Academic Achievement Effects of Formative Assessment

SUMMARY OF PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE

Name of the Article: ‘The Effects of Formative Assessment on Academic Achievement, Attitudes toward the Lesson, and Self-Regulation Skills’ by Ozan and Kincal

The Problem

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that the authors of the present study clearly state the problem. They make an observation to the effect that there are numerous past studies that have sought to assess how formative assessments impact student success on certain crucial fronts. However, according to the authors, “critical studies of formative assessment in recent years have indicated that selected studies for meta-analysis are problematic in terms of

the principles of methodological and constructive assessment, and that qualitative

and empirical work on formative assessment is needed” (90). I am of the opinion that this is a practically important problem owing to the fact that formative assessments continue to be considered one of the most effective learner performance measurement approaches. The purpose of the present study has been clearly identified as the assessment of how the academic achievement of students in fifth-grade social studies class, the attitudes the said students have towards instruction, as well as their self-regulation capabilities are impacted upon by formative assessment practices. The study does not have an explicitly stated hypothesis. The key terms (which are inclusive of formative assessment, self-regulation, attitudes towards the lesson, and academic achievement) have been stated, but have not been defined.

Review of Literature

The sources cited by the authors could be deemed pertinent to the present study. This is more so the case given that they are both scholarly and are focused on formative assessment practices and their deployment in multiple settings. The review is rather broad owing to the fact that a total of 93 sources have been cited. Further, the sources consider the application of formative assessments across multiple jurisdictions. It is important to note that although most of the sources are recent, the authors have also included a few dated sources that were published as far back as three decades ago. I am convinced that the references are thorough for the stated topic as they have largely been drawn from peer-reviewed articles, books, and government websites. One bias that possibly exists in the present study relates to the placement of arbitrary search limiters. To be more specific, it is important to note that although multiple jurisdictions have been represented, vast majority of the sources appear to have been published in the U.S.

Design and Procedures

In as far as the research design used is concerned, the authors of the present study settled on a mixed method approach. This is more so the case given that in seeking to answer the research questions, the study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study is as an original study owing to the fact that the authors deploy a new reproducible methodology and do not necessarily use methods that are identical to those of prior studies. When it comes to the measurement tools, the authors made use of the following data collection instruments: observation form, semi-structured interview form, self-regulatory strategies scale (SRSS), social studies attitude scale (SSAS), as well as the social studies achievement test. The statistical formulas were inclusive of KR-20 reliability coefficient and the Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient. With regard to the structuring of procedures, the authors indicate that they focused on a 5th grade social studies class for a total of twenty eight weeks. Observations were made in both the control and experimental groups. Whereas formative assessment practices were included in the experimental group lessons, they were not included in the control group. The dependent variables were the academic achievement of students in 5th grade social studies class, the attitudes the said students have towards instruction, and their self-regulation capabilities; whereas the independent variable was formative assessment practices. A total of 45 students were included in the research group. According to the authors, “the study group was selected according to the study’s purpose of maximum diversity sampling (purposeful sampling)” (92). Whereas the experimental group had 24 students, the control group had 21 students.

Data Analysis and Presentation

In as far as quantitative analysis is concerned, the authors first sought to determine if there was correspondence between data sourced from the instruments and the parametric tests assumptions. To make a determination as to whether there was normal distribution of data obtained from the experimental group and the control group, the authors conducted a skewness kurtosis coefficients, central tendency measures, as well as Shapiro-Wilk normality test. There was also need to establish the equality of data sourced from the experimental and control groups. In so doing, the authors applied the Levine test. It should also be noted that a decision was made to make use of parametric tests in the analysis of data following an indication of the equality of variances as well as normal distribution of data. The tests deployed in the present research were MANCOVA, ANOVA, and independent sample t-test. On the other hand, a descriptive analysis approach was utilized in the analysis of qualitative data. It therefore follows that data, as has already been indicated above, was both qualitative and quantitative.

To a large extent, the findings in this case were in support of the purpose. This is more so the case given that it was established that in the present study, the authors made a finding to the effect that formative assessment practices resulted in an “increase in students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward the class significantly and to affect their self-regulation skills” (112). The authors did not, however, discuss weakness and problems.

Conclusions and Implications

The conclusions of the study were largely related to the original purpose in that the authors were able to demonstrate that among 5th grade social studies learners, formative assessment practices had a statistically significant impact on not only self-regulation capabilities, but also on attitudes (towards instruction) and overall academic achievement. Both authors could be deemed credible owing to the fact that they are distinguished scholars in a reputable institution of higher learning. The implications have been discussed in detail. More specifically, the authors come up with a total of 10 implications which, as they indicate, apply for researchers as well as practitioners. To a large extent, the results and conclusions are likely to primarily affect practitioners and learners. At the conclusion, the authors recommend that additional theoretical studies be undertaken so as to shed more light on both the content and definition of formative assessments.