Abstract
Around the world science teaching and learning have shifted focus to inquiry-based teaching and learning. Inquiry-based teaching offers students an opportunity to engage in activities and find science interesting (Deboer, 2002; Duschl, Schweingruber, & Shouse, 2007). In the South African context, much research has been conducted on inquiry, but few studies have focused on teachers’ practices of formative assessment in inquiry-based teaching. This study was conducted to describe teachers’ practices of formative assessment in inquiry-based pedagogy. According to Black and Wiliam (2009), formative assessment assists teachers in helping them gather information from students, in order to modify their teaching strategies to promote and support learning. This study also sought to identify strategies used by teachers during formative assessment in the context of inquiry to promote learning. A qualitative study was therefore conducted, and a case study approach was followed. A case study allows the researcher to use various methods to collect data (Merriam, 2009). Five teachers participated in this study. Lesson observations, post-lesson interviews and lesson plans were used to collect data. This study was guided by the following question: What are the Life Sciences teachers’ practices of formative assessment in inquiry-based teaching in grade 10? Patterns in the formative assessment practices of teachers that are evident from classroom observations and lesson plans were uncovered by drawing upon four elements in the Elicits, Student, Recognises, Uses (ESRU) cycle developed by Ruiz-Primo and Furtak (2006). The ESRU cycle can be considered as a ‘complete’ cycle if all four elements of ESRU features are visible and ‘incomplete’ if not all the features of the ESRU are included in a single dialogue. Based on the findings of this study, most teachers are still using the Initiation-Response-Evaluation (IRE), or ‘traditional discourse’, teaching strategy. This was evident in both interviews and lesson observations. During lesson observations, teachers had more incomplete cycles (ES, ESR) compared to complete cycles (ESRU). These incomplete cycles are similar to the IRE teaching strategy since the teachers did not use their learners’ responses to promote learning. When teachers were interviewed to seek elaboration from their practices it was found that they are partially informed about what formative assessment is. However, they recognised the importance of vi formative assessment. The teachers highlighted the availability of time, class size and planning as key factors in the enactment of their formative assessment practices. The findings of his study signal the need for professional development in supporting teachers in their formative assessment practices. This development can be in the form of workshops that focus on strategies for formative assessment such as those that are encapsulated in the ESRU framework. It is also recommended that best practices in formative assessment be modelled to teachers.
M.Ed. (Science Education)