This proposal presents a collaborative action research study examining how structured formative checklists can enhance students’ problem-solving skills across computer science education, art, and the history of Kazakhstan in secondary education. Problem-solving is widely recognised as a key transversal competence supporting academic achievement and lifelong learning. However, many students experience difficulties in structuring their thinking, monitoring their learning processes, and reflecting on outcomes, particularly when transferring skills across different subject areas. This study explores a cross-curricular formative assessment approach designed to address these challenges through the use of a shared pedagogical tool.

Although formative assessment has been shown to positively influence learning, its implementation in school practice is often fragmented and limited to individual subjects. As a result, students may perceive formative strategies as subject-specific rather than transferable learning tools. Existing research on formative assessment has predominantly focused on single-subject contexts, while cross-curricular and collaborative teacher practices remain relatively underexplored. This study responds to this gap by investigating how structured formative checklists, collaboratively designed and implemented by teachers from different subjects, can support the development of students’ problem-solving skills as a shared educational goal.

The selection of computer science education, art, and the history of Kazakhstan reflects the diversity of disciplinary problem-solving demands. In computer science education, students engage in algorithmic thinking, programming, and debugging. In art, they address creative and design-oriented challenges that require intentional decision-making and reflection. In the history of Kazakhstan, students analyse historical sources, identify cause-and-effect relationships, and construct evidence-based interpretations. Examining these subjects together allows for the exploration of both discipline-specific practices and transferable cognitive processes related to problem-solving.

The study is guided by the main research question of how the use of structured formative checklists enhances students’ problem-solving skills across the three subjects within a collaborative action research context. Supporting questions focus on how students use checklists during problem-solving tasks, changes in planning, execution, and reflection processes, students’ perceptions of the usefulness of checklists, similarities and differences across subjects, and teachers’ experiences of collaborative formative assessment practice.

The study is grounded in formative assessment theory, which conceptualises assessment as an integral part of learning aimed at supporting improvement rather than merely measuring achievement. Structured formative checklists are understood as tools that make learning goals, success criteria, and stages of problem-solving explicit, thereby supporting students’ understanding of expectations and learning processes. The research also draws on theories of self-regulated learning, emphasising the importance of planning, monitoring, and reflection in effective problem-solving. From this perspective, checklists function as scaffolding tools that guide learners through these stages while fostering increasing independence. In addition, sociocultural perspectives on learning inform the study by highlighting the role of collaboration, dialogue, and shared meaning-making in both student learning and teacher professional development.

A collaborative action research approach is employed, involving three secondary school teachers working within the same school context. The research is conducted through iterative cycles of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. A shared checklist framework is collaboratively developed and adapted to subject-specific tasks while maintaining a common focus on problem-solving stages. This study is significant in demonstrating how formative assessment can be implemented as a cross-curricular and collaborative practice. It offers practical insights for teachers and school leaders seeking to support transferable problem-solving skills and contributes to educational research on formative assessment, action research, and interdisciplinary collaboration in secondary education.

This study adopts a collaborative action research methodology, which is particularly suited to investigating and improving educational practice through systematic inquiry and reflection. The approach enables teachers to act as practitioner-researchers who collaboratively design, implement, and evaluate formative assessment strategies within their own classroom contexts. Research Design and Participants The research was conducted in a secondary school setting and involved three teachers representing different subject areas: computer science education, art, and the history of Kazakhstan. The participants included Grade 10 students, who engaged in problem-solving tasks across the three subjects. The study was implemented over two iterative action research cycles, each consisting of the stages of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. During the planning stage, the teachers collaboratively designed a shared structured formative checklist framework focused on key stages of problem-solving. In the acting stage, the checklists were embedded into regular classroom activities. Observation and reflection stages involved systematic data collection and joint analysis of outcomes, which informed refinements for the subsequent cycle. Research Instruments and Data Sources The primary research instrument was a set of structured formative checklists, designed to support students’ problem-solving processes. The checklists followed a common structure across subjects, addressing task understanding, planning strategies, execution, self-monitoring, and reflection. While the overall framework remained consistent, the checklist descriptors were adapted to align with discipline-specific tasks, such as programming and debugging in computer science, creative design processes in art, and historical source analysis and interpretation in the history of Kazakhstan. Multiple data sources were used to ensure methodological triangulation. These included: students’ completed formative checklists; samples of student work produced before and after the introduction of checklists; classroom observations conducted by participating teachers; students’ written reflections and short open-ended questionnaires; teachers’ reflective journals and records of collaborative meetings. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Quantitative data focused on changes in task performance and checklist usage patterns, while qualitative data provided insights into students’ problem-solving behaviours, perceptions, and learning processes. Data Analysis and Ethical Considerations Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis, focusing on patterns related to planning, monitoring, and reflection in problem-solving. Quantitative data were used descriptively to identify trends across cycles and subjects. Data triangulation and collaborative interpretation enhanced the trustworthiness of findings. Ethical considerations included informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality, and anonymisation of all student data. The study adhered to ethical principles for educational research.

This collaborative action research study is expected to demonstrate that structured formative checklists can effectively support the development of students’ problem-solving skills across computer science education, art, and the history of Kazakhstan. By explicitly outlining the stages of problem-solving, the checklists are anticipated to help students approach learning tasks in a more structured, purposeful, and reflective manner. A key expected outcome is an improvement in students’ ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate their problem-solving processes. In computer science education, this may be reflected in clearer algorithmic planning, more systematic debugging practices, and improved accuracy in programming tasks. In art, students are expected to demonstrate greater intentionality in creative decision-making, stronger justification of design choices, and deeper reflection on the creative process. In the history of Kazakhstan, the use of checklists is anticipated to support more coherent analysis of historical sources, clearer identification of cause-and-effect relationships, and stronger evidence-based interpretations. Across all three subjects, students are expected to show increased learning independence and self-regulation. The consistent use of a shared formative tool may support the transfer of problem-solving strategies between disciplines, enabling students to recognise common cognitive processes despite differences in subject content. Student feedback is expected to indicate that checklists clarify expectations, reduce uncertainty, and increase confidence when engaging with complex tasks. From a pedagogical perspective, the study is expected to highlight the value of cross-curricular collaboration in formative assessment practices. Teachers’ reflective accounts are anticipated to demonstrate professional learning gains and a more coherent understanding of problem-solving as a transversal skill. Overall, the study is expected to contribute practical and research-based insights into the use of structured formative checklists as a cross-curricular formative assessment strategy in secondary education.

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), 7–74. A foundational study establishing the theoretical and empirical basis for formative assessment and its impact on student learning. Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., & Wiliam, D. (2003). Assessment for learning: Putting it into practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Provides practical strategies for implementing formative assessment in classroom contexts. Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112. Examines different levels and functions of feedback and their influence on learning and self-regulation. Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional Science, 18(2), 119–144. Explores formative assessment as an integral component of instructional design and learner development. Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(2), 64–70. Introduces the concept of self-regulated learning, emphasising planning, monitoring, and reflection in problem-solving. Panadero, E., & Jonsson, A. (2013). The use of scoring rubrics for formative assessment purposes revisited. Educational Research Review, 9, 129–144. Analyses how structured assessment tools such as rubrics and checklists support self-regulation and understanding of success criteria. Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Nixon, R. (2014). The action research planner: Doing critical participatory action research. Singapore: Springer. A key methodological reference outlining the principles and cycles of collaborative action research. Burns, A. (2010). Doing action research in English language teaching. New York: Routledge. Although focused on language education, this work provides transferable guidance on action research design and practitioner inquiry. OECD. (2018). The future of education and skills: Education 2030. Paris: OECD Publishing. Highlights the importance of transversal skills, including problem-solving, and cross-curricular approaches in contemporary education.