Wong Hwei Ming

The thesis examines the perceptions of Singaporean teachers and students towards the use of academic self-assessment. Self-assessment is an important part of alternative assessment. It is in line with the Ministry of Education’s shift towards multiple modes of assessment and alternative assessment (MOE, 1998, 2004, 2008, 2009). Self-assessment attempts to foster in students ownership and responsibility for their own learning, regulate their understanding and knowledge as well as attempts to enhance students’ awareness, motivation, meta-cognition, and autonomy in their learning. This thesis therefore investigates the use of self-assessment in two primary schools in Singapore, how the students and teachers perceive self-assessment, and its value and usefulness. It is argued that primary school students can learn to use self-assessment. This thesis also focuses on an intervention that trained the primary school students to perform self-assessment.

The study used a pretest-posttest intervention design with one group (75 students) receiving the intervention of self-assessment training and the other group (71 students) receiving no intervention. Data were collected from: (1) student questionnaire of their perceptions of self-assessment, (2) students’ self-assessment work samples, (3) student interview after the intervention, and (4) teacher interviews before and after the intervention. Self-assessment work samples from 18 intervention students were scored by teachers using similar rubrics to the students’ self-assessment rubrics.

The results showed that there were significant differences between the intervention group and comparison group of students and in the intervention students’ perceptions toward student self-assessment before and after the use of self-assessment. The intervention students had more positive perceptions of self-assessment after the intervention. The analysis of the students’ self-assessment work samples illustrated that the students were more critical of their work than the teachers. Both the students’ and teachers’ interviews offered insights into the use of self-assessment, and revealed positive perceptions of self-assessment.

The findings suggests that primary school students, with training in the use of self-assessment, are capable of using self-assessment and are able to experience and perceive the value of self-assessment. These findings have significant implications for students, teachers, schools, and policy-makers. This thesis therefore adds to growing amount of evidence that primary school students have the ability to self-assess and that training in the use of self-assessment is important. This thesis also provides a systematic method and template for the implementation of self-assessment in primary schools.

"The Ministry of Education in Singapore commissioned a study of classroom assessment practices in P1 and P2 in 2009 in order to establish a "baseline of practice" to compare future efforts to improve classroom formative assessment. ... The study establishes a 2009 baseline of assessment practices in P1 and P2 classrooms that can be used in future comparisons of the implementation of new methods that emphasize assessment for learning (AfL) in classrooms. "-- [p. 2].

Since the launch of the Thinking Schools, Learning Nation (1997) and Teach Less, Learn More (2004) initiatives, the CORE Research Programme has aimed to provide a systemic description and measurement of curriculum and reform initiatives. CORE 1 (2004-2007) focused on lesson observations and surveys in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Mother Tongue classrooms at the Primary 5 and Secondary 3 levels. The study however, was unable to examine specific classroom pedagogical and assessment practices centred on epistemic, cognitive, metacognitive, disciplinary and domain-specific intellectual work. CORE 2 (2009-2014) focused on pedagogical beliefs and practices, classroom practices and assessment practices (Hogan, Towndrow, Kwek, & Chan, 2013). Currently, CORE 3 is centrally focused on the questions: “How do teachers teach?”and“Why do they teach the way they do?” The project in focus is a baseline investigation of science pedagogy (2015-16).

“This LES report is a synthesis of 14 Instructional Core (IC) studies that fit the inclusion criteria. $3,655,921 was awarded to the studies through the NIE Education Research Funding Programme (ERFP) in the 3rd tranche (2013–2017) of funding from MOE. Six of the 14 selected studies were Tier 1, 7 were Tier 2, and 1 was Tier 3 (Figure 3) (See Annex A for a detailed explanation of the selection criteria).”--Introduction.