Subject-specific science teachers’ views of alternative assessment

Because constructivism has underpinned Turkish science curricula, the alternative assessment (learning process) is as important as traditional one (learning outcomes). Further, Anderson (1998) claims that constructivism supports alternative assessment practices rather than traditional teaching and assessment methods. Since alternative assessment aims to reveal students’ knowledge and skills in cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains through various ways, students need to display their performances/capacities in these domains (Şaşmaz Ören, et al, 2011). The subject-specific science teachers under investigation stated their wishes to employ alternative assessment techniques in their careers/classes. Also, they emphasized learning process by using alternative assessment. This may stem from a need stressed by the Turkish MoNE. That is, science curricula newly launched by the Turkish MoNE has promoted them to evaluate their students’ learning processes along with learning outcomes.

Even though the Turkish MoNE has employed a positive discrimination towards females (e.g., Çalık et al., 2015), the current study found no significant difference between mean scores of gender variable (see Table 1). This implies that the subject-specific science teachers dealt with the alternative assessment in the same way (p > 0.05). This is in a harmony with those of Forgasz (1991) and Yaman (2011).

The results of the current study (see Table 2) showed that the subject-specific science teachers tended to use such traditional assessment techniques as multiple choice test, concept map, written test, and matching test. This may stem from their inability to implement the alternative assessment (e.g. Acad and Demir, 2007; Gömleksiz and Kan, 2007). A lack of knowledge of alternative assessment calls for a provisional approach for integrating into science classes (Corcoran et al., 2004). The main barrier to involve the alternative assessment in science classes seems to be high-staking nation-wide exams in Turkey that only deploy 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. In light of the results, the current study suggests to design and implement in-service education for the subject-specific science teachers. Also, the Turkish MoNEshould create on-line and/or off-line software to easily share alternative assessment materials. Further, a national measurement-assessment bank controlled by the Turkish MoNE may be built for the use of the subject specific science teachers. Hence, they may be easily access to related materials.