Formative assessment of learning from a sociocultural perspective in secondary education: Strategies, challenges, and a teaching guide for its systematization

Formative assessment in secondary education is frequently promoted yet often reduced to fragmented routines or grading. This article uses qualitative–interpretive thematic ethnography to examine how teachers in technical secondary schools make sense of and implement formative assessment within a sociocultural and Nueva Escuela Mexicana (NEM) framework. Research in School Zone 28 (Sector III) combined interviews, participant observation, and documentary analysis. Results show a transition from “invisible” assessment to intentional practice through activation of prior knowledge, social mediation, and metacognition. Teachers rely on flexible tools and position dialogic feedback as the core regulatory mechanism. Persistent tensions—pressure to report grades, large classes, and communication barriers— limit formative intentions. To counter methodological dispersion, a contextualized didactic manual was produced to translate sociocultural and constructivist principles into actionable guidance. Formative assessment consolidates through supportive institutional conditions, shared school-culture agreements, and relevant, situated instruments in classrooms.