Abstract:

The Slovak educational system is based on the normative forms of evaluation, preferring the external and summative evaluation of education. The OECD evaluation team has warned that the assessment of students in Slovakia is not formative enough, and that there is a strong need for the feedback for students, so that they can improve in their learning. The OECD suggests that the ´formative assessment elements ´ should be implemented into the Slovak educational system, since these elements can cover not only ´what´ and ´with what result´ the students learn, but also ´how´ they learn it (Shewbridge, van Bruggen, Nusche, & Wright, 2014).

The aim of this paper is to provide information on the results of a research that was focused on the development of scientific competences – formulation of predictions and following the instructions – in lower secondary school students via implementation of formative assessment tools. The research sample was composed of 11 natural sciences teachers and 126 students of the Year 7 at lower secondary schools (the experimental group N = 58 and control group N = 68). The main research method was a quasi-experiment. The research tool was a prepared and verified test of scientific skills (Krišková, 2017) focused on the development of these cross-subject skills, which are of a great significance for the future life of a student, in the professional training and life in the 21st century. The teachers (at their own discretion) implemented the formative assessment tools (such as a predictive card, Frayer model, self-assessment card, exit card) into teaching natural sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) in the Year 7 at lower secondary schools. The formative assessment tools had been prepared within the Project VEGA No. 1/0265/17 in February – June 2019.

Comparison of the results in the experimental and control groups was carried out after the statistical analysis. For the statistical evaluation, we have used the Chi-squared test for formative assessment tools, regarding the sex, school and category (i.e. those with the grades of 1, 2, 3). The analysis of the statistical evaluation showed that the implementation of formative assessment tools into natural science teaching enhanced the development of the examined competences for scientific work.

Acknowledgments:
This paper was supported by the grant VEGA No. 1/0265/17 “Formative Assessment in Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Informatics”.

References:
[1] Shewbridge, C., van Bruggen, J., Nusche, D., & Wright, P. (2014). OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Slovak Republic 2014. OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264117044-en Krišková, K. Rozvoj vybraných zručností žiakov a nástroje ich hodnotenia vo výučbe fyziky na ZŠ. [Development and assessment of the selected skills of pupils of lower secondary physics education]. Dizertačná práca. Košice, Slovenská republika: Prírodovedecká fakulta UPJŠ, 2017.

Keywords:

Formative assessment, scientific competences, lower secondary school students.