Assessment in scientific enquiry at age 14 : a comparison between England and Korea

Abstract

This study is an international comparative study exploring the research question ‘What is the impact of assessment in scientific enquiry on the perception of the teaching of science at 14 in a comparison between England and Korea?’ Implementing scientific enquiry in the classroom has been a common goal in both countries in order to foster pupils’ scientific literacy and to improve the quality of science education.

Based on a conceptual framework of theory-practice triangulation, this study has been divided into two sub-questions: one which has asked what is taught and assessed in scientific enquiry in the national curricula in England and Korea; the other enquired how teachers perceive their teaching of scientific enquiry.  Thus, this study has been twofold: a documentary analysis of the national curricula and assessment (the end of KS3 test papers and High School entrance examination papers) for the first question and for the second question, survey research of science teachers using 190 questionnaires and 7 focus group interviews.

Key findings were: the assessment content directly affects teaching practice under assessment driven school curricula, which applies to both countries.  Both groups of teachers do not teach in the way in which they perceive pupils’ scientific enquiry ability can best be fostered, such as scientific investigations, group discussion and research projects.  However, the national curriculum content and assessment in England more fully reflects the aims of its curriculum.  Korean test papers are extremely narrow in scope and contain higher cognitive ability questions.  Although teachers’ views about the nature of science and their perceptions about teaching science may not affect teachers’ teaching in practice directly, these factors can affect teachers’ attitudes towards science, their confidence in teaching scientific enquiry and their resistance to taking up new teaching methods.  As assessment content directly affects teachers’ teaching, there is a need for good assessment items, which comprise a variety of content and context of scientific enquiry.

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