Abstract

NUHS, Aline Cristiane  and  TOMIO, Daniela. Written tests as tools to assess the learning of Science students. Est. Aval. Educ. [online]. 2011, vol.22, n.49, pp.259-283. ISSN 0103-6831.

The aims of this study were to identify the ways teachers and Science students view written tests, to evaluate the content of Science tests and to examine their relationship with the theoretical foundations of formative assessment, as well as to suggest pointers to prepare a written test for the learning of Science that complies with the guidelines of formative assessment. To this end, interviews were carried out with students and Science teachers from state schools in Blumenau, in the state of Santa Catarina, and tests taken by them were analyzed. Among the findings, we highlight that, for the students investigated, the tests have only a diagnostic function as the students do not conceive them as indicators to assess their own learning. By analyzing the tests, we find that the emphasis is on evaluating only the conceptual contents and that the questions are designed to verify the apprehension of facts, not of concepts. Understanding the sense of teachers and students investigated allows us to reflect on the evaluation in Science classes and shows that there is still a vast area for research and for the practices of teacher training.

Keywords : Formative Assessment; Tests; Teacher Training; Science Teaching.

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