Exploring differential levels of confidence in assessment and feedback literacies amongst a diverse student body: a case-study of year 1 students at the start of their Higher Education experience in a post-1992 University

This paper explores the relative levels of confidence amongst year 1 students about the assessment and feedback practices and procedures which they will be engaged in at University. Students were surveyed before they had participated in any assessment activities in a higher education context. The focus is on identifying differential levels of confidence based on students‘ subject of study, gender, age, ethnicity as well as their socio-economic status and their familial history of participation in higher education. We focus on students‘ perceived levels of understanding of the requirements of assessment, including the relative achievement standards against which their work will be assessed. We go on to explore students‘ perceived abilities to judge their own work and that of their peer‘s accurately, as well as their ability to use assessment criteria and achievement standard guide- lines to improve their work. The paper also examines students‘ confidence in applying their feed- back to improve their grades. The purpose of the research piece is to identify the relative levels of confidence of assessment and feedback amongst our increasingly diverse student body in order to best support their learning.