Student perceptions of formative assessment practices implemented by teachers of science subject in selected secondary schools in the Western Province of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Formative assessment has become a widely adopted approach in the assessment process of many educational systems. While significant research has been conducted on teacherrelated studies of formative assessment, it is important to further focus on student-related studies of formative assessment. Therefore, this study examined the student responses on formative assessment practices implemented by the teachers in science classrooms. The survey method was employed in this study, and data obtained from the respondents were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0). The stratified random sampling method was employed, and the sample comprised 720 students from grades 8 and 10 in schools of three different types: 1AB, 1C, and type 2 in the Western province of Sri Lanka. The objectives of this study were threefold: to investigate the formative assessment practices implemented by science teachers in their classrooms and to examine whether differences exist in the implementation of these practices based on the grade and the type of school. Data collection was primarily based on twelve formative assessment practices, identified through a comprehensive literature review. The results of the study revealed that among twelve practices, the most frequently implemented practice by the science teachers was the practice: “advising about the facts that students should be concerned about when evaluating a lesson by the teacher”. Furthermore, the results indicated significant differences in the implementation of certain formative assessment practices between grade 8 and grade 10. Moreover, there were noteworthy differences in the implementation of all formative assessment practices across different types of schools.