Formative assessment as a pedagogical system in pre-service Geography teacher education: evaluative engagement and learning outcomes in Vietnam

Formative assessment is recognised for its potential to support learning, yet less is known about how sustained formative practices operate as an enacted pedagogical system in pre-service Geography teacher education. This study examined a 15-week formative assessment implementation in anGeography teacher education course in Vietnam. It investigated how documented implementation conditions were alongside within-cohort changes in students’ perceptions, theory-based achievement, and evaluative engagement. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design (N = 79), the study integrated observations of implementation fidelity, feedback-event ratings, pre- and post-intervention surveys, theory-test data, focus-group moderator notes, and coursework artefacts. Findings documented formative assessment practices and feedback-event mean ratings between Levels 3 and 4; students reported favourable post-test perceptions, and their scores on the same-form theory test were higher at the end of the course. Moderator notes and artefacts also indicated emerging engagement with criteria, feedback, peer dialogue, and assessment-task design, alongside initial tensions and continuing design difficulties. Reflective competence is interpreted cautiously, not as a directly measured construct but as an emergent, discipline-embedded capacity reflected in students’ use of criteria, feedback, and Geography-specific assessment design. The study highlights the value of coherent formative assessment for supporting learning and professional preparation and contributes context-sensitive evidence.