of a number of students who were admitted to a post-graduate professional programme through recognition of prior learning (RPL) and who have not engaged with the formative process. Informal conversations were used to capture the essence of their experiences and findings were discussed against a framework provided by Cross’s (1981) dispositional, institutional and situational barriers to learning. Implications for future research include exploring interventions to help RPL students overcome barriers and ease transition into higher education at post-graduate level