Three views of fairness in a school-based assessment scheme of practical work in biology

Three views of fairness in a school-based assessment scheme of practical work in biology

• Yung, Benny Hin Wai Dept. of Curriculum Studies, University of Hong Kong

International Journal of Science Education, 23(10), 985-1005, 2001

Routledge

2001

• G Curriculum, Teaching & Learning: Specific Disciplines
  • GD Science & Technology
    • GDC Teaching Methods & Their Outcomes

Teachers Educational Tests & Measurements Hong Kong China

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Secondary Education

This interpretive study of the implementation of a school-based assessment scheme of biology practical work in Hong Kong examines three teachers' struggles with the issue of fairness in relation to their classroom actions. Though the teachers' discourses were dominated by, and their classroom actions were pre-eminently influenced by, the notion of fairness, they did so in three qualitatively different ways: (1) fair in the sense of assessing students on a fair basis; (2) fair in the sense of not jeopardizing students' chances to learn the subject matter while they are being assessed; and (3) fair in the sense of not depriving students' of opportunities of receiving all-round education. The implication is that assessment innovation is a necessary, but not a sufficient, mechanism for changes within our educational system. The role of the teacher is challenged by the new assessment scheme—the co-existence of assessment and learning requires a significant change in the teacher's pedagogy. For teachers to implement the new programme their existing understanding and beliefs concerning assessment must be challenged and opportunities provided for them to come to terms with the philosophy of the new assessment scheme. Most importantly, the teachers themselves must undertake such a learning process.
[Copyright of International Journal of Science Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500690010017129]

• English

Journal Articles

• 09500693

• 10.1080/09500690010017129

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/275acd72

2010-09-27