The purpose of this study was to explore the value teachers give to the process of formative assessment and their experience with the process. This study was conducted at a rural middle school where formative assessment was not effectively used as reflected in state assessment data. The social constructivist framework, which views students as active participants in their own learning, guided this study. Research questions focused on how the teachers participated in and felt about the process of formative assessment. Eleven teachers, all of whom use formative assessment as part of their practice, were purposefully selected for this study. Data sources, including semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and a questionnaire, provided data about teachers' perceptions of and experiences with the formative assessment process. Data analysis in the form of manual hierarchical coding, including open and axial levels, was performed to identify themes. The key findings were that the formative assessment process was viewed as important, that the effective use of formative assessment varied, depending on whether a skill was being taught or information was being disseminated, and that the refined and deliberate use of the formative assessment process is needed in order to improve student learning. This study and the associated project, a professional learning experience aimed at improving teachers' abilities to use formative assessment, may provide an approach to addressing the individual learning needs of students and, thereby, narrow academic achievement gaps among various subgroups to promote positive social change.

Bachelor-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2005.

No description available.

My diploma thesis focuses on formative assessment of natural sciences, such as Biology and Chemistry on the ISCED 2 and 3 level. The aim of the work is to introduce formative assessment as such and to present designs of materials and activities for formative evaluation development in natural sciences. The theoretical part examines the school assessment matter. It describes a formative assessment in detail including assessing methods and techniques. The aim of the empirical part was to map materials for formative assessment development in the school subjects of Biology and Chemistry. Moreover, all the materials were tested in practice. Another goal was to identify what was the effect of using the new methods of formative assessment in the school. It also explores the possibility of students attitude change in learning and whether it successfully affected their performance in the subjects. The research method used in the work was action research which was conducted in the author's teaching. Interviews in focus groups in third year of four-year academy and fifth year of eighth-year academy at a private grammar school were used for the collection of data. The research findings show that using methods such as feedback, peer evaluation and evaluation according to defined criteria in Biology and Chemistry...

This study will investigate the most efficient way of giving and receiving formative feedback. There will primarily be a focus on whether verbal formative feedback or written formative feedback is found to be more efficient by teachers and students. Furthermore, the study will also investigate if formative feedback is motivating for L2 learners. The purpose of our area of interest is that there is little research done on verbal and written approaches to formative feedback. Moreover, the educational authorities in Sweden claim that formative feedback can have little to no impact at all and in some cases even negative effects, which we find to be problematic. This research study is done on secondary school students in grades 7-9. Our findings included in the results section include eight primary sources with a focus on our area of interest. The findings indicate that a verbal approach to formative feedback is highly appreciated by students and teachers, because of its effectiveness. Our findings show that verbal formative feedback can highlight students' strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, it is efficient as it explains misunderstandings and is understood by the learners. To conclude, formative feedback has a twofold aim, on one hand, it motivates students and on the other hand, it is efficient for assigning grades.

That the formative assessment leads to pupils’ knowledge, all four teachers has to be united, which is also the point of the formative assessment according to Hatti and Dylan. The purpose of formative assessment is that it will improve student learning, dissimilar summative assessment that measure students’ knowledge. The purpose of this essay is to examinate how other society oriented subjects’ and religious education teachers at high school pronounce themselves on formative assessment in the subject religion. And what advantages and disadvantages they see with it. This study is based on four interviews with society oriented subjects and religious teachers at high school (7- 9). Lastly, grounded on my results of my respondents’ statements conclude that the perception of what formative assessment is contrast in opinion. Educators don’t certainly know what formative assessment is. All four respondents say they use formative assessment in their teaching but in different ways. Some said they use written examinations whereas others preferred matrices. The teachers also had different opinions about formative assessment. The higher probabilities teachers saw with formative assessment was that it provided students a chance to knowledge.

First year Humanities and Social Science students’ experiences of engaging with written feedback in a post- 1992 university This thesis examines students’ experiences of engaging with written formative feedback in a post-1992 university. A body of literature on ‘engagement with feedback’ in higher education presents the student as somehow lacking the motivation to engage with feedback. The principles of a feminist methodology were adopted in an attempt to present the underrepresented views of students on the issue of their engagement with feedback. Participants were from two first year undergraduate modules which provided formative feedback on assignments. Qualitative research methods were used: 24 semi-structured interviews, 50 reflective writing documents and 83 questionnaires were collated for open-ended responses and descriptive patterns. Following an analysis of this data, an innovative model was developed. The ‘Student perspective on engaging with feedback model’ was based on the three phases students moved through when engaging with feedback, which was influenced by the type and style of feedback they required at different stages of their transition. This transition involved a period of liminality (a state of betwixt and between) as individuals waited to go through a rite of passage, which often led to students finding themselves in ‘stuck places’ and experiencing feelings of ‘being wrong’. The model demonstrates how firstly, students used the feedback as a ‘sign’ to confirm their learner identities. Secondly, students used the feedback to improve. They valued a personalised dialogue to enable them to do this successfully. Thirdly, they focused on future-orientated feedback, relating to employability and grades. These findings provide the basis for recommendations to HE tutors suggesting that changes to assessment practices and feedback comments may be beneficial for first year undergraduates as they navigate their transition to learning in higher education. First year Humanities and Social Science students’ experiences of engaging with written feedback in a post- 1992 university This thesis examines students’ experiences of engaging with written formative feedback in a post-1992 university. A body of literature on ‘engagement with feedback’ in higher education presents the student as somehow lacking the motivation to engage with feedback. The principles of a feminist methodology were adopted in an attempt to present the underrepresented views of students on the issue of their engagement with feedback. Participants were from two first year undergraduate modules which provided formative feedback on assignments. Qualitative research methods were used: 24 semi-structured interviews, 50 reflective writing documents and 83 questionnaires were collated for open-ended responses and descriptive patterns. Following an analysis of this data, an innovative model was developed. The ‘Student perspective on engaging with feedback model’ was based on the three phases students moved through when engaging with feedback, which was influenced by the type and style of feedback they required at different stages of their transition. This transition involved a period of liminality (a state of betwixt and between) as individuals waited to go through a rite of passage, which often led to students finding themselves in ‘stuck places’ and experiencing feelings of ‘being wrong’. The model demonstrates how firstly, students used the feedback as a ‘sign’ to confirm their learner identities. Secondly, students used the feedback to improve. They valued a personalised dialogue to enable them to do this successfully. Thirdly, they focused on future-orientated feedback, relating to employability and grades. These findings provide the basis for recommendations to HE tutors suggesting that changes to assessment practices and feedback comments may be beneficial for first year undergraduates as they navigate their transition to learning in higher education. First year Humanities and Social Science students’ experiences of engaging with written feedback in a post- 1992 university This thesis examines students’ experiences of engaging with written formative feedback in a post-1992 university. A body of literature on ‘engagement with feedback’ in higher education presents the student as somehow lacking the motivation to engage with feedback. The principles of a feminist methodology were adopted in an attempt to present the underrepresented views of students on the issue of their engagement with feedback. Participants were from two first year undergraduate modules which provided formative feedback on assignments. Qualitative research methods were used: 24 semi-structured interviews, 50 reflective writing documents and 83 questionnaires were collated for open-ended responses and descriptive patterns. Following an analysis of this data, an innovative model was developed. The ‘Student perspective on engaging with feedback model’ was based on the three phases students moved through when engaging with feedback, which was influenced by the type and style of feedback they required at different stages of their transition. This transition involved a period of liminality (a state of betwixt and between) as individuals waited to go through a rite of passage, which often led to students finding themselves in ‘stuck places’ and experiencing feelings of ‘being wrong’. The model demonstrates how firstly, students used the feedback as a ‘sign’ to confirm their learner identities. Secondly, students used the feedback to improve. They valued a personalised dialogue to enable them to do this successfully. Thirdly, they focused on future-orientated feedback, relating to employability and grades. These findings provide the basis for recommendations to HE tutors suggesting that changes to assessment practices and feedback comments may be beneficial for first year undergraduates as they navigate their transition to learning in higher education.

Accrediting bodies for medical schools require that medical students be provided with formative assessment in all clerkship courses. The literature describes many strategies for formative assessment in clerkship settings, but qualitative studies of clerk and supervisor experiences with formative assessment are lacking. In this thesis, I describe a study that explores clerk and supervisor experiences with formative assessment in one internal medicine clerkship course. First, the literature was reviewed to determine current conceptions of formative assessment and learning in medical education. Then, novice and experienced clerks were recruited to participate. Prior to starting their Core Internal Medicine course, each clerk participated in an interview to understand his or her concepts of learning and assessment. During the six-week course, they replied to an electronic weekly questionnaire to describe and reflect on learning experiences. Finally, they participated in a focus group at the end of the course, to explore their experiences with formative assessment. Supervisors, (residents and attending physicians), who supervised clerks were recruited to participate in one interview to explore their approach to supervision and assessment of clerks, and to understand factors that influenced their ability to do this. All relevant artifacts (forms, policies, procedures) were collected for subsequent analyses. Four experienced clerks and eleven novice clerks participated, along with eight attending physicians and five residents. Participants identified four key themes as playing a significant role in assessment and learning: (a) the developing role of doctor, (b) the role of the team, (c) working and learning environments, and (d) educational strategies. Data analysis revealed the participants had unclear formal concepts of formative assessment, even though they could all describe the key concepts about how assessment affects learning, and were quite clear about what factors supported learning, and which ones were barriers to learning. The study contributes to our understanding of clerks’ and supervisors’ experiences with assessment and learning in a workplace-based learning setting. Finally, the study led to recommendations about how to better support formative assessment in the Core Internal Medicine course, and for further research. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-12-24 07:06:24.439

This thesis describes an investigation into the outcomes of a developmental project focussed on improving the word reading skills of a group of (n=77) secondary school students across five different school settings in a South West of England Local Authority. The 'Plymouth Precision Teaching Project' was conducted during the 2007/8 academic year commencing in September 2007 through to April 2008. The project involved the delivery of regular Precision Teaching (PT) programmes across two cohorts (1 and 2) of students by Teaching Assistants (TAs) in each school who themselves received ongoing training and support throughout the project. This thesis reports on three inter-connected aspects of research stemming from the project: Aspect One considered the impact of PT interventions delivered by trained TAs on groups of secondary school students with literacy learning needs through a quasi-experimental design. Aspect Two investigated the adaptations made by TAs within PT programmes to improve student word reading skills; from here a framework for systematic teaching adaptations was formulated, trialled and reviewed. Aspect Three drew on the experiences of school staff and their learning throughout the initiative. The value of participating in the research was investigated through exploring TAs’ reflections on the development of their understanding of the processes and practices surrounding ‘teaching and learning’. Outcomes of the research point to the continuing contribution of PT to addressing basic reading skill needs through heightened structure to intervention delivery, promotion and scrutiny of ‘treatment fidelity’ and an ongoing, systemic approach to the development of staff skills. This thesis also emphasises the mutual benefits that a collaborative project such as this can bring about; not only can staff contribute to the development of intervention approaches and provide high-quality interventions, but they can also develop their professional knowledge too. As a venture networking schools, a local authority educational psychology service and a university department, it is suggested this thesis reflects a description of the ground modernised educational psychology services should seek to occupy more and more.

The overarching question for this study is: to what extent are teachers using summative assessment data in a formative way? A survey research design study was implemented to address this question. A web-based survey was administered to elementary, middle, and high school teachers in a large, suburban school division in central Virginia. The survey data were used to determine the frequency with which teachers administered specific types of summative assessments, analyzed student summative assessment data, made changes in their instructional practice as a result of their analysis, and the level of teachers’ assessment literacy. The results of this study suggest teachers are administering a variety of summative assessments, with varying frequencies, throughout the year and analyzing data on a regular basis. Teachers’ formative use of summative assessment data is most often demonstrated through analysis using central tendency statistics. Disaggregating data by content standards or student subgroups is not as frequently attempted. Regardless of the methods of data analysis, an overwhelming majority of teachers reported using assessment data results to evaluate their instructional practice and make changes to enhance student learning. The assessment literacy level of teachers did not appear to have any influence on the extent to which they use summative assessments in a formative way. However, assessment literacy scores did differ across teacher characteristics. High school teachers had a higher assessment literacy score than elementary school teachers, and teachers with graduate degrees scored higher than those with a bachelor’s degree. Experience mattered as well; more experienced teachers had a higher assessment literacy score than beginning teachers. Finally, science and mathematics teachers had a higher assessment literacy score than elementary teachers. The findings of this study give building administrators and staff development leaders insight into current instructional practices of teachers. Additionally, a general measure of assessment literacy establishes a baseline from which educational leaders can develop future training to raise the assessment literacy of teachers