The impact of testing format and reflection on student perceptions of science

Abstract

Part of education is assessment of student content knowledge. For years, this has been conducted using a standard set of question types organized by type which makes data analysis and interpretation cumbersome. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether question organization of summative assessments would impact student performance and perception of performance. Additionally, does teacher led item analysis of assessment results impact student perception of their science content knowledge. Students were assessed at the end of the first two units of the year, ecology and cells, with questions ordered by type and topic respectively. Following each test, students completed feedback and Likert surveys along with teacher-led item analysis. The results indicated that student perceptions improved with item analysis, however performance and perception of performance were independent of the organization of test questions. This action research showed that teacher-led item analysis can provide valuable insights for students and that the organization of test questions does not impact performance, but it does provide insights to both the educator and the student.