ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author suggest three goals. The first of these was to establish the importance of developing a sociological understanding of assessment, given its overwhelmingly powerful impact on both education and society. The second goal was to illustrate various ways in which such a sociological understanding might be achieved. The third goal was to explore the significance of the current world-wide interest in assessment for learning and to introduce the potentially profound impact of the digital revolution on future developments in assessment practice. Such an understanding is vital since the ever-increasing impact of globalisation means that fashions in educational assessment are rapidly disseminated around the world. Without a clear appreciation of the importance of the social context and how it shapes the priorities and practices of education in a given setting, such ‘policy-borrowing’ is likely to lead to very different outcomes from those intended.
