Options
Lesson design and assessment of interdisciplinarity in Social Studies for an Integrated Programme school.
Author
Jalleh, Michael Francis
Supervisor
Looi, Chee-Kit
Abstract
Teaching and assessing interdisciplinary skills in a Secondary Integrated Programme School in Singapore is no longer an option. It is non-negotiable. The findings in this research suggest that the intentional lesson design for and the assessment of these skills are viable. Defining interdisciplinary skills, developing strategies that inculcate them and assessment are all challenging issues. However, this research has shown that, for assessment purposes, a high level of inter-rater reliability can be attained using an adapted version of Boix-Mansilla's Targeted Assessment Rubric. The qualitative and quantitative data gathered through action research also strongly suggests that, not only is the development of interdisciplinary skills desirable, they can be understood and applied meaningfully by 15-year-old students in an Integrated Programme school. A survey and interviews were used to investigate students' attitudes towards Social Studies and the development of thinking skills and interdisciplinarity, which may influence the performance of the students in the assessment. The results also show some of the differences between Gifted Education Programme (GEP) and non-GEP students towards the acquisition of interdisciplinarity skills. Overall, the findings and analysis provide insights on how interdisciplinary skills can be taught and assessed. It challenges the perception that, as a concept, interdisciplinarity is nebulous and, thus, too difficult to be implemented as an educational programme for teenagers.
Date Issued
2008
Call Number
LB2362.S55 Jal
Date Submitted
2009