The discourse of assessment: language and value in the assessment of group practice in the performing arts

Utilizing approaches influenced by Foucault’s thoeries of discourse, this article identifies instances of ‘discourse-conflict’ present within the assessment of collaborative group practice in the performing arts at higher education level. It analyses the connotations of the word ‘assessment’ itself in terms of its relation to concepts of valuation and worth. It then relates this analysis to three discourses, identified as those of ‘The academy’,‘Professional Theatre’and ‘Art’,which it considers in terms of the ideological and ethical value system inscribed within them, and the ways in which these are expressed through common current assessment strategies and language. The article then goes on to examine how the issues raised have been articulated and addressed in practice through three case studies drawn from group-based practical assessments in the School of Media, Music and Performance at the University of Salford.