Social media as a mirror to the sentiment and discourse around Malta’s 2018 assessment changes

Malta’s National Curriculum Framework marked a paradigm shift from prescriptive syllabi to learning outcomes and continuous assessment (CA), challenging a traditional post-colonial testing culture. This study analyses 956 Facebook comments, tokenised into 971 records, concerning the 2018 introduction of CA using a mixed-methods design comprising sentiment analysis (VADER), thematic analysis and critical discourse studies. Findings reveal a heterogeneous sentiment distribution with a marginal positive lead. The dominant discursive strategies, evidentiality, legitimisation and polarisation, reflect experientially grounded public positioning within a divided narrative. Issues of fairness, trust, teaching quality, well-being and power dynamics permeate both positive and negative sentiments. Drawing on the concept of suspension, the study provides a baseline for understanding institutional trust prior the first implementation cycle. The findings suggest that trust remains at a critical threshold, with implications for assessment literacy scholarship, Malta’s forthcoming National Assessment Policy, and the role of public discourse in shaping educational reform.