Students’ perceptions of school based assessment in Biology SEC examinations

Abstract

School-Based Assessment (SBA) has been introduced in educational systems worldwide to provide a more continuous and formative mode of assessment. In Malta, SBA is part of the Biology Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examination, where it contributes 30% to the final examination grade and assesses skills such as critical thinking and scientific inquiry. This study explores the views of secondary level students regarding the implementation of SBA in Biology SEC examinations. A qualitative interpretive approach was adopted to examine students' lived experiences through focus-group interviews. Seven female first-year Biology advanced level students attending a Maltese post-secondary school participated in the study. The findings show that while SBA has formative intentions, students perceived SBA as a means of gaining marks rather than developing understanding or receiving feedback. They reported being under pressure and often resorting to surface level learning techniques, emphasising memory retention. Furthermore, they believed the absence of national moderation resulted in inequities. The results indicate that while SBA can enhance learning if implemented within a high-stakes examination system, it can override learning. Moderation, procedural transparency, and improved curriculum assessment alignment should be developed to increase the formative value of SBA.