scholarly journals Formative Assessment Conceptualizations in Higher Education: Thematic Analysis Results

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 96-109
Author(s):  
I. V. Nikitin ◽  
A. K. Belolutskaya

Although assessment is integral to education, it is quite uncommon to be a focal point of complex educational innovations. Unlike schools, which employ a range of continuous formative assessment procedures, universities commonly rely on summative methods that are likely to be discrete and reluctant to students’ needs and experiences. Based on the study of 20 foreign and Russian research papers, this article analyzes the formative assessment practices that are found to be employed in universities. The analysis provides the results that shows the gaps between formative assessment concepts employed by Russian and English-writing authors. The study concludes that the two conceptualizations differ most prominently in how formativesummative procedures are divided, the formative feedback is accomplished, and participativity is provided.

Author(s):  
Karen E. Irving

Reliable just-in-time assessments are the foundation of informed teaching and learning. Modern electronic technologies assist in the formative assessment process by supporting classroom environments that allow students and teachers to assess learning and providing mechanisms to present information about student learning during instructional sequences. To implement formative assessment practices, students and teachers benefit from rich educational tasks that invite students to share information about their understanding of the lesson while the lesson is occurring in order to nurture productive learning by both teacher and student. Formative feedback is facilitated by technologies such as connected classrooms, videography, online formative quizzes, and manuscript multi-draft editing. Technology-assisted formative assessment represents a powerful option to promote improved classroom communications that support formative assessment practices for teachers in twenty-first century classrooms.


Author(s):  
Karen E. Irving

Reliable just-in-time assessments are the foundation of informed teaching and learning. Modern electronic technologies assist in the formative assessment process by supporting classroom environments that allow students and teachers to assess learning and providing mechanisms to present information about student learning during instructional sequences. To implement formative assessment practices, students and teachers benefit from rich educational tasks that invite students to share information about their understanding of the lesson while the lesson is occurring in order to nurture productive learning by both teacher and student. Formative feedback is facilitated by technologies such as connected classrooms, videography, online formative quizzes, and manuscript multi-draft editing. Technology-assisted formative assessment represents a powerful option to promote improved classroom communications that support formative assessment practices for teachers in twenty-first century classrooms.


Author(s):  
Bahar Memarian ◽  
Susan McCahan

Through a thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses, we explore the challenges assessors face during assessment (summative evaluation and formative feedback) of students’ work. The assessors were primed by asking them to mark solutions to closed-ended engineering problems typical in introductory Electrical and Civil engineering courses. The subsequent survey asked the assessors to reflect on their experience. The analysis of the thematic frequency count is presented and discussed in this paper. The data suggests that from the perspective of assessors, current assessment practices need improvement. In particular, it appears that summative evaluation is seen as the primary goal and feedback is given as time allows. However, the participants also identified insufficient time as a challenge, which may further diminish feedback


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Amoako

This study examines formative assessment procedures commonly used by Distance Education tutors’ during facilitation of the course model content. A descriptive survey research design was employed for the study. Census method was used in selecting the study respondents (tutors’) who were hundred and fifty (150) in number. Self-developed questionnaire was used for the data collection after it has been pilot tested for its refinement. The study revealed that ‘observation’, ‘oral questioning’, ‘peer-assessment’, ‘student self-assessment’ and ‘tutor made test’ are the current formative assessment practices of course tutors of on-site Distance Education in Ghana. It was recommended that tutors must use a wide range of formative assessment practices and not to cling on a single one. Unique student characteristics warrant the use of multiple formative assessment technique.


2017 ◽  
Vol 055 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Martinez-Gudapakkam ◽  
Karen Mutch-Jones ◽  
Jennifer Hicks

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Wagner ◽  
Anita Acai ◽  
Sydney A. McQueen ◽  
Com McCarthy ◽  
Andrew McGuire ◽  
...  

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of an assessment framework aimed at improving formative feedback practices in a Canadian orthopaedic postgraduate training program. Methods: Tool development began in 2014 and took place in 4 phases, each building upon the previous and informing the next. The reliability, validity, and educational impact of the tools were assessed on an ongoing basis, and changes were made accordingly. Results: One hundred eighty-two tools were completed and analyzed during the study period. Quantitative results suggested moderate to excellent agreement between raters (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.54-0.93), and an ability of the tools to discriminate between learners at different stages of training (p’s < 0.05). Qualitative data suggested that the tools improved both the quality and quantity of formative feedback given by assessors and had begun to foster a culture change around assessment in the program. Conclusions: The tool development, implementation, and evaluation processes detailed in this article can serve as a model for other training programs to consider as they move towards adopting competency-based approaches and refining current assessment practices.


Author(s):  
Wajiha Shadab ◽  
Amna Ahmed Noor ◽  
Saira Waqqar ◽  
Gul Muhammad Shaikh

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to assess the medical students’ opinions and views on undertaking SLICE as a formative assessment. Methods: This was a qualitative, exploratory study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select final year medical students who have undertaken a formative assessment through SLICE in their clerkship rotation. Total 32 students participated in this study .Four sets of focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted from medical students who had recently gone through their clinical clerkship modules for Pediatrics, General Medicine, General Surgery and Gynecology& Obstetrics. Each recorded FGD was transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted manually. Themes were identified from the transcribed data, coded and analyzed. In order to achieve adequate coding and researcher reliability, investigator triangulation was performed. The initial thematic analysis was performed by the primary investigator. Thereafter, two more investigators independently analyzed the data. Before the data was finalized, all the three investigators reached a final consensus upon the themes that had emerged, ensuring triangulation of the analyzed data. Results: A four staged thematic analysis was conducted, in which five major themes and five sub-themes emerged. The main themes being: Purpose, Learning, Timing, Relevancy and Fairness of SLICE. Conclusion: The students generally thought that SLICE was effective in enhancing their clinical skills learning and should be conducted more frequently with minor adjustments. Continuous...


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Zulfadli Abdul Aziz ◽  
Husnul Khatimah

This research showed many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in Aceh struggle in learning English writing as they had a lack of interest in it. This descriptive qualitative study aimed to find out in what ways Facebook Group might facilitate the enjoyment of the students in learning this skill. The data were collected using interviews and was analyzed through thematic analysis. The interview was done one by one at a time. Ten students from UIN Ar-Raniry were purposely chosen for the interviews in this research. The research findings show that there are four themes found that caused the participants enjoyment of the learning writing in the group: (1) it provides unlimited timing; (2) it facilitates the participants’ freedom and creativity; (3) it provides the interactive feedback; and (4) it helps them in brainstorming the ideas. These four themes directly enhance the students’ situational interest in learning writing that related to an environmental factor, but it results in the development of their individual interest. This research suggests that the teacher should combine the learning process in the classroom with the Facebook group media to fasten the enhancement of the learners’ writing skills. For the learners, it is suggested that they should utilize their social media such as Facebook group not only as their communication media but also for developing their learning in writing.


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