ASSESSMENT TASKS: WHAT STUDENTS THINK ABOUT THEM AT THE END OF THEIR COMPULSORY EDUCATION?

Abstract

The article focuses on Year 12 students' reflections and reactions on the assessment tasks that have been presented to them throughout their school life. This study attempts to identify assessment tasks main features, frequency, students' motivations, students' reactions, and its relation with students' evidencing of learning. Focus group methodology was applied to Year 12 students in two different schools located in the Valparaiso region, Chile. It was unveiled that students do reflect on their learning and assessment processes as they are capable of identifying the type of task, its frequency, and its relation with their learning. According to the study participants, objective tasks are most used by their teachers although they do not feel motivated to undertake them. On the contrary, they feel more challenged when facing tasks that require higher-order cognitive skills development and when they are able to decide the topic of an assignment and their team members.
Finally, students think that resolution of performance task gives them a better opportunity for evidencing their learning.