This study examines how formative assessment is understood and enacted by teacher educators across programmes in initial teacher education. Drawing on classroom observation, lesson planning documents and semi-structured interviews with programme tutors, the study considers how formative feedback is used to support student teachers' developing practice during supervised placements. Particular attention is given to the alignment between stated assessment criteria and the feedback student teachers actually receive, and to the extent to which formative assessment practices are consistent across departments. The findings point to variation in how feedback is framed and timed, and to a need for clearer shared guidance on what constitutes useful formative comment at different stages of a placement. The study offers a set of recommendations intended to support more consistent formative assessment practice across the Faculty's initial teacher education programmes, without prescribing a single model of feedback.
Publication details
- Authors: Dr Chan Wai Ming and Dr Lee Ka Yan, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
- Department: Department of Curriculum and Instruction
- Publication type: Faculty research report
- Published: September 2026
- Publisher: Faculty of Education and Human Development, The Education University of Hong Kong
- Series: FEHD Research Report Series, No. 14
- Language: English, with a Chinese summary
- Full text: Available on request from the Faculty Research Office — research@eduhk.hk
How to cite
Chan, W. M., & Lee, K. Y. (2026). Formative Assessment Practices in Initial Teacher Education: A Faculty Study (FEHD Research Report Series No. 14). Faculty of Education and Human Development, The Education University of Hong Kong.