Formative Assessment in Secondary Physics Classrooms of Bangladesh Under the National Curriculum 2012: Teachers’ Views, Practices & Challenges

Abstract

Formative assessment is a process that is essential for students’ learning as it provides the opportunity to understand whether the students can understand the content of a specific subject or not. In the case of Physics, formative assessment is inevitable since the contents of Physics require more understanding rather than memorization. This study aims to explore secondary Physics teachers’ views and classroom assessment practices in Bangladesh in relation to the National Curriculum 2012. The case study method was utilized to conduct this qualitative study. Data were collected from four secondary Physics teachers from four secondary schools, using classroom observations, teacher interviews, student FGDs, and document analysis of assessment-related materials. The study was analyzed based on the National curriculum 2012 and Bloom’s Taxonomy through thematic analysis. It has been revealed that teachers mainly assessed students’ learning achievement through oral questioning and written tasks such as homework and class tests. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, they mainly assessed lower-order learning of students, and inquiry-based learning was hardly assessed. Teachers also reported challenges such as large class size, time limitation, workload, and limited resources. Since the study was conducted in relation to the National Curriculum 2012, the findings should be interpreted within that curriculum context. This study will inform the teachers as well as relevant stakeholders in making necessary changes to present classroom assessment practices in Bangladesh.

Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 51(1), 121-144