SUMMARY OF PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE

Name of the Article: The Effects of Formative Assessment on Academic Achievement, Attitudes toward the Lesson, and Self-Regulation Skills by Ozan and Kincal

The Problem

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that the authors of the present study clearly state the problem. They make an observation to the effect that there are numerous past studies that have sought to assess how formative assessments impact student success on certain crucial fronts. However, according to the authors, critical studies of formative assessment in recent years have indicated that selected studies for meta-analysis are problematic in terms of

the principles of methodological and constructive assessment, and that qualitative

and empirical work on formative assessment is needed (90). I am of the opinion that this is a practically important problem owing to the fact that formative assessments continue to be considered one of the most effective learner performance measurement approaches. The purpose of the present study has been clearly identified as the assessment of how the academic achievement of students in fifth-grade social studies class, the attitudes the said students have towards instruction, as well as their self-regulation capabilities are impacted upon by formative assessment practices. The study does not have an explicitly stated hypothesis. The key terms (which are inclusive of formative assessment, self-regulation, attitudes towards the lesson, and academic achievement) have been stated, but have not been defined.

Review of Literature

The sources cited by the authors could be deemed pertinent to the present study. This is more so the case given that they are both scholarly and are focused on formative assessment practices and their deployment in multiple settings. The review is rather broad owing to the fact that a total of 93 sources have been cited. Further, the sources consider the application of formative assessments across multiple jurisdictions. It is important to note that although most of the sources are recent, the authors have also included a few dated sources that were published as far back as three decades ago. I am convinced that the references are thorough for the stated topic as they have largely been drawn from peer-reviewed articles, books, and government websites. One bias that possibly exists in the present study relates to the placement of arbitrary search limiters. To be more specific, it is important to note that although multiple jurisdictions have been represented, vast majority of the sources appear to have been published in the U.S.

Design and Procedures

In as far as the research design used is concerned, the authors of the present study settled on a mixed method approach. This is...

…a total of 10 implications which, as they indicate, apply for researchers as well as practitioners. To a large extent, the results and conclusions are likely to primarily affect practitioners and learners. At the conclusion, the authors recommend that additional theoretical studies be undertaken so as to shed more light on both the content and definition of formative assessments.

Overall Assessment

In the final analysis, it would be prudent to note that in my opinion, the present study is instrumental in the sense that it further reinforces the place of formative assessments in student academic success. For this reason, it indicates that formative assessments should continue being applied in school settings i.e. in both primary and secondary schools. More importantly, teachers and policy makers can benefit from the studys implications and make changes that could help in the elimination of learner deficiencies.

One of the most important things I got to learn from the study relates to the connection between the attitudes that learners have toward the class (and instruction) and formative assessment practices. When learners have a negative attitude towards a lesson, they are likely to retain less content and be less attentive. For this reason, any approach that would result in an improvement of student attitude would be welcome in efforts to further promote better academic outcomes.…