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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 18, Issue 8, Article 5 (Jun., 2017) |
Subject-specific science teachers’ views of alternative assessment*
Ali KOLOMUÇ
Department of Elementary Education, Faculty of Education, Artvin Çoruh University, Artvin, TURKEY
E-mail: alikolomucscr@hotmail.com
Received 13 Apr., 2017
Revised 23 Jun., 2017
This study aimed to discover subject-specific science teachers’ views of alternative assessment. The questionnaire by Okur (2008) was adapted and deployed for data collection. The sample consisted of 80 subject-specific science teachers drawn from the cities of Trabzon, Rize and Erzurum in Turkey. In analyzing data, descriptive analysis was employed for identifying how often the subject-specific science teachers use the alternative assessment and which of the alternative assessment techniques are frequently preferred. Also, how gender variable affects their preference and/or self-competency was analyzed via independent samples t-test. In light of the results, it can be deduced that the subject-specific science teachers tended to use such traditional assessment techniques as multiple choice test, concept map, written test, and matching test. Further, the main barrier to involve the alternative assessment in science classes seems to be the high-staking nation-wide exams in Turkey that deploy only multiple-choice questions. Therefore, any change in assessment strategy of the high-staking nation-wide exams may foster teachers to enrich their preferences of alternative assessment and empower its possible use in science classes.
Keywords: Alternative Assessment Technique, Measurement and Assessment, Subject-Specific Science Teachers
*This study was supported by the Scientific Research Fund in Artvin Çoruh University. Also, this study is an extended version of the oral presentation at New Issues on Teacher Education International Symposium (ISNETE 2013).
