Effect of Portfolio Assessment in Elementary Science Teaching

초등 과학 학습지도에서 포트폴리오 평가의 효과

  • 이민수 (서울 대방초등학교) ;
  • 한안진 (인천교육대학교 과학교육과)
  • Published : 2001.08.01

Abstract

The Purpose of this study is to find the effects of the portfolio assessment on elementary students' scientific knowledge, inquiry process skill, scientific attitudes in the teaching of science. And finally the parents' response to the portfolio assessment is also investigated. In order to reach the goal of this study, the investigator developed the evaluation instrument such as an experimental report and a cumulative observation sheet for the 4th-grade Unit-1 'Light Propagation' and Unit-3 'Separating Mixtures', and then these were administered to 42 4th-grade elementary students in Inchon. Based upon the findings and within the limitations of this study, several conclusions can be drawn regarding the problems investigated. First, as the portfolio assessment offers enough information about individual student's performance, it has a highly positive effect on evaluating the students' scientific knowledges. It can also make possible to grasp the several aspects of the student's progress. Second, the portfolio assessment can be implemented without giving students any psychological pressure from testing itself. Therefore, the portfolio assessment is an effective means of appraising inquiry process skills. Third, the portfolio assessment is effective to evaluate the students' attitude toward science by means of individual records which include such aspects that is hardly found by the teacher who teaches science in the class. Fourth, as most parents showed a positive response to this portfolio assessment, it is considered to be effective method of appraising the result of teaching science at elementary school. Accordingly, this study demonstrated that the portfolio assessment is an effective method that can assess students' scientific knowledges, inquiry process skills, and scientific attitudes gained from science teaching-learning. Therefore, it is necessary to implement the portfolio assessment to other grade students as well in the following study where teacher may give more encouragements and suggestions to sti dents for the better learning motives. Also teachers should suggest more definite evaluation criteria to students so that they may improve the students' self and peer evaluation skills.

Keywords