the secondary school evaluation system- what students and teachers think

Introduction

Based on the principle that evaluation is not only used for measuring, but also for the regulation and development of learning, this study was designed to determine the following factors: how students understand the concept of competency-based skills; what perceptions they have of the evaluation process; how Physical Education teachers, compared with others of different subject matters, use the process; and to what extent the evaluation process influences decision-making in teaching.

Methods

In order to understand these factors, a specially prepared interview was conducted with 113 students of the 6th and 7th grades, along with a questionnaire for 155 teachers of different subject matters.

Results

An analysis of the results demonstrates the perceptions and understandings that both students and teachers hold on the evaluation process, including the criteria for judging success in school and, most particularly, in Physical Education. The results also show that Physical Education teachers are the most frequent users of formative evaluation in a dynamic perspective, particularly to establish and control a specific plan of action in order to help improving the teaching / learning process.
The study also shows that students are capable of identifying their strengths and weaknesses at school and they feel totally responsible for them, despite the fact that self-evaluation does not usually take part of the formative process.