avaliativa

Avaliativa is the feminine form of the Portuguese adjective avaliativo, used to describe something related to evaluation or assessment. The noun most often associated with the concept is avaliação (evaluation), while avaliativa functions as an attributive or predicative modifier in reference to instruments, activities, language, or processes that involve judging quality, performance, or outcomes. The term is productive in Brazilian and European Portuguese and appears in educational, professional, and linguistic contexts.

In education, avaliativa describes instruments, activities, and language aimed at judging a learner’s knowledge or abilities. Common expressions include prova avaliativa (evaluative exam), atividade avaliativa, and rubrica avaliativa (scoring rubric). This usage is part of a broader assessment framework that may include formative, somativa, or diagnostic dimensions. Although some contexts favor terms like avaliação formativa or avaliação somativa, the adjective avaliativa remains prevalent when emphasizing the evaluative nature of a task or feedback.

In linguistics and discourse studies, avaliativa can refer to language that expresses evaluation or attitudinal stance toward a proposition, event, or agent. This sense aligns with valorativo or evaluative language, which signals approval, disapproval, or subjective judgment in speech or text.

Beyond education and linguistics, avaliativa appears in human resources, research, and organizational contexts to characterize processes and materials designed to assess candidates, performances, or outcomes, such as stages avaliativas de seleção.

Etymology traces avaliativa to avaliar (to evaluate) with the suffix -ivo/-iva, forming an adjective that designates evaluative characteristics.