EVALUATING TO TRANSFORM: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF ASSESSMENT PRACTICES FROM A CRITICAL SOCIAL PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

Abstract

This article critically analyzes assessment practices in education, making visible the persistent tensions between contemporary pedagogical discourse and the logics of control that still dominate school evaluation systems. To this end, the study draws on the contributions of Paulo Freire (1998) and Henry Giroux (2003), who systematically question the use of evaluation as a tool of domination rather than as a genuine means for educational transformation and the emancipation of subjects. The research is conducted through a systematic review of scientific literature and doctoral theses published between 2018 and 2024, selected on the basis of thematic relevance, currency, geographic diversity, and critical epistemological focus. The procedure included documentary analysis and inductive thematic categorization, following the guidelines of Hernández, Fernández and Baptista (2014) and Codina (2023). The findings reveal five emerging and interdependent categories: emancipatory assessment, dialogic assessment, critical teacher training, inclusive and situated assessment, and critical institutional evaluation. Together, these dimensions reflect the need to reorient assessment as an ethical, contextualized practice committed to social justice. It is therefore concluded that transforming evaluative culture requires sustained political will, reflective teacher leadership, continuous professional development, and institutional policies consistent with the emancipatory goals of education.