A Comparison Of Assessment At School And University: More Than Just Increasing Demands.

Author(s):

Frances Wilson(presenting / submitting)Simon Child Irenka Suto

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 06 A, Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Higher Education

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-11

15:30-17:00

Room:

STD-301

Chair:

Antonia Scholkmann

Contribution

In many countries high stakes assessments are used at the end of secondary school to select students for higher education. These assessments are designed to identify those students who have the knowledge and skills necessary for university study, and allow selection of the best students for competitive programmes of study. However, internationallythere is concern from both students and lecturers that new undergraduates have not been adequately prepared for higher education, and that assessment is part of the problem (Suto, 2012; Jansen and Meer, 2012). Difficulties in transition between school and university can increase the probability that students will drop-out of university (Taylor and Bedford, 2004). Consequently, they are not able to experience the benefits of tertiary education, which is increasingly important in a globalised economy. The overarching purpose of the present study was to investigate whether there is a mismatch between the format and style of summative assessment at school and in the first year of university.

The move from school to university represents an educational transition which is often characterized by the need for students to develop into more independent learners (Ellis, 2008). The role of schools in preparing students to make this transition has long been recognised. Jansen and Meer (2012) compared the school systems in the Netherlands and New Zealand, and noted that features of the school system contributed to students’ perceptions of their preparedness for university study. In Canada, Julien and Barker (2009) found that pressure on teachers for their students to perform well in high-stakes testing led to a strong focus on examination preparation at the expense of other, non-assessed academic skills, suggesting that the form and style of assessment at school may contribute to student preparedness for university. However, universities have also started to recognise their role in facilitating students’ transitions by providing guidance when students start university study, and by introducing innovative forms of assessment which may benefit students from different educational backgrounds. Yorke (2007) argues that a major transitional challenge for students is that of understanding the differences in expectations between school and university, particularly with respect to assessment while developing into autonomous learners. University assessments must therefore balance these opposing demands by providing appropriate levels of written guidance and structuring of student assessments.

Thus far, however, there has been no direct comparison of the form and style of the assessments used at school and in the first year of university. In this study such a comparison was made in three popular subjects: biology, English literature and mathematics. The study had three main aims:

1) To develop a coding framework for assessments which may be used to explore and compare assessment types at school and university internationally.

2) To compare the relative diversity of summative assessment types used at school and university within the UK.

3) To compare the extent to which student responses are structured and scaffolded in school and university assessments.

Method

Key features of summative assessment were identified from the literature. The features were integrated within a novel, more comprehensive binary coding framework, which facilitated qualitative and/or quantitative analyses of eleven factors. These included: assessment variety, assessment timings, written guidance for students, scaffolding in questions, and re-sit opportunities. The coding framework was used to analyse the assessment paths of students who progressed from secondary education to university in 2011 in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Students preparing for university entry in England, Wales and Northern Ireland typically study for qualifications (GCE A levels) in three to five subjects. We obtained assessment materials for biology, English literature and mathematics GCE A-levels, as would typically have been used by students obtaining these qualifications in 2011. University departments in these countries which offered undergraduate degrees in biology, English Literature and mathematics were invited to participate. Materials (e.g. question papers, course handbooks, assessment criteria) for the assessments taken by first year undergraduates in 2011-2012 were obtained from 16 university courses (Response rate = 16.3%). These were representative of universities nationally in terms of entrance requirements and region. Of these 16 courses, three were biology, nine were English and four were mathematics.

Expected Outcomes

The coding framework was applied successfully, identifying a greater diversity of summative assessment types at university compared to at school. Considerable variation among universities and subjects was found. Several assessment types, for example oral assessments, were identified at university, but not school. Although this mismatch between assessment at school and university may indicate that differences in the structure of assessment are (at least partially) responsible for new university students’ initial difficulties, Suto (2012) found that university lecturers reported student strengths in oral work, which was not assessed at school, indicating that a close match between school and university assessment structure may be unnecessary. Furthermore, compared to school assessments, university assessments contained similar or greater levels of guidance, particularly for assessments which were probably new to students. The high levels of assessment diversity at university mean that it would be difficult to reform school assessment to prepare students for the diverse assessments which they may encounter at university. These challenges may not be confined to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Furthermore, given the increasing globalisation of tertiary education, the use of a wide range of assessment types may facilitate the integration of students from different international and social backgrounds.

References

Jansen, E. W. A., & Meer, J. (2012). Ready for university? A cross-national study of students’ perceived preparedness for university. The Australian Educational Researcher, 39(1), 1-16. doi: 10.1007/s13384-011-0044-6 Julien, H., & Barker, S. (2009). How high-school students find and evaluate scientific information: A basis for information literacy skills development. Library & Information Science Research, 31(1), 12-17. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2008.10.008 Suto, I. (2012). What are the impacts of qualifications for 16 to 19 year olds on higher education? A survey of 633 university lecturers. Cambridge: Cambridge Assessment

Author Information

Frances Wilson (presenting / submitting)

Cambridge Assessment

Research Division

Cambridge

Simon Child

Cambridge Assessment, United Kingdom

Irenka Suto