Formative Assessment in Physics Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Formative Assessment constitutes an integral component of teaching and learning. The extant research literature reports substantial empirical evidence illustrating its potential to facilitate learning. Formative assessment involves the collection of evidence about the current state of students’ learning and its use for influencing the ongoing teaching-learning process. It has received considerable attention within science education and this has led to significant insights that could inform attempts to usefully integrate formative assessment strategies in teaching and learning processes. This chapter seeks to illustrate essential features of formative assessment in a particular topic drawn from physics teaching, i.e., the energy conservation principle. It focuses on three pivotal aspects of formative assessment: (a) collecting useful assessment information, (b) interpreting this information to diagnose the current state of student learning, and (c) acting on this interpretation to facilitate learning. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of significant open issues in contemporary research on formative assessment and considers specific future research avenues.