Abstract
Formative assessment is essential in fostering self-regulated learning in learners and informing teachers on the progress of learners. The Fourth Industrial Revolution gave rise to many online tools for online formative assessment. Since teachers in South Africa have not yet received in-depth professional training on the use of tools for online formative assessment, the COVID-19 pandemic came as a call to action. This generic qualitative study investigated the challenges Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers experienced when conducting online formative assessment. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with three Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers in the Gauteng North educational district to identify challenges. Five themes and several sub-themes were identified from the data during generic qualitative analysis using Atlas.ti. The results indicate that teachers experienced several challenges when teaching and assessing online. The challenges identified prevented Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers from implementing online formative assessment effectively. The study seeks to inform key role players in education concerning teacher training, professional development and policy regarding online formative assessment.
Keywords: Formative Assessment, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Physical Sciences, Teacher Knowledge.