Students’ conceptions of assessment purposes in a low stakes secondary-school context: A mixed methodology approach

Georgia Solomonidou, Michalis Michaelides

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Though assessment in its early history was conceived as a measurement device, alternative approaches to assessment of student achievement have appeared the past few decades. In this context, studies have been conducted to investigate students’ conceptions of assessment approaches and purposes, as there is evidence that these will affect their learning and ultimately their achievement. This study uses a sequential mixed methods design to investigate students’ conceptions about the purposes of assessment and their definitions of assessment. A questionnaire was administered to 599 lower secondary school students in Cyprus, followed by group interviews with 15 students to explain and build upon initial quantitative findings. Results show that students’ perceptions are in alignment with the current shift in assessment to be used primarily for enhancing teaching and learning. Students seem to agree with the legitimate purposes of assessment and realize that it is an ongoing procedure linked with teaching and learning.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)35-41
Number of pages7
JournalStudies in Educational Evaluation
Volume52
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2017

Keywords

  • Assessment conceptions
  • Cyprus
  • Educational assessment
  • Lower secondary school
  • Mixed methods

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Students’ conceptions of assessment purposes in a low stakes secondary-school context: A mixed methodology approach'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this