Combined Use of Muddiest Point and Applications Cards in High School Science

Abstract

The purpose of this Capstone Project was to determine the impact of the combined use of the Muddiest Point and Applications Cards formative assessment techniques on the performance and attitudes of ninth grade Introduction to Physical Science students. The study took place over the course of 2 units. The first unit was presented in the teacher’s standard manner, while the second unit included the use of the formative assessments. Data was collected through a pretest and posttest, surveys, and student interviews. The results of the pre and posttests showed no significant improvement in student performance as a result of the treatment. Pre and posttreatment surveys and posttreatment interviews indicated that the majority of students thought the Muddiest Point was useful, but most changes between the surveys did not prove to be statistically significant. Interviews indicated that some students could see the potential use of the activities, but they did not think that they personally gained much from them.