Sustainability of Developed Self-Regulation by Means of Formative Assessment Among Young Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study

Kelly Beekman,Els Boshuizen,Desirée Joosten-Ten Brinke

doi:10.3389/feduc.2021.746819

Abstract

The present study examined the long-term impact of a formative assessment intervention in primary education on the development of students’ levels of self-regulation, motivation, and self-efficacy after their transition to secondary education. Participants in the study included 695 Dutch sixth graders from 17 schools. A longitudinal design with measurements on three time points was adopted. The first part of the study, consisting of a pretest, the intervention, and posttest, was conducted during the students’ last 7 months in primary education using two experimental conditions, with peer- and self-assessment, and a control condition. A follow-up took place 10 weeks later, after the summer break and at the commencement of the participants’ secondary education. Longitudinal multilevel analyses showed that the development of self-regulation and motivation is significantly positively associated with the formative self- and peer-assessment interventions and continues after the transition to secondary education. Results are discussed with regard to theoretical and practical consequences.

Highlights

Research has identified the significant role of self-regulation in promoting achievement across various school levels, from primary to higher education (Clark, 2012; McMillan et al, 2017; Allal, 2020)
The following research questions were specified: 1) What are the effects of the formative assessment intervention on self-regulation and external regulation after the transition to secondary education? In line with literature outcomes, it was expected that the accomplished effects of the formative assessment intervention on self-regulation among sixth graders would significantly decrease after the transition to secondary school, despite the training of self-regulation skills in primary education
We hypothesized that the accomplished effects of the formative assessment intervention on self-regulation among sixth graders would significantly decrease after the transition to secondary school, despite the training of self-regulation skills in primary education

Summary

Introduction

Research has identified the significant role of self-regulation in promoting achievement across various school levels, from primary to higher education (Clark, 2012; McMillan et al, 2017; Allal, 2020). Research shows that students who have been trained in self-regulation attain higher levels of motivation and achievement, mainly because self-regulated learners acquire the adaptive and learning characteristics required for engagement with the learning process and subsequent successful performance (Clark, 2012; Allal, 2020; Greene, 2020; Moet zijn Nicol and MacfarlaneDick, 2006). The major aim in this longitudinal study is to examine the impact of formative assessment on the development of self-regulation, motivation and self-efficacy among sixth graders, and whether the effects sustain after the transition to secondary education. Part of this analysis will include descriptions of the school-to-school transition, principles of self-regulation, and formative assessments, their longitudinal effects, and their underlying mechanisms

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Conclusion