The renewal of the Norwegian curricula in 2020, named Knowledge Promotion 2020, aims to strengthen relevance in school subjects and with specific priorities and consequently “prepare the students for the future” (Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2020). The Overall part of the curricula presents overarching aims related to student agency and highlights especially students` in-depth learning, critical thinking, and learning strategies, as a foundation for life-long learning (Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2020). Similar skills, such as cognitive and meta-cognitive skills, critical and creative thinking, learning-to-learn and self-regulation, are presented in the OCED Learning Framework 2030 (2018) and the Conceptual Learning Framework (OECD, 2019), reflected in the Norwegian curricula. Reflection on learning, learn to formulate questions, seek answers, and express their understanding will lay ground for student agency and learning strategies (Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2020). The overarching aims, values ​​and principles formulated in the Overall part of the curricula comprise primary school and upper secondary education, including vocational education and training (VET). VET in Norway is part of the formal upper secondary education system (age 16-19). In the main model, VET is organised as two years in school (including practice placement periods) and two years in apprenticeship, also denounced as the 2+2 model.

Along with the educational policies and aims for future education in many countries, inspired by OECD, there is an extensive body of research in self-regulation (SR) and learning strategies. Self-regulation, as a trait related to motivation and assessment for learning (Smith et al., 2016), is related to how the learner sets goals and learn to monitor, regulate, and control cognition, motivation, and behavior to reach their goals (Andrade, 2010; Smith et al., 2016). Zimmerman (2000) emphasise feedback from the self (self-assessment) and significant others as important for the development of SR skills, and an elaboration of the interplay and dialogue between self-regulation and feedback is also found in Hattie and Timperley’s` work (2007). In their feedback model, student’s agency and SR will be stimulated and supported by dialogues related to learning goals and specific and timely feedback during the learning process, including information about the next step. Feedback thus can be defined as information provided to the learner about performance and aiming to promote further learning (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Shute, 2008). Such feedback functions formative if the student can use the feedback (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Wiliam, 2011).

Formative feedback is included in the assessment regulations since 2006 and have been implemented at all levels in the school system. In the renewal of the curricula 2020, student agency in assessment is emphasized and related to self-regulation and learning strategies.

However, the concepts of SR and formative feedback are not to a substantial extent contextualized in VET (Panadero, 2017; Panadero et al., 2018). In the Norwegian VET, interpretation and implementation of the overarching aims in the curricula and assessment regulations in upper secondary school is often dominated by the traditions and methods in the general study subjects, including assessment practices (Sandal, 2021). The study this paper report from therefore was established, aiming to investigate how VET student develop of SR through formative assessment. Research question: How do VET students perceive and experience formative feedback as promoting self-regulation skills? An underlying premise for the study is formative feedback as an approach to and potential for stimulating SR skills.

Data is collected through three qualitative focus group interviews (Liamputtong, 2011) with VET students (N=11) in the VET program Health and Youth Development in an Upper Secondary School in Norway. The students were recruited from three classes through their teachers, who had participated in a professional development program in assessment. We used a semi-structured interview guide with the themes: feed up-phase/ discussions of learning goals and criteria, formative feedback practices, self-assessment and peer assessment, feed forward/ discussions of next step in the learning process, drawing on these concepts in literature (e.g., Andrade, 2010; Black & Wiliam, 1998; Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Zimmermann, 2000). The learning contexts for themes was mainly the school-based part of the vocational education, that is teaching in classroom and workshops/laboratories. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed, using Nvivo as a tool (QSR International). The initial coding of the transcripts made basis for meaning condensation and categories (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009). However, since the research question is directed to the relation between formative feedback and SR skills, the analysis had a deductive approach when establishing categories. The study is conducted according to ethical guidelines in research (NSD-Norwegian centre for research data).

The preliminary findings show a structure and teaching design in the classrooms and workshops that enables formative feedback at all stages in the learning processes, although to varying degrees. The students report that the teachers put emphasis on discussing the learning goals with the students, for example what to learn and why, how they are going to work, as well as assessment criteria and success criteria. However, the learning goals are decided by the teachers and the students are not invited into processes of formulating individual learning goals. During the learning processes, the students both receive and seek feedback from the teacher and peers. They report that they receive detailed and specific feedback, and, in some classes, they are given time to practice and try again, for example take a test twice. Simultaneously, we also find that the students are preoccupied with grades and summative assessments and do not by themselves use the summative feedback to learn further. Student agency is found in for example teachers engaging the students in discussions of methods, cooperation in on work tasks, engaging the students in design assignment questions and work tasks. Stimulating student agency and SR is also found in the frameworks for self-assessment where teachers invite the students to assess their learning achievement, effort, and results, and articulate their need for support and feedback. By analyzing the data through a conceptual framework of formative feedback, the findings indicate formative assessment activities supporting students` development of SR skills. However, there are several weaknesses with this perspective. The teachers` intentions with formative feedback is not clearly expressed and whether development of SR skills is embedded in their reasoning and practice. There is also a need for in-depth analysis of the learning methods, especially in the workshops to understand SR in VET.

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