Workplace assessment in New Zealand: stated intentions and realisations

Abstract

Workplace assessment (WPA) of New Zealand’s National Qualifications Framework (NQF) competencies has become a significant alternative pathway for vocational adult education. This article reports on a research project which compares stated intentions for workplace assessment with evidence of its practical realization. The perceptions of the workplace assessors and candidates are analysed in a case study of qualitative interviews of ambulance service officers. Assessment guidelines are reviewed and then compared to a discussion of selected findings. Three areas of the research project are discussed in this article. The first covers how workplace assessments meet technical prescriptions for evidence-gathering and discusses findings on the validity, directness and sufficiency of evidence. Secondly, the development of a holistic Interplay model offers a counter to ‘checklist’ assessment methods. Lastly the article discusses the nature of the assessor/candidate relationship and develops Positive and Negative Closeness Models. Recommendations are made for workplace assessor training.