Assessment boundary-objects

Contribution to the mediation process in dynamic referential co-constitution in the case of France constellations regarding French and Mathematics

Abstract

This article presents a research-intervention in a French academic context. Using the concept of the ‘boundary object’ (Star, 2010; Trompette & Vinck, 2009), the aim is to explain how three singular evaluation objects and their evaluation referents were co-constituted. Our hypothesis is that the concept of the boundary object of evaluation can be used to observe the identification of the common object of evaluation in the ‘dynamic referential co-constitution’ (Mottier Lopez, 2022; Mottier Lopez & Dechamboux, 2017), while preserving the tensions and disparities of its meanings. In the context of this research, three boundaries objects of evaluation were identified by the local pilots of an educational public action reforming the in-service training of primary school teachers: the success of the training system, the role of the school headmaster in steering it and the professionalism of the trainer of this system. The conclusion sets out the limitations identified and the prospects for the second year of research to come.