Formative Assessment in Electrochemistry Teaching: Implications of Using Assessment Activities as a Mediating Tool
learning assessment; formative assessment; Electrochemistry teaching; assessment activities.
This research aims to investigate the implications of integrating formative assessment into Electrochemistry teaching through the development and implementation of a set of original assessment activities. To this end, the theoretical principles of learning assessment were initially examined through a literature review, with an emphasis on formative assessment, highlighting its characteristics and distinguishing features. Subsequently, a semi-structured interview was conducted with a group of 13 high school Chemistry teachers to identify the main limitations and opportunities for improvement in their assessment practices. Based on this information, a set of assessment activities adapted to Electrochemistry teaching was developed to support the implementation of the investigated methodology during data collection. The research progressed with the application of formative assessment activities to a class of 24 high school students during regular Electrochemistry lessons at a public school in the state of Ceará. This phase included data collection on the impact of the activities on student performance and their acceptance of the implemented formative method. The analysis of the collected data was conducted using a qualitative approach, considering teacher interviews, student opinion questionnaires, and the results obtained from the application of the Electrochemistry assessment activities, in line with the established educational objectives. The use of these activities yielded significant results, demonstrating students’ strong performance in terms of classroom engagement, autonomy in the learning process, understanding of studied concepts, and the ability to connect theory and practice. At the conclusion of the research, as an educational product of this dissertation, a guidance guide was developed to support the implementation of formative assessment in the context of Electrochemistry teaching, intended for high school Chemistry teachers. This guide provides guidelines for the development of diverse assessment instruments and makes available the activities applied in this research, detailing the processes and methods used in their creation.