The purpose of this study was to understand how formative assessment interactions in developmental education reading, writing, and mathematics courses at a community college were experienced by both students and faculty members and how they were perceived to impact learning and teaching. The specific assessment technique studied involved a series of one-on-one, out-of-class Feedback Intervention (FI) interactions that focused on discussions regarding students’ strengths and weaknesses in relation to their course learning outcomes. In using a case study approach, I interviewed students and faculty members in focus group and individual settings. Using constant-comparative qualitative analysis, I examined their perceptions in order to better understand the impact student-faculty interactions had on students’ learning and faculty members’ teaching experiences. Questionnaires were also used to corroborate findings. The following research questions were used: (1) What are the contexts and learning experiences of developmental studies students? (2) How has formative assessment, specifically out-of-class interactions with their instructors, affected perceptions of their learning experiences? (3) How have these interactions affected developmental studies faculty members’ perceptions about their teaching? When I considered the overall impact of the student-faculty interactions, one overarching theme emerged: the FI interaction did have a positive impact on learning, and to a lesser degree, teaching. This theme was supported through two main findings related to learning: the interaction increased students’ motivation to learn and improved their learning strategies. In regards to teaching, the main finding was that facilitation of the FI interaction affected faculty members in that they became more learner-centered in their teaching strategies and methodologies. These findings confirmed a connective, dynamic learning process for both students and faculty members.

The purpose of this study was to understand how formative assessment interactions in developmental education reading, writing, and mathematics courses at a community college were experienced by both students and faculty members and how they were perceived to impact learning and teaching. The specific assessment technique studied involved a series of one-on-one, out-of-class Feedback Intervention (FI) interactions that focused on discussions regarding students’ strengths and weaknesses in relation to their course learning outcomes. In using a case study approach, I interviewed students and faculty members in focus group and individual settings. Using constant-comparative qualitative analysis, I examined their perceptions in order to better understand the impact student-faculty interactions had on students’ learning and faculty members’ teaching experiences. Questionnaires were also used to corroborate findings. The following research questions were used: (1) What are the contexts and learning experiences of developmental studies students? (2) How has formative assessment, specifically out-of-class interactions with their instructors, affected perceptions of their learning experiences? (3) How have these interactions affected developmental studies faculty members’ perceptions about their teaching? When I considered the overall impact of the student-faculty interactions, one overarching theme emerged: the FI interaction did have a positive impact on learning, and to a lesser degree, teaching. This theme was supported through two main findings related to learning: the interaction increased students’ motivation to learn and improved their learning strategies. In regards to teaching, the main finding was that facilitation of the FI interaction affected faculty members in that they became more learner-centered in their teaching strategies and methodologies. These findings confirmed a connective, dynamic learning process for both students and faculty members.

No / This three year study investigates how undergraduate students engage with topic-based formative feedback on e-assessments consisting of multiple choice and extended matching questions. After submitting the assessment, the student does not receive directive feedback on individual questions, but instead they are shown diagnostic facilitative feedback on the different subject topic areas covered in the test. The study looks into student engagement with this type of topic-based feedback: engagement is measured in terms of time commitment, number of questions answered, and the distribution of timing of the student effort. Through quantitative analysis of three years of student data, the paper explores whether there is evidence of different engagement patterns between the stronger and weaker students, as measured by performance on the subsequent summative module examination. The paper concludes that there is evidence that the more successful students did engage with the formative assessments significantly more than the mid-ranking students, and the least successful students engaged least of all. Qualitative questionnaire data also indicate positive student attitudes towards this kind of feedback and suggest that the feedback is mostly used to evaluate the revision process.

In Swedish schools the interest for formative assessment practices has increased during the last decade. This can partly be seen as a response to Sweden’s poor performance in international tests and rankings but it is also reflecting the advancement of knowledge within the field. This research paper aims to examine teachers understandings of the term formative assessment and what practices they associate to the term. It is carried out by semi-structured interviews of primary school teachers. The material has then been subjected to an inductive content analysis. To ensure reliability of the results teachers have been chosen from two different municipalities and four different schools. One of the municipalities has an explicit interest in formative assessment and has developed a local program for teachers to participate in. The results of the study show a vide range of varieties in how teachers comprehend the term formative assessment. The lack of a common understanding of the term creates consequences for the equality of education, both between classrooms and between schools. Furthermore the results show that there is a correlation between the time and support teachers are given to implement formative assessment in their teachings and the depth of their understanding of the term. If the results are confirmed by further research and causality is established, further steps should be taken to examine key factors for a successful implementation.

This study explored the formative learning cycle's ability to increase student confidence to create quality homework. Student from a socio-economically diverse school district in Western Pennsylvania reported their confidence levels on homework production on two surveys. The first survey provided a rapid response at the end of lessons taught using the formative learning cycle. The second survey was completed at the end of the study window. The results from these surveys indicate a positive correlation between the formative learning cycle's ability to increase self-regulation processes to confidently produce quality homework. / School of Education; / Educational Studies (General Education) / EdD; / Dissertation;

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.

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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...

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.

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