title: Relevance of Formative Assessment and Feedback Practices of Language and Science Teachers for Students' Motivation and Self-regulation at Public Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan
Creators: name: Kamran, Farrukh
Publisher: name: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Formative assessment, Feedback Practices, Self-regulation, Motivation

description: Formative assessment (FA) has been a subject of considerable interest in education since the 1990s (Black &amp; William, 1998a; 1998b). In Pakistan, the Higher Education Commission emphasized the importance of formative assessment and feedback practices and transitioned from an annual to a semester examination system across disciplines (HEC, 2011). However, there is a dearth of empirical studies investigating formative assessment and feedback practices at the higher education level in Pakistan. This study explores the relevance of formative assessment strategies in language and science classrooms at public higher education institutions in Pakistan, focusing on key strategies such as sharing learning aims, feedback practices, questioning, peer assessment, and self-assessment. These strategies were drawn from established formative assessment frameworks by Black &amp; William (1998, 2003, 2005, 2009), Leahy et al. (2005), William &amp;Thompson (2007), and the feedback model introduced by Hattie &amp; Timperley (2007). The theoretical framework guiding this study is rooted in socio-cultural learning theory, which aligns with Vygotsky's (1978) assertion that cognition and higher-order functions are shaped by various factors within the social and cultural context. Additionally, the self-determination theory by Ryan &amp; Deci (2006) and the self-regulation theory by Nicol &amp; Macfarlane-Dick (2007) were employed to establish a theoretical foundation for motivation and self-regulation in language and science learning. The study employed a mixed-methods research design. The convergent parallel design included three sub-studies: a questionnaire survey, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. The survey utilized two standardized questionnaires: the "Practice of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment" questionnaire by Anh Duong (2020) with 26 items and the "Motivated and Self-Regulated Learning questionnaire" by Pintrich &amp; DeGroot (1990, version 1991) with 81 items. A total of 276 participants from the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth semesters of students in the Department of English and Physical &amp; Biological Sciences during the 2020–21 academic year, comprising 138 language students (74 males and 64 females) and 128 science students (71 males and 57 females), (M=6.6, SD=1.8) with a mean age of 21.07 years and a standard deviation of 1.4 completed the surveys. The questionnaire study utilized standardized scales with good or very good reliabilities, with reliability coefficients ranging from α = .62 to .93 across measurement time points. Inferential statistical methods, including t-tests, correlation analysis, and one-way ANOVA, were used to assess the relevance of teachers' formative assessment practices to students' motivation and self-regulated learning. Classroom observations utilized Steven G. Oswalt's (2013) "Formative Assessment Observational Instrument" to evaluate formative assessment implementation among ten teachers (five language, five science) across constructs such as Learning Targets, Questioning, Feedback, Self-Assessment, and Peer-Assessment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather teachers' perspectives on formative assessment and feedback practices. The qualitative data analysis followed Mayring's (2010, 2015) qualitative content analysis method, employing deductive category system development aligned with theoretical frameworks and content and scaling structuring to extract essential information from interviews. The study findings reveal significant differences between language and science teachers using formative assessment techniques, with language instructors demonstrating superior performance across various assessment dimensions. Science students reported a notable lack of formative assessment practices compared to their language counterparts, indicating a disparity in implementation between the two departments. Female students outperformed males in most formative assessment aspects, particularly in grading, marking, and self-assessment. Positive correlations were found between formative assessment practices of language teachers and students' motivation and self-regulation, while science teachers showed weaker correlations with students' self-regulation. Classroom observations indicated that science teachers were less likely to engage in practices promoting motivation and self-regulation than language teachers. Moreover, language students demonstrated higher scores in Effort Regulation, Rehearsal, Elaboration, Organization, and Critical Thinking compared to science students, highlighting their preference for these strategies. In terms of motivational beliefs, language students scored higher in Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation, while science students exhibited higher levels of Test Anxiety and Control of Learning beliefs. Language teachers prioritized feedforward, feedback, and feed-up to establish clear learning objectives, whereas science instructors primarily focused on providing feedback to enhance understanding of scientific concepts. Both groups fostered a motivating learning environment consistent with self-determination theory, with language teachers placing additional emphasis on self-and peer-assessment strategies to boost motivation and engagement. While language teachers' practices align with established formative assessment models, science instructors could benefit from integrating such strategies to promote self-regulated learning and improve academic outcomes. Despite recognizing the benefits of formative assessment, both groups faced challenges in implementation, including limited training opportunities and administrative support. However, language students perceived high-quality formative assessment positively, highlighting its positive impact on learning, motivation, and self-regulation. Finally, recommendations were made to promote the use of quality formative assessment aiming at the motivation and self-regulation of learning in language and science classrooms.