TLRP Research Briefing of the Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning (CPAL) Project, www.cpal.qub.ac.uk. Official URL: www.tlrp.org/proj/leitch.htmlThis project examined pupils’ participation in their own assessment from a children’s rights perspective, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It demonstrated that when genuine opportunities for participating in and understanding assessment are presented, pupils engage in the outcomes of their learning and focus on their progress. Children show the motivation and capacity to be involved in decision-making processes where policy makers use child-centred methods to consult children directly

Clough, P.

Galanouli, D.

Gardner, J.

Leitch, R.

Lundy, L.

Mitchell, S.

Odena, O.

English

Despite the growing body of literature on the impact of pupil voice on school reform, there is comparatively little research on the importance of pupil participation in the assessment of learning.

The overall aim of CPAL project is to understand the possibilities, processes and consequences of pupils becoming more fully participants in their own assessment in primary and post primary schools in a Northern Ireland context

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Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning

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University of Hertfordshire Research Archive

Teaching and Learning Research ProgrammeThis project examined pupils’ participation in their own assessment from a children’s rights perspective, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.  It demonstrated that when genuine opportunities for participating in and understandingassessment are presented, pupils engage in the outcomes of their learning and focus ontheir progress. Children show the motivation and capacity to be involved in decision-makingprocesses where policy makers use child-centred methods to consult children directly. March 2008 Number 36Teaching RESEARCHBRIEFINGLearningandwww.tlrp.orgConsulting Pupils on theAssessment of their LearningChildren can be consulted directly by policy-makers on matters of educational significancesuch as assessment policy and practice.••Pupils derive educational benefits through developing increased understanding of theirassessment in classrooms where there is congruence between a teacher’s beliefs and practices of Assessment for Learning (AfL).Teachers need supported to create participative classroom learning cultures based on sustainablerather than instrumental AfL.Opportunities are for increased awareness across the education system of how to apply and evaluatechildren’s rights in practice.Teachers and parents are generally supportive of children’s rights and increasing participation in learning and assessment.Child-centred consultation methods allow children’sviews to be expressed. It is important that methods be inclusive and that children’s views be listened andresponded to by adults.• This takes time and careful negotiation. We need abetter understanding of the implications of engagingchildren more democratically in research.Children can be involved collaboratively as co-researchers in mainstream research projects in ways that enhance the inquiry and enshrine children’s rights. •www.tlrp.org Teaching and Learning Research ProgrammeThe researchThis project was designed to take accountof the current educational policy context inNorthern Ireland through its focus on twomajor assessment initiatives - pupil profiles(PP) and assessment for learning (AfL).Although locally situated, it adds to ourunderstanding of assessment and learningpractices and their relation to policy development in other countries (Sebba,2006), and to our knowledge of the role of pupils in policy-making and implementation. Given its connection tocurrent policy, the project also addressedquestions about how to carry out researchwith schools, teachers, policy makers andespecially pupils in a context of nationalpolicy change.The study engaged with three existingresearch fields: Assessment for Learning,Pupil Voice and Children’s Rights.Assessment forLearning There is accumulating evidence of gains in pupil achievement and self-esteemresulting from interventions based on whatwe now call Assessment for Learning. AfL is a pedagogical approach whichemphasises the crucial role of formativeassessment in the learning process. It is based on such practices as sharinglearning intentions, expectations, and success criteria, and on providing effective feedback, quality questioning,dynamic group work and self- and peer-assessment. With the recent shift in attention to the learner, with its implications for the development of learner autonomy, this study exploredthese practices within a children’s rights framework.Pupil Voice  Studies by Rudduck et al (2003) have provided evidence for the educationalbenefits of engaging pupil voice aboutteaching and learning. This projectshowed that engaging pupil voice wasnecessary but not sufficient, and set out to explore the tensions between consultation which is limited to classroom practices and consultationwhich explicitly involves children in participatory citizenship. Children’s Rights Children’s Rights in assessment are a relatively under-researched area. Thisstudy conceptualised pupil consultation on assessment from a critical legal perspective. Article 12 of the UNConvention on the Rights of the Child is a legal and moral imperative with two keyelements, the right to express a view andthe right to have the view given dueweight.These rights have been further analysedinto four distinct facets:• Space: Children must be given the opportunity to express a view• Voice: Children must be facilitated to express their views• Audience: The view must be listened to• Influence: The view must be acted upon as appropriate (Lundy 2007:933).This model underpinned the design andconceptualisation of the project.What we didWe undertook a qualitative, in-depth studyin primary and post-primary schools tounderstand the possibilities, processesand consequences of pupils becomingfuller participants in their own assessment.It comprised three interrelated studies,each of which had a particular focus onchildren’s rights and pupil participation inassessment initiativesWhat were pupils consulted about?Pupils at Key stage 2 were consultedabout what they thought about the introduction of an annual pupil profile as a way of assessing their development and progress, and how they thought their own views might best be incorporated in this development.At Key stage 3, pupils were consulted on how they experienced participation inclassrooms embodying AfL principles and practices. They were asked whathelped or hindered their learning andassessment in these contexts, and how they understood the language of assessment including terms such asachievement, grades, criteria, feedback,and self- and peer-assessment.What were teachersand parents consulted about? Children’s Rights and AssessmentTeachers’ and parents’ views on pupil participation in assessment and children’srights were identified. The aim was tohighlight any tensions between their views and children’s entitlement.Students as co-researchersThe project enshrined the principles ofpupil rights and participation within its owndesign and processes. Some of the pupilsat KS2 and KS3 advised on appropriateethical informed consent and the methodsfor Study 1 and Study 2, and co-researched and co-interpreted aspects of the data. In addition to traditional survey methods, the project developedcreative methods for use with pupils and teachers which incorporated E-consultation, focus groups, drawings,and pupils’ digital recordings of their AfL classroom experiences, and which used co-interpretation of drawings and digitalrecordings of classroom observations.Children’s Rights Perspective and Assessment for Learning (AfL)How well are we doing?How well should we be doing?What KS2 stagepupils said about pupilprofilesKS2 pupils indicated to policy-makers thata pupil profile should:• be seen as a personal document as well as an academic one• provide detailed teacher feedback to improve their learning• help them and their parents and guardians to make good decisions about their progress and future schooling• be child-friendly, attractive and colourful • be written in readable, understandable language• include a voluntary section for pupil self-assessment• include a picture of a pupil’s wider abilities and achievements• contain ‘best work’ exemplars chosen by teacher and pupil together• have a section completed by parents or guardians• be given to the pupil throughout the year to give time for improvement• encourage a pupil to think well of themselves and their potential to achieve. What KS3 pupils saidabout assessmentKS3 pupils felt most positive about theirassessment in classes where:• they knew what they were supposed todo in any task, test or homework• the teacher discussed with them how their work would be assessed• they understood the language of assessment • they knew how to assess their own work and practised doing so • they could evaluate a classmate’s workand tell them how to improve• they were given positive feedback on what they had done ok or well• positive comments came before any negative ones• they were not made to feel embarrassed about their work• they were told how to improve individually and could work out what they needed to do• feedback was presented clearly and soon • marks were accompanied by detailed comments • any classmate’s assessment was supported by the teacher’s comments.Pupils indicated that teachers whoespoused the ‘spirit’ of AfL providedgreater opportunities for genuine participation in learning and assessment,and were personally convinced of itsimportance. Such teachers associatedtheir commitment to child-centred valueswith having been afforded a say (or not) in their own childhood. They explainedgaps between their values and practicesas being both personal (e.g. lack of reflexivity) and systemic (e.g. school culture).Pupils in classrooms where teachersshowed evidence of coherence betweenthe their beliefs and their AfL practicesdemonstrated  more in-depth understanding of assessment principlesand practices than those in classroomswhere coherence was less evident, orwhere pupils’ assessment discourse wasrestricted to tests and examinations.What teachers andparents said aboutchildren’s rights andpupils’ participation Most teachers and school leaders weresupportive in principle of children’s rightsin learning and assessment, but had animperfect understanding of children’srights as expressed in Article 12 of theUNCRC. They found the concepts ofSpace and Voice valuable in explainingtheir practices of consulting children andencouraging participation in classroompractices, but misconstrued the conceptsof Audience and Influence. They identifiedlack of time, class size, accountability andcurriculum constraints as barriers to fullimplementation of consultation andengagement. Most were keen to expandtheir knowledge in this area and how toapply this to educational practice.Parents were largely supportive of theirchildren’s increasing participation in learning and assessment through AfLpractices such as sharing learning objectives, negotiating success criteria,think time, “no hands up,” and formativefeedback. Some expressed reservationsabout self-assessment, and a significantpercentage had little confidence in thevalue of peer assessment. www.tlrp.orgTeaching and Learning Research ProgrammeMajor implicationsOur project has implications for children andyoung people, for teachers and school leaders, for government and policy-makers,and for researchers.ConsultationStudy 1 showed how to engage pupilsdirectly in consultation on a current government policy initiative, using a varietyof child-centred e-consultation mechanisms. The children identified candid preferencesfor how their progress should be recorded in the profile for their educational benefit. In order to ensure that children’s views aretaken seriously, it is important that there bea direct conduit to government and that children are provided with feedback on howtheir ideas have been taken into account. Information and communications technologywas integral to the realisation of the rights-based approach upon which the e-consultation process was modeled and is worthy of further development and application. If Article 12 is to be fully implemented in schools, action needs to be taken to ensure that children are involved at each stage of a decision-making process that will impact on their classroom experience.Learning and AssessmentThis project provides evidence of the educational benefits of engaging pupilsdirectly on assessment  in classrooms.Pupils indicate increased motivation and willingness to engage in their learningprogress where their views are taken intoaccount, where classroom learning engagesthem in practical learning activities andwhere the teacher is inclusive, concernedabout their progress and listens to theirideas. This provides an atmosphere in whichpupils are encouraged to indicate theirlearning and where it is OK not to know.Given the unevenness of pupils’ experiencesof participation and consultation even withina single school, this suggests the need forawareness-raising and for audits to checkthe progress of children’s rights in relation to learning and assessment. Capacityshould be built through in-school reflectionand by means of pre-service and in-servicedevelopment of teachers. These should bedesigned to help teachers  in classroomsengage pupils authentically through AfLpractices and encourage all pupils to participate in decisions of significance to them.Research While there is a rapidly-expanding researchliterature on engaging pupils more democratically in the research process, thisproject extends the notion of students asco-researchers within an externally drivenproject. By engaging pupils as researchadvisers, data gatherers and co-interpretersof data, it was possible to develop researchprocesses which were commensurate with arights framework. Pupils were provided withopportunities to develop and express theirideas on the research independent of adults(Space and Voice) and to have their ideasincorporated into research methods,process and outcomes (Audience andInfluence). Given the demonstrable benefitsof engagement and the legal and moralimperatives of Article 12, the challenges toauthentic student involvement identified bythis project (time, money, power structures)need to be taken seriously and allowed forin research proposals and funding bids.TLRP involves over 60 research teamswith contributions from England, NorthernIreland, Scotland and Wales. Work beganin 2000 and will continue to 2011.Learning: TLRP’s overarching aim is to improve outcomes for learners of allages in teaching and learning contextsacross the UK.Outcomes: TLRP studies a broadrange of learning outcomes, includingthe acquisition of skill, understanding,knowledge and qualifications and thedevelopment of attitudes, values andidentities relevant to a learning society.Lifecourse: TLRP supports projectsand related activities at many ages andstages in education, training and lifelonglearning.Enrichment: TLRP commits to user engagement at all stages of research. It promotes research across disciplines, methodologies and sectors, and supports national and international co-operation.Expertise: TLRP works to enhancecapacity for all forms of research onteaching and learning, and for researchinformed policy and practice.Improvement: TLRP develops the knowledge base on teaching and learning and policy and practice in the UK.TLRP Directors’ TeamProfessor Andrew Pollard | LondonProfessor Mary James | LondonProfessor Alan Brown | WarwickProfessor Miriam David | Londone-team@groups.tlrp.orgTLRP Programme OfficeSarah Douglas | sarah.douglas@ioe.ac.ukJames O’Toole | j.o’toole@ioe.ac.uktlrp@ioe.ac.ukTLRPInstitute of EducationUniversity of London20 Bedford WayLondon WC1H 0ALUKTel +44 (0)20 7911 5577Teaching and LearningResearch ProgrammeFurther information including downloadablefindings and materials for use with pupils canbe found on the project website (see below)This website can also be accessed via theTLRP website: www.tlrp.org.For academic readers, the processes andmethodology of students as co-researchers is to be found in:Leitch, R,  Gardner, J, Mitchell, S, Lundy, L,Odena, O, Galanouli, D & Clough, P. (2007)Consulting pupils in ‘Assessment forLearning’ classrooms: The twists and turns of working with students as co-researchers.Educational Action Research. Vol. 15, No 3.September, 2007 pp. 459-478. Leitch, R, Gardner, J, Mitchell, S, Lundy, L,Galanouli, D & Odena, O (2006) Researchingcreatively with pupils in Assessment forLearning (AfL) classrooms on experiences of participation and consultation;.http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/docu-ments/157844.htmFor application of e-consultation processessee: McEvoy, L & Lundy, L (2007) E-consulta-tion with pupils: a rights-based approach tothe integration of citizenship education andICT. Technology, Pedagogy and Education,Vol. 16, No 3, pp 305-319.ReferencesLundy, L (2007) ‘Voice is not enough’: Theimplications of Article 12 of the UNCRC forEducation, British Educational ResearchJournal, Vol 33, Issue 6, pp927-942.Rudduck, J, Arnot, D, Fielding, M, McIntyre,D & Flutter, J (2003) Consulting Pupils aboutTeaching and Learning. Final Report to theESRC Teaching and Learning ResearchProgramme.www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/no5.pdfA book in the TLRP Improving Schoolsseries,  Improving Pupil Participation inAssessment,  will provide a more generalaccount of the project: R. Leitch et al. (2009,in preparation). It will be of interest to teachers, school leaders, teacher educators and advisers.www.tlrp.orgFurtherinformation The warrantProject website:www.cpal.qub.ac.uk.Project team:Ruth Leitch (Principal Investigator), John Gardner, LauraLundy, Peter Clough, Oscar Odena, Stephanie Mitchell,Despina Galanouli Project contact:Ruth LeitchSchool of Education, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NNEmail: r.leitch@qub.ac.ukTel +44(0)2890 97 5949March 20089 780 85 4 73 80 9 0ISBN-978-0-85473-809-0The project built on existing and robustresearch that has demonstrated the value of engaging pupil voice in learning and teaching and has shown how AfL practicesimprove learning and achievement. The project extended thinking in these areas bydeveloping methods based on a unique andlegally sound conceptualization of Article 12 of the UNCRC (1989).At all stages, the project engaged with localpolicy-makers for curriculum and assessmentreform and with education advisers. This partnership ensured that each study wasengaging with key issues and personnel within the assessment policy agenda, and provided opportunities for regular dissemination events with practitioners andpolicy-makers. Twice-yearly advisory groupmeetings ensured ongoing scrutiny andrefinement of the studies.Within the project, 290 pupils were consultedacross nine schools. 157 teachers and school leaders from a representative range of schools, and 180 parents, were surveyed on pupil participation in assessment and on children’s rights. Ten AfL teachers from participating schools were engaged with indepth and over time.Data collection methods were piloted andchecked by student advisory groups toensure they were appropriately child-centred.Stimulus items within the e-consultationmechanisms were derived from a pilot groupof KS 2 pupils, while KS 3 pupils collectedand co-interpreted classroom observationdata and images of AfL classroom experience. The extensive qualitative datawere systematically analysed using standardprocedures for qualitative analysis, includingcoding and thematic analysis using nVivo.Survey data were analysed using SPSS. 

Voice is not enough’: The implications of

Consulting pupils on the assessment of their learning

This project examined pupils’ participation in their own assessment from a children’s 

rights perspective, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

It demonstrated that when genuine opportunities for participating in and understanding

assessment are presented, pupils engage in the outcomes of their learning and focus on

their progress. Children show the motivation and capacity to be involved in decision-making

processes where policy makers use child-centred methods to consult children directly

Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning: TLRP Research Briefing 36

       Leitch, R., Gardner, J., Lundy, L., Clough, P., Odena, O., Mitchell, S., and Galanouli, D. (2008) Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning: TLRP Research Briefing 36. Project Report. Economic and Social Research Council.     Copyright © 2008 Routledge       A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge   The content must not be changed in any way or reproduced in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holder(s)   When referring to this work, full bibliographic details must be given       http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/76425        Deposited on: 13 March 2013             Enlighten – Research publications by members of the University of Glasgow http://eprints.gla.ac.uk Teaching and Learning Research ProgrammeThis project examined pupils’ participation in their own assessment from a children’s rights perspective, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.  It demonstrated that when genuine opportunities for participating in and understandingassessment are presented, pupils engage in the outcomes of their learning and focus ontheir progress. Children show the motivation and capacity to be involved in decision-makingprocesses where policy makers use child-centred methods to consult children directly. March 2008 Number 36Teaching RESEARCHBRIEFINGLearningandwww.tlrp.orgConsulting Pupils on theAssessment of their LearningChildren can be consulted directly by policy-makers on matters of educational significancesuch as assessment policy and practice.••Pupils derive educational benefits through developing increased understanding of theirassessment in classrooms where there is congruence between a teacher’s beliefs and practices of Assessment for Learning (AfL).Teachers need supported to create participative classroom learning cultures based on sustainablerather than instrumental AfL.Opportunities are for increased awareness across the education system of how to apply and evaluatechildren’s rights in practice.Teachers and parents are generally supportive of children’s rights and increasing participation in learning and assessment.Child-centred consultation methods allow children’sviews to be expressed. It is important that methods be inclusive and that children’s views be listened andresponded to by adults.• This takes time and careful negotiation. We need abetter understanding of the implications of engagingchildren more democratically in research.Children can be involved collaboratively as co-researchers in mainstream research projects in ways that enhance the inquiry and enshrine children’s rights. •www.tlrp.org Teaching and Learning Research ProgrammeThe researchThis project was designed to take accountof the current educational policy context inNorthern Ireland through its focus on twomajor assessment initiatives - pupil profiles(PP) and assessment for learning (AfL).Although locally situated, it adds to ourunderstanding of assessment and learningpractices and their relation to policy development in other countries (Sebba,2006), and to our knowledge of the role of pupils in policy-making and implementation. Given its connection tocurrent policy, the project also addressedquestions about how to carry out researchwith schools, teachers, policy makers andespecially pupils in a context of nationalpolicy change.The study engaged with three existingresearch fields: Assessment for Learning,Pupil Voice and Children’s Rights.Assessment forLearning There is accumulating evidence of gains in pupil achievement and self-esteemresulting from interventions based on whatwe now call Assessment for Learning. AfL is a pedagogical approach whichemphasises the crucial role of formativeassessment in the learning process. It is based on such practices as sharinglearning intentions, expectations, and success criteria, and on providing effective feedback, quality questioning,dynamic group work and self- and peer-assessment. With the recent shift in attention to the learner, with its implications for the development of learner autonomy, this study exploredthese practices within a children’s rights framework.Pupil Voice  Studies by Rudduck et al (2003) have provided evidence for the educationalbenefits of engaging pupil voice aboutteaching and learning. This projectshowed that engaging pupil voice wasnecessary but not sufficient, and set out to explore the tensions between consultation which is limited to classroom practices and consultationwhich explicitly involves children in participatory citizenship. Children’s Rights Children’s Rights in assessment are a relatively under-researched area. Thisstudy conceptualised pupil consultation on assessment from a critical legal perspective. Article 12 of the UNConvention on the Rights of the Child is a legal and moral imperative with two keyelements, the right to express a view andthe right to have the view given dueweight.These rights have been further analysedinto four distinct facets:• Space: Children must be given the opportunity to express a view• Voice: Children must be facilitated to express their views• Audience: The view must be listened to• Influence: The view must be acted upon as appropriate (Lundy 2007:933).This model underpinned the design andconceptualisation of the project.What we didWe undertook a qualitative, in-depth studyin primary and post-primary schools tounderstand the possibilities, processesand consequences of pupils becomingfuller participants in their own assessment.It comprised three interrelated studies,each of which had a particular focus onchildren’s rights and pupil participation inassessment initiativesWhat were pupils consulted about?Pupils at Key stage 2 were consultedabout what they thought about the introduction of an annual pupil profile as a way of assessing their development and progress, and how they thought their own views might best be incorporated in this development.At Key stage 3, pupils were consulted on how they experienced participation inclassrooms embodying AfL principles and practices. They were asked whathelped or hindered their learning andassessment in these contexts, and how they understood the language of assessment including terms such asachievement, grades, criteria, feedback,and self- and peer-assessment.What were teachersand parents consulted about? Children’s Rights and AssessmentTeachers’ and parents’ views on pupil participation in assessment and children’srights were identified. The aim was tohighlight any tensions between their views and children’s entitlement.Students as co-researchersThe project enshrined the principles ofpupil rights and participation within its owndesign and processes. Some of the pupilsat KS2 and KS3 advised on appropriateethical informed consent and the methodsfor Study 1 and Study 2, and co-researched and co-interpreted aspects of the data. In addition to traditional survey methods, the project developedcreative methods for use with pupils and teachers which incorporated E-consultation, focus groups, drawings,and pupils’ digital recordings of their AfL classroom experiences, and which used co-interpretation of drawings and digitalrecordings of classroom observations.Children’s Rights Perspective and Assessment for Learning (AfL)How well are we doing?How well should we be doing?What KS2 stagepupils said about pupilprofilesKS2 pupils indicated to policy-makers thata pupil profile should:• be seen as a personal document as well as an academic one• provide detailed teacher feedback to improve their learning• help them and their parents and guardians to make good decisions about their progress and future schooling• be child-friendly, attractive and colourful • be written in readable, understandable language• include a voluntary section for pupil self-assessment• include a picture of a pupil’s wider abilities and achievements• contain ‘best work’ exemplars chosen by teacher and pupil together• have a section completed by parents or guardians• be given to the pupil throughout the year to give time for improvement• encourage a pupil to think well of themselves and their potential to achieve. What KS3 pupils saidabout assessmentKS3 pupils felt most positive about theirassessment in classes where:• they knew what they were supposed todo in any task, test or homework• the teacher discussed with them how their work would be assessed• they understood the language of assessment • they knew how to assess their own work and practised doing so • they could evaluate a classmate’s workand tell them how to improve• they were given positive feedback on what they had done ok or well• positive comments came before any negative ones• they were not made to feel embarrassed about their work• they were told how to improve individually and could work out what they needed to do• feedback was presented clearly and soon • marks were accompanied by detailed comments • any classmate’s assessment was supported by the teacher’s comments.Pupils indicated that teachers whoespoused the ‘spirit’ of AfL providedgreater opportunities for genuine participation in learning and assessment,and were personally convinced of itsimportance. Such teachers associatedtheir commitment to child-centred valueswith having been afforded a say (or not) in their own childhood. They explainedgaps between their values and practicesas being both personal (e.g. lack of reflexivity) and systemic (e.g. school culture).Pupils in classrooms where teachersshowed evidence of coherence betweenthe their beliefs and their AfL practicesdemonstrated  more in-depth understanding of assessment principlesand practices than those in classroomswhere coherence was less evident, orwhere pupils’ assessment discourse wasrestricted to tests and examinations.What teachers andparents said aboutchildren’s rights andpupils’ participation Most teachers and school leaders weresupportive in principle of children’s rightsin learning and assessment, but had animperfect understanding of children’srights as expressed in Article 12 of theUNCRC. They found the concepts ofSpace and Voice valuable in explainingtheir practices of consulting children andencouraging participation in classroompractices, but misconstrued the conceptsof Audience and Influence. They identifiedlack of time, class size, accountability andcurriculum constraints as barriers to fullimplementation of consultation andengagement. Most were keen to expandtheir knowledge in this area and how toapply this to educational practice.Parents were largely supportive of theirchildren’s increasing participation in learning and assessment through AfLpractices such as sharing learning objectives, negotiating success criteria,think time, “no hands up,” and formativefeedback. Some expressed reservationsabout self-assessment, and a significantpercentage had little confidence in thevalue of peer assessment. www.tlrp.orgTeaching and Learning Research ProgrammeMajor implicationsOur project has implications for children andyoung people, for teachers and school leaders, for government and policy-makers,and for researchers.ConsultationStudy 1 showed how to engage pupilsdirectly in consultation on a current government policy initiative, using a varietyof child-centred e-consultation mechanisms. The children identified candid preferencesfor how their progress should be recorded in the profile for their educational benefit. In order to ensure that children’s views aretaken seriously, it is important that there bea direct conduit to government and that children are provided with feedback on howtheir ideas have been taken into account. Information and communications technologywas integral to the realisation of the rights-based approach upon which the e-consultation process was modeled and is worthy of further development and application. If Article 12 is to be fully implemented in schools, action needs to be taken to ensure that children are involved at each stage of a decision-making process that will impact on their classroom experience.Learning and AssessmentThis project provides evidence of the educational benefits of engaging pupilsdirectly on assessment  in classrooms.Pupils indicate increased motivation and willingness to engage in their learningprogress where their views are taken intoaccount, where classroom learning engagesthem in practical learning activities andwhere the teacher is inclusive, concernedabout their progress and listens to theirideas. This provides an atmosphere in whichpupils are encouraged to indicate theirlearning and where it is OK not to know.Given the unevenness of pupils’ experiencesof participation and consultation even withina single school, this suggests the need forawareness-raising and for audits to checkthe progress of children’s rights in relation to learning and assessment. Capacityshould be built through in-school reflectionand by means of pre-service and in-servicedevelopment of teachers. These should bedesigned to help teachers  in classroomsengage pupils authentically through AfLpractices and encourage all pupils to participate in decisions of significance to them.Research While there is a rapidly-expanding researchliterature on engaging pupils more democratically in the research process, thisproject extends the notion of students asco-researchers within an externally drivenproject. By engaging pupils as researchadvisers, data gatherers and co-interpretersof data, it was possible to develop researchprocesses which were commensurate with arights framework. Pupils were provided withopportunities to develop and express theirideas on the research independent of adults(Space and Voice) and to have their ideasincorporated into research methods,process and outcomes (Audience andInfluence). Given the demonstrable benefitsof engagement and the legal and moralimperatives of Article 12, the challenges toauthentic student involvement identified bythis project (time, money, power structures)need to be taken seriously and allowed forin research proposals and funding bids.TLRP involves over 60 research teamswith contributions from England, NorthernIreland, Scotland and Wales. Work beganin 2000 and will continue to 2011.Learning: TLRP’s overarching aim is to improve outcomes for learners of allages in teaching and learning contextsacross the UK.Outcomes: TLRP studies a broadrange of learning outcomes, includingthe acquisition of skill, understanding,knowledge and qualifications and thedevelopment of attitudes, values andidentities relevant to a learning society.Lifecourse: TLRP supports projectsand related activities at many ages andstages in education, training and lifelonglearning.Enrichment: TLRP commits to user engagement at all stages of research. It promotes research across disciplines, methodologies and sectors, and supports national and international co-operation.Expertise: TLRP works to enhancecapacity for all forms of research onteaching and learning, and for researchinformed policy and practice.Improvement: TLRP develops the knowledge base on teaching and learning and policy and practice in the UK.TLRP Directors’ TeamProfessor Andrew Pollard | LondonProfessor Mary James | LondonProfessor Alan Brown | WarwickProfessor Miriam David | Londone-team@groups.tlrp.orgTLRP Programme OfficeSarah Douglas | sarah.douglas@ioe.ac.ukJames O’Toole | j.o’toole@ioe.ac.uktlrp@ioe.ac.ukTLRPInstitute of EducationUniversity of London20 Bedford WayLondon WC1H 0ALUKTel +44 (0)20 7911 5577Teaching and LearningResearch ProgrammeFurther information including downloadablefindings and materials for use with pupils canbe found on the project website (see below)This website can also be accessed via theTLRP website: www.tlrp.org.For academic readers, the processes andmethodology of students as co-researchers is to be found in:Leitch, R,  Gardner, J, Mitchell, S, Lundy, L,Odena, O, Galanouli, D & Clough, P. (2007)Consulting pupils in ‘Assessment forLearning’ classrooms: The twists and turns of working with students as co-researchers.Educational Action Research. Vol. 15, No 3.September, 2007 pp. 459-478. Leitch, R, Gardner, J, Mitchell, S, Lundy, L,Galanouli, D & Odena, O (2006) Researchingcreatively with pupils in Assessment forLearning (AfL) classrooms on experiences of participation and consultation;.http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/docu-ments/157844.htmFor application of e-consultation processessee: McEvoy, L & Lundy, L (2007) E-consulta-tion with pupils: a rights-based approach tothe integration of citizenship education andICT. Technology, Pedagogy and Education,Vol. 16, No 3, pp 305-319.ReferencesLundy, L (2007) ‘Voice is not enough’: Theimplications of Article 12 of the UNCRC forEducation, British Educational ResearchJournal, Vol 33, Issue 6, pp927-942.Rudduck, J, Arnot, D, Fielding, M, McIntyre,D & Flutter, J (2003) Consulting Pupils aboutTeaching and Learning. Final Report to theESRC Teaching and Learning ResearchProgramme.www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/no5.pdfA book in the TLRP Improving Schoolsseries,  Improving Pupil Participation inAssessment,  will provide a more generalaccount of the project: R. Leitch et al. (2009,in preparation). It will be of interest to teachers, school leaders, teacher educators and advisers.www.tlrp.orgFurtherinformation The warrantProject website:www.cpal.qub.ac.uk.Project team:Ruth Leitch (Principal Investigator), John Gardner, LauraLundy, Peter Clough, Oscar Odena, Stephanie Mitchell,Despina Galanouli Project contact:Ruth LeitchSchool of Education, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NNEmail: r.leitch@qub.ac.ukTel +44(0)2890 97 5949March 20089 780 85 4 73 80 9 0ISBN-978-0-85473-809-0The project built on existing and robustresearch that has demonstrated the value of engaging pupil voice in learning and teaching and has shown how AfL practicesimprove learning and achievement. The project extended thinking in these areas bydeveloping methods based on a unique andlegally sound conceptualization of Article 12 of the UNCRC (1989).At all stages, the project engaged with localpolicy-makers for curriculum and assessmentreform and with education advisers. This partnership ensured that each study wasengaging with key issues and personnel within the assessment policy agenda, and provided opportunities for regular dissemination events with practitioners andpolicy-makers. Twice-yearly advisory groupmeetings ensured ongoing scrutiny andrefinement of the studies.Within the project, 290 pupils were consultedacross nine schools. 157 teachers and school leaders from a representative range of schools, and 180 parents, were surveyed on pupil participation in assessment and on children’s rights. Ten AfL teachers from participating schools were engaged with indepth and over time.Data collection methods were piloted andchecked by student advisory groups toensure they were appropriately child-centred.Stimulus items within the e-consultationmechanisms were derived from a pilot groupof KS 2 pupils, while KS 3 pupils collectedand co-interpreted classroom observationdata and images of AfL classroom experience. The extensive qualitative datawere systematically analysed using standardprocedures for qualitative analysis, includingcoding and thematic analysis using nVivo.Survey data were analysed using SPSS. 

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Consulting pupils on the assessment of their learning

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