How assessment for learning promotes self-regulation, co-regulation and shared regulation

The relationship between Assessment for Learning (AfL) and the formative assessment component in self-regulated learning (SRL) has been long debated, but direct empirical evidence about this relationship is scarce. Actually, the AfL focus on feedback and student involvement aligns with SRL, and appears to be the main reason for many researchers to conduct research on formative assessment. This paper provides a conceptual literature review (non-exhaustive) to explore this relationship in more detail. We will review theoretical and empirical evidence on the ways AfL practices may promote self-, co- and shared regulation. At the individual level, AfL can help each student to become a better self-regulator. At the interaction level, AfL can be used to promote co-regulation of learning through a teacher or a peer adopting the role of a more knowledgeable other. At the collaborative level, AfL practices can achieve socially shared regulation when a group of students is jointly engaged in solving a problem.