The effectiveness of Physics lab reports and practical tests as assessment tools of practical skills

Abstract

In Malta, Physics O-Level candidates are assessed on their practical skills by means of practical work followed by the assessment of written laboratory reports. Despite this mode of assessment had been criticized by several researchers over the past years, research studies into what other forms of assessment can be adopted to acquire reliable feedback on practical skills are non-existent. This research answers the questions whether practical skills are being properly assessed through the current mode of assessment and whether such skills would be better assessed through the use of practical tests. This qualitative research approach adopted was ethnographic. It was carried out during the scholastic year 2017 – 2018, during which one group of Physics students was exposed to practical tests and written laboratory reports while the other group of students was exposed to written laboratory reports only. All participants (a total of 36 students) participated in a practical exam at the end of the scholastic year, during which they were asked to use the think-aloud method and were video-recorded. Data collection included students’ written documents, verbal and non-verbal communication so that triangulation of data could be obtained. Throughout this study, it was evident that assessment solely based on written laboratory reports does not give suitable feedback on students’ practical skills. Moreover, it was also concluded that practical tests should accompany and not replace the assessment of written lab reports so as to give more reliable information about students’ practical skills. It was found that the feedback elicited through the written work of students with regards to practical skills is not unreliable but rather limited on its own. Proposals were derived from the conclusions.