Teachers’ Ideas and Concerns with Assessment Practices in Inquiry Science

Abstract

Issues with assessment have traditionally been viewed with great importance as it is used (1) for placement of students in different tracks, (2) as a proxy for allocation of funds to educational institutions, and (3) for assessing students’ learning. In Singapore, assessment practices have generally been summative in nature and aimed at evaluating what students have learnt and gained from school. The idea of formative assessment is relatively new for most teachers in science classrooms. Using task probes in a questionnaire format, we examined the factors that 39 grade four science teachers consider as they decide on inquiry tasks for their students. Based on their considerations, we infer their ideas of formative assessment as they engaged in science as inquiry and highlight concerns and dilemma that emerge as they report on their practices of science inquiry and formative assessment. We raised the concerns of the low level of teachers’ understanding of the principles related to formative assessment and the perceived conflicts with summative assessment requirements and their practices of science as inquiry in the classrooms.