Effectiveness Of Formative Assessment

Register to read the introduction… This form of assessment provides information and feedback upon which decisions and adaptations can be made and provides students with directions for future learning. Research has shown, (Petty, 2004) that this feedback while you learn has more effect on student achievement than any other factor. It gives students an intrinsic motivation to learn rather than extrinsic, therefore doing something or learning something because they want to not because they have been told they have to. Generally the results of formative assessment do not contribute to a student's final grade but are purely for the purpose of assisting students to understand their strengths and weaknesses in order to work towards improving their overall performance. A major barrier to the effectiveness of formative assessment is the fact that the mark generated doesn't usually count towards a student's final grade and therefore students can be less motivated to put a great deal of effort into such assessment. Brown and Knight (1999) suggest that if used in an effective manner, formative assessment can help students to be more autonomous in their learning and to reflect on their performances and take responsibility for their academic growth. As a tutor, I tend to rely on formative assessment with my students; the reason for this is to …show more content…
It is often achieved by the means of an examination or test which is ‘…designed to differentiate between candidates on the basis of the breadth and depth of their learning.’ (Petty, 2004 pg 466). Summative assessment is also seen as formal testing of what has been learned in order to produce marks or grades which may be used for reports of various types. Research by the Assessment and Learning Research Synthesis Group has shown that the emphasis of formative assessment can help students to learn and be motivated to learn, whereas the use of summative assessment can have a negative impact on pupils’ …show more content…
We must ensure that when giving feedback to a student, it should be done in a positive manner which enhances, rather than damages their self-esteem. Negative feedback will often demotivate the student and make them feel as though they have failed. Internet site Brooks.ac.uk (2009) suggests that ‘There is a school of thought that praise of a student's work will lead to under-performance, whereas criticism will spur them on to greater achievements. There seems to be very little evidence that such a strategy is successful in achieving its goals. While there are dangers in becoming too blasé about one's achievements, negative criticism can be highly de-motivating.’ However, it is necessary that as a tutor we must point out the shortcomings of a students work to ensure they meet the criteria set, it is the manner in which we do it to ensure progression. We as a teacher should ‘…support the student in finding their own way of correcting problems, and should not do all the work for them. (Rogers, 2001). When giving feedback to my own student, it is essential that it is clear and specific and must not focus on too may aspects at the same time as this may confuse or upset the student. We must also ensure that feedback is delivered in a suitable area or environment so not to distress the student. A feedback session should also conclude with the student and tutor agreeing what should be done for the student to