Asia-Pacific Assessment and Curriculum Studies (APACS)

We established this research program to engage in critical enquiries and address various ideological, theoretical, conceptual, geographical, organisational, and practical issues in assessment and curriculum across school and higher education settings. We acknowledge, as informed by research evidence, that the intersections between curriculum, assessment, and learning and teaching are complex and dynamic. However, despite the growing recognition of their interdependence, these domains are often conceptualised and enacted disjointedly. A range of evidence supports that for effective learning and teaching, assessment should be conceptualised within a broader curriculum and pedagogical model. Thus, it is critical for teachers to develop a more coherent understanding of how curriculum, assessment, and pedagogical practices intersect and inform each other. Such coherence is critical for ensuring that assessment practices and learning and teaching strategies are aligned with curriculum goals, ultimately promoting effective student learning.

Also, the intersections of these constructs are problematic in the context of teacher education and development. Initial Teacher Education curricula and teacher professional learning must move beyond the delivery of content knowledge and pedagogical techniques to the development of critical orientations about curriculum, assessment, and learning and teaching among preservice and in-service teachers. A more strategic approach to teacher education and development should equip teachers with the ability to critically interrogate the underlying values, purposes, assumptions, and social practices embedded within curriculum frameworks and consider broader sociopolitical contexts. This critical lens supports teachers not only in enacting assessment and curriculum effectively but also in adapting and responding to the diverse and evolving needs of students within a relational and dynamic ecosystem.

Moreover, new forms of assessment and curriculum knowledge and skills are underutilised in enhancing learning and teaching. As educational contexts become more inclusive, encompassing students with special needs, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who are gifted and talented, and increasingly technologically mediated, teachers must demonstrate adaptive expertise in designing and enacting assessments to engage students and using assessment data to inform classroom decisions

Finally, assessment and curriculum policies are often counterintuitive, limiting teachers’ autonomy and expertise. We need informed policy advice on curriculum, assessment, and pedagogical practices. Policies must support teachers, and policymakers should create enabling environments and provide supporting mechanisms that enable teachers to understand and effectively enact the interplay between curriculum design, assessment regimes, and pedagogical practices.

Our Geographical Focus: Asia-Pacific

There are five key reasons why assessment and curriculum studies in Asia-Pacific are critical.  

1. Regional Diversity and Complexity. The Asia-Pacific region encompasses a wide range of cultures, languages, and educational systems, offering rich opportunities for comparative assessment and curriculum studies. This diversity allows for exploration of how local contexts and cultural values shape educational practices.
2. Ongoing Educational Reforms. Many Asia-Pacific countries are actively reforming their education systems, enacting new curriculum models and assessment strategies. Research on these ongoing reforms would offer valuable insights into how educational systems adapt to shifting socio-political contexts and global educational trends.
3. Influence of International Assessments. Participation in international assessments has significant impacts on assessment and curriculum policies in the region. This is an excellent study area for examining how external assessments drive national benchmarking and encourage alignment with global standards, while also exposing local aspirations, tensions, and challenges.
4. Balancing Ideologies and Modernisation. Countries in the Asia-Pacific often navigate a delicate balance between preserving long-held educational values and embracing innovation. This dynamic presents a unique context for investigating how assessment and curriculum evolve in the pursuit of cultural continuity and change.
5. Global Relevance and South-South Learning Exchange. The region’s diverse experiences provide alternatives to Western-dominated models of assessment and curriculum. Insights from the Asia-Pacific studies would increasingly inform educational development and policy across the Global South.

Critical Areas of Enquiry

Building on our previous research, we will engage in high-impact studies across various contexts:

1. Teachers’ knowledge of curriculum functions and purpose
2. Teachers’ knowledge of curriculum making as a social practice
3. Intersections of curriculum, teachers’ assessment literacy, data literacy, decision-making, and pedagogy.
4. Teaching assessment and curriculum in initial teacher education curricula
5. Students’ assessment literacy
6. Parental involvement in assessment
7. Assessment and curriculum design and development
8. Assessment and curriculum policies
9. Equity and inclusion in assessment and curriculum
10. Digital assessment and curriculum