ABSTRACT
Over the past 20 years the significance of assessment has been increasingly recognised in the field of physical education. Such recognition has been evidenced by efforts to theorise and conceptualise assessment in physical education (e.g. Hay and Penney, 2009), as well as proliferating reports of specific research endeavours focusing on the impact of assessment on students and physical education practices (e.g. Annerstedt and Larsson, 2010; MacPhail and Halbert, 2010; Redelius and Hay, 2009) and the dissemination of assessment practice initiatives from around the world (e.g. Blomqvist et al., 2005; Nadeau et al., 2007; Oslin, 2003; Thorburn, 2007). The basis for this burgeoning interest has been mixed. Some have advocated the practice of assessment because of its potential contributions to effective pedagogy and student learning (Veal, 1995; Hay, 2006), while others have noted the importance of assessment and accountability to the standing of physical education within local, national and international curriculum settings (Hardman and Marshall, 2000). Meanwhile, past research efforts have highlighted that within the physical education community there are those who view assessment with a degree of suspicion, questioning whether the intentions and practices of assessment may in fact be counter to the nature, purpose and potential of the subject itself (Kneer, 1986; Matanin and Tannehill, 1994).
