The use of drawing as an alternative assessment tool in biology teaching

Abstract

Science required the recording of data to build knowledge. The act of drawing an illustration is one of the oldest methods to record the data in science. Illustration in science provides information that the written word cannot, hence the old adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” is very important for studying science. Drawings an illustration is not only valuable for artists but also for scientists because some aspects of science process skills can also be developed through drawing. In terms of science teaching, applying the act of drawing can also be used as an assessment tool. In this study, we assessed drawing of human internal organs of 38 student teachers who enrolled human physiology course and its correlation to their final exam achievement. Guidance of biological drawing was employed to assess the quality, labelling, and annotations of the drawing. The finding of this study showed that there was a positive correlation between the quality of drawing and final exam achievement. It is suggested that using the method of drawing in combination with written responses assessment would provide a more complete information about student’s understanding of human internal organs.