Module 4 Affective Assessment Final Output
Module 4 Affective Assessment Final Output
Learning
Achievement
Outcome(s)
Indicators:
• Discuss the nature of
noncognitive dispositions The students…
and trait targets including
definitions of different ➢ Conducting interview to
attributes such as attitudes, teachers about
self-concept, values, and noncognitive targets in
student self-assessment; the classroom.
• Identify strategies to assure
reliable/precise and valid ➢ Constructing affective
scores of affective assessment and scoring
assessments; rubrics
• Formulate questions for
student self-reports of
noncognitive dispositions
and traits, including Institutional
question stems and
response scales for both Outcomes
selected- and constructed-
response formats, that are [Skilled Communicator, Inquiry-
appropriate for a specified Focused and Knowledgeable,
grade level; and Collaborative and Effective
• Identify how to address the Leader]
improvement of self-
assessment before, during,
and after instruction, and
what strategies can be used
to measure self-assessment.
Key Terms: Affective assessment, disposition, attitude, values, motivation, self-concept, self-efficacy,
interpersonal skills, self-assessment, Likert, Rating Scale, Thurstone scale, Guttman Scale, Semantic
Differential
Concept Formation
One of the domains in the educative process that is being less attended by the educators is the
affective domain. This domain also is being assessed informally in a way that affective aspect is very
dynamic. This domain is equally important as to cognitive domain which is being emphasize in the 21 st
century dispositions. It is in this section that affective assessment is being discussed, how to develop and
how to use it effectively.
Affective Assessment
Disposition consists of a range of intrapersonal attitudes, interests, values, character, and personality traits.
Attitude Targets
Attitudes are internal states and beliefs that vary from positive to negative. The internal state is some degree
of positive/negative or favorable/unfavorable reaction toward an object, situation, issue, activity, person,
group of objects, general environment, or group of persons. Thus, we typically think about attitudes toward
something. In schools, that may be learning, subjects, teachers, other students, homework, tests, and other
referents.
The affective component consists of the emotion or feeling associated with an object or a person (e.g., good
or bad feelings, enjoyment, likes, comfort, anxiety). When we describe a student as “liking” math or
“enjoying” art, we are focusing on the affective component.
The cognitive component is an evaluative belief (such as thinking something is valuable, useful, worthless,
etc.). In school, students can think history is useless and mathematics is valuable.
The behavioral component is actually responding in a positive way.
Values Targets
Values generally refer either to desirable end states of existence or to modes of conduct (Rokeach, 1973).
End states of existence are conditions and aspects of ourselves and our world that we want, such as a safe
life, world peace, freedom, happiness, social acceptance, and wisdom. Modes of conduct are reflected in
what we believe is appropriate and needed in our everyday existence, such as being honest, cheerful,
ambitious, loving, responsible, and helpful. Each of these values can be placed into categories consistent
with different areas of our lives. Thus, you can think about moral, political, social, aesthetic, economic,
technological, and religious values.
Popham (2017) has suggested some values as being sufficiently meritorious and noncontroversial:
■■ Honesty. Students should learn to value honesty in their dealings with others.
■■ Integrity. Students should firmly adhere to their own code of values, for example, moral or
artistic beliefs.
■■ Justice. Students should subscribe to the view that all citizens should be the recipients of
equal justice from governmental law enforcement agencies.
■■ Freedom. Students should believe that democratic nations must provide the maximum level
of freedom to their citizens.
Motivation Targets
In the context of schooling, motivation can be defined as the extent to which students are involved in trying
to learn. This includes the students’ initiation of learning, their intensity of effort, their commitment, and
their persistence. In other words, motivation is the purposeful engagement in learning to master knowledge
or skills; students take learning seriously and value opportunities to learn. There are two factors that
influence motivation: expectations of success and value of the activity. Expectations refer to the self-
efficacy of the student, the student’s self-perception of his or her capability to perform successfully (more
on self-efficacy below). Values are self-perceptions of the importance of the performance. That is, does the
student see any value in the activity? Is it intrinsically enjoyable or satisfying? Will it meet some social or
psychological need, such as self-worth, competence, or belonging, or will it help the student to attain an
important goal? Your students will see the relevance of your assessments. Those that connect with them
will be taken seriously, those that don’t not so much. Students who believe that they are capable of achieving
success and that the activity holds value for them will be highly motivated to learn. If they value the outcome
but believe that no matter how hard they try they probably won’t be successful, their motivation will be
weak. Similarly, we see many very capable students who are unmotivated because the activity holds no
importance for them.
Like attitudes, using the general definition of motivation as an outcome is too vague because you are unable
to pinpoint the source of the lack of effort and involvement. I suggest that you focus motivation targets on
self-efficacy and value, differentiated by academic subject and type of learning (e.g., knowledge,
understanding, reasoning). Here are some examples:
■■ Students will believe that they are capable of learning how to multiply fractions. (self-efficacy)
■■ Students will believe that it is important to know how to multiply fractions. (value)
■■ Students will believe that they are able to learn how bills are passed in the U.S. Senate. (self-efficacy)
■■ Students will believe that it is important to know how bills are passed in the U.S. Senate. (value)
Another important consideration in assessing motivation is knowing why students are learning, the reasons
they give for their actions. When students do something because it is inherently interesting, enjoyable, or
challenging, they are intrinsically motivated. In contrast, extrinsic motivation is doing something because
it leads to a separate outcome (e.g., reward or punishment; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Students who are motivated
by a need to understand and master the task (mastery orientation) demonstrate more positive behavior and
thinking than students who are doing something for the result or outcome (performance orientation).
Mastery orientation students are more engaged, have a natural inclination to generate solutions to
difficulties, display better persistence, and generate more positive attributions to success and failure
(success attributed to ability and moderate effort; failure to lack of effort).
Self-Concept Targets
There is an extensive literature on self-concept and its cousin, self-esteem. Many educators refer to these
characteristics when discussing students who have problems with school and learning (e.g., “Sam has a low
self-concept,” “Adrianne has a low opinion of herself”). There is no question that these beliefs are
important, even with the controversy over whether self-concept and self-esteem precedes or results from
academic learning (I think mostly performance precedes and influences self-concept, not the other way
around—what do you think?). For setting targets, it is helpful to remember that self-concept and self-esteem
are multidimensional (Marsh & Craven, 1997). There is a bodily self, an athletic self, a mathematics self, a
social self, and so forth. Each of us has a self-description in each area, which is our self-concept or self-
image. In addition, we also have a sense of self-regard, self-affirmation, and self-worth in each area (self-
esteem). Thus, a student can have a self-concept that he is tall and thin, but feel very comfortable with that
and accept this description. Another student can have the same self-concept but feel inferior or inadequate.
I suggest staying away from global self-concept and self-esteem targets, as well as those that do not
differentiate between a self-description and an evaluation of that description. Like attitudes and motivation,
measuring general self-concept is simply not that helpful. This is because much of what makes up general
self-concept comes from areas not directly related to academic learning and schooling. By specifying
academic self-concept, or self-concept of academic ability, you will
obtain a more valid indication of what students think about themselves as learners. If you set targets that
are specific to subject areas, the resulting information will be more useful. Also, it’s helpful to know where
students draw the line between descriptions of themselves and whether they like those descriptions. From
the standpoint of more serious mental or emotional problems, a general measure may be needed, but it’s
best to leave that to a school psychologist or counselor.
Self-Efficacy Targets
Self-efficacy is a student’s belief that he or she is capable of learning a specific task or area of knowledge
(Bandura, 2006). These are self-perceptions of the degree of confidence they have of reaching learning
targets. Students estimate what they think they are able to accomplish and the likelihood of success if they
exert sufficient effort. Students with a positive self-efficacy are more likely to persist and remain engaged
in learning, whereas students with a low self-efficacy tend to give up or avoid what they believe are difficult
tasks. They are skilled at knowing when they are learning, the degree of effort required for further learning,
when they are right or wrong, and which strategies for learning are needed. They are better at knowing
when they have mastered the learning target and tend to attribute their success to their ability and effort.
These attributions help students have positive self-expectancies about learning in the future. Self-efficacy
is focused on what can be achieved, not what will be achieved, (Bandura, 2006), and is conceptually
different from self-concept, self-esteem, and outcome expectations (which are driven but what occurs).
It turns out that self-efficacy is at the heart of learning and motivation. It is well established that a positive
self-efficacy is critical to future learning and related to the development of many 21st-century skills. Like
self-concept, self-efficacy is task-specific, pertaining to different domains of functioning. That is, we can
have a positive self-efficacy in learning math but a weak sense of confidence that we can do well in English.
For example, you may be sure about learning to drive, but unsure about learning to scuba dive.
Interpersonal skills involve the nature of social relationships that students have with one another
and with the teacher. They constitute a complex set of interaction skills, including the identification of and
appropriate responses to social cues. Peer relations, friendship, functioning in groups, assertiveness,
cooperation, collaboration, prosocial behavior, empathy, taking perspective, and conflict resolution are
examples of the nature of social relationships that can be
specified as targets. Social interaction is a key element of knowledge construction, active learning, and deep
understanding (Borich & Tombari, 2004).
Classroom environment is made up of a number of characteristics that can be used as targets, most of which
are influenced by social relationships. These include:
There are really only three feasible methods of assessing students’ noncognitive dispositions and
skills: teacher observation, teacher interviews, and student self-reports. Student self-assessment, while
perhaps technically a form of self-report, is considered separately since it is different from traditional
measures of attitudes and beliefs (McMillan, 2017)
1. Teacher Observation
The first step in using observation is to determine in advance how specific behaviors relate to the target.
This begins with a clear definition of the trait, followed by lists of student behaviors and actions that
correspond to positive and negative dimensions of the trait.
2. Teacher Interviews
The most direct way students self-report their affect, beliefs, and social-emotional traits is in the context of
a personal conversation or interview. Teachers can use different types of personal communication with
students, such as individual and group interviews, discussions, and casual conversations, to assess
noncognitive traits. In some ways, this is like an observation, but because you have an opportunity to be
directly involved with the students it is possible to probe and respond to better understand.
3. Student Self-Assessment
What is self-assessment? Simply put, student self-assessment is a process in which students monitor and
evaluate their learning and performance. Monitoring is an awareness of the thinking and learning strategies
that are needed and actual performance. Evaluation involves making a judgment about the quality of their
work and their progress toward targeted performance. That is, self-assessment engages students deeply in
self-observations and making judgments about their work, identifying discrepancies between current and
desired performance (McMillan & Hearn, 2008; Ross, 2006). This aligns closely to what is emphasized in
standards-based education because such thinking implies an understanding of performance targets and the
criteria that are used to indicate success.
Self-assessment is an excellent strategy for formative assessment since students give themselves immediate
feedback, based on specific aspects of their performance according to standards and criteria, and make
adjustments to how and what they are learning (Crooks, 2007). They improve their performance by taking
responsibility for their own learning, gaining an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. It
empowers students to independently guide their own learning
by using internal feedback to determine whether and when to seek assistance, when to keep moving forward,
and when to adapt new learning strategies to reach learning targets (Heritage & Anderson, 2009; Heritage,
2013).
Successful student self-assessment has a multitude of positive benefits. Perhaps most important,
research suggests that self-assessment contributes to higher achievement, especially when students receive
direct instruction on self-assessment procedures (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Brown & Harris, 2013; Ross,
2006; Sadler & Good, 2006). The purpose of self-assessment is to involve students deeply in the evaluation
of their work so that immediate feedback can be incorporated and used to improve learning. The emphasis
is on progress and mastery of knowledge and understanding, which increases confidence and motivation.
Scientific Method
The student will understand the essential characteristics of experiments.
Area Got It-Test Me Got Most of It – Got Some of It- Don’t Get It at
Just Some Fine- Further Work All- Help, Please
Turning Needed Needed
Independent and
dependent
variables
Researcher
control of
variables
Random
assignment of
subjects
Control group
Confounding
variables
I am able to:
Yes, Let’s Go On Not Quite Yet Not Yet
Explain the author’s purpose
Pick out fact from fantasy
Describe how the setting is
important to the story
Pick out the main characters of
the story
According to Stiggins (2008), one key to the successful use of student self-reports is to get students
to take the questionnaires seriously. This will happen if students see that what you are asking about is
relevant to them and that actions are taken as a result of the findings. You want to help students understand
that they have nothing to lose and something to gain by being cooperative. This may be especially important
for students with English language learning difficulties and those from various cultures.
Another key is using questions to which students are willing and able to provide thoughtful
responses. This is accomplished if the wording of the questions is precise, if the format is easy to understand
and respond to, and if the response options make sense. The questions can use either a constructed-response
or selected-response format.
Examples
I think mathematics is …
When I have free time, I like to …
The subject I like most is …
What I like most about school is …
What I like least about school is …
Science is …
I think I am …
Essay items can be used with older students. These items provide a more extensive, in-depth response than
incomplete sentences.
Example
Write a paragraph on the subject you like most in school. Tell me why. Comment on what it is about the
subject and your experience with it that leads you to like it the most. Describe yourself as a student. Are
you a good student? What are you good at? How hard do you try to get good grades? Does learning come
easy or hard for you?
An advantage of the incomplete sentence format is that it taps whatever comes to mind from each student.
You are not cuing students about what to think or suggesting how they should respond, so what you get is
what is foremost and most salient in the student’s mind. Of course, students need to be able to read and
write and take the task seriously. If you use this method, be sure to give students enough time to think and
write and encourage them to write as much as they can think about for each item.
There are two disadvantages to constructed-response formats. One is that even if you tell students that
their answers are anonymous, they may think you’ll recognize their handwriting; hence, faking is a concern.
Second, scoring the responses takes time and is more subjective than more traditional objective formats.
Overall, though, this approach offers an excellent way to get a general overview of student perspectives,
feelings, and thoughts.
b. Selected-Response Formats. There are many different types of selected response formats to choose
from when assessing noncognitive targets. We will look at a few commonly used scales. When you decide
to create your own instrument and wonder which of these response formats would be best, try to match the
format with the trait. There is no single best response format. Some work better with some traits, and some
work better with others, depending on the wording
and the nature of the trait. Your job will be to make the best match.
Most selected-response formats create a scale that is used with statements concerning the trait. There are
several established procedures for attitude scaling including the Likert, Thurstone, and Guttman methods.
A widely used format to assess attitudes, for example, is the Likert scale (pronounced Lí kert). This scale
is very versatile; it can be adapted to almost any type of noncognitive trait. Students read statements and
then record their agreement or disagreement with them according to a five-point scale (strongly agree,
agree, undecided, disagree, strongly disagree). The statements are generated from your list of positive and
negative behaviors or beliefs and are put in a form that makes sense for the response scale. The statements
contain some indication of the direction of the attitude, as illustrated in the following examples. The
response scale indicates intensity.
Examples
Mathematics is boring.
It is important to get good grades in school.
It is important to complete homework on time.
Class discussion is better than lectures.
School is fun.
I enjoy reading.
Science is challenging.
Science is difficult.
An advantage of this format is that many such statements can be presented on a page or two to efficiently
assess a number of different attitudes (see Figure 12.6).
Directions: Read each statement carefully and indicate how much you agree or disagree with it by circling
the appropriate letter(s) to the right
1 2 3 4 5
1. Science class is challenging. SD D NS A SA
2. Reading is important. SD D NS A SA
3. I like coming to school. SD D NS A SA
4. Homework is hard for me. SD D NS A SA
5. I like doing science experiments. SD D NS A SA
6. Cheating is very bad. SD D NS A SA
7. Learning about circles and triangles is useless. SD D NS A SA
8. I do not like to work in small groups. SD D NS A SA
9. Doing well in school is important. SD D NS A SA
10. I believe that what I learn in school is important SD D NS A SA
Note that some negatively worded statements are included in the example. These should be used sparingly
with younger children, with words such as not, don’t, and no appropriately highlighted or underlined. The
responses to the Likert scale are scored by assigning weights from 1 to 5 for each position on the scale so
that 5 reflects the most positive and 1 the most negative (SA = 5, A = 4, NS = 3, D = 2, SD = 1). The scores
from all the items assessing the same trait are then totaled, though the percentage of responses to each
position is probably more important than summary statistics. In other words, you wouldn’t add the scores
from items 1, 7, and 8 in Figure 12.6 because they address different traits, though you could add items 3, 9,
and 10, which deal with attitudes toward school. When adding items and obtaining average scores of
statements that are worded so that a “disagree” response refers to a more positive attitude or belief, the
scoring needs to be reversed. Thus, the scoring for items 1, 5, 7, and 8 in Figure 12.5 should be reversed
(SD = 5, D = 4, A = 2, SA = 1).
Thurstone Scale
Developed by Louis Leon Thurstone in 1928, the Thurstone scale was the first formal technique used to
measure attitudes. At first, it was used to measure attitudes towards religion, but later it found its application
in sociology and psychology.
As one of the leading scaling theorists of the times, Thurstone actually came up with 3 different scales, but
when we say Thurstone scale, in most cases we mean the method of equal-appearing intervals, which is
why the scale is often referred to as the equal-appearing interval scale.
A Thurstone scale is an attitude scale consisting of items (in the form of statements) with which the
respondent has either to agree or disagree.
Only those items which they agree are scored. Each item has a value and the respondent’s score on the scale
corresponds to the median score of the items with which the respondent agrees.
The item scores are usually derived from asking a number of judges to rank each item on the scale using an
eleven-point scale reflecting the attitude is being measured. The final score of each item is the median of
the judges’ individual scores. Usually, more items are judged than are used and the final selection is based
on two criteria; first, that items covering the whole eleven-point range are included; second items should
have a small variation (between judges).
Semantic Differential
Semantic differential scaling is a flexible method of attitude scaling in which subjects are the concepts, in
which the researcher is interested, on a bipolar (usually) seven-point scale. The two ends of the scale are
defined by pairs of adjectives with supposedly opposite meanings (e.g. good/bad, etc.)
Guttman Scale
Guttman attitude scales involve the researcher the researcher constructing a set of hierarchical statements
relating to the concept under investigation. These statements should reflect an increasing intensity of
attitude. The point at which the respondent disagrees with a statement reflects the respondent’s scale
position.
The ideal Guttman scale is such that if the respondent disagrees, for example, with statement 5 (having
agreed with statements 1 to 4) then the respondents will disagree with statements 6 and 7 etc. as these
represent more extreme expressions of the attitude being investigated. In practice Guttman scales are not
perfect. The rank order of the statements may not be interpreted in the same way by the researcher, the
subject or by independent judges. Usually, pilot research indicates ac coefficient of reliability of the rank
ordering.
Learning Journey
In this section, the students will be able to write their own affective assessments based from the criteria
presented in the class.
Activity 1: SEQUENCING
The Taxonomy of Affective Domain has levels called vignettes. Arrange the learning competencies
using the hierarchy from lowest to highest.
____ (a) Write down important details of the short story pertaining to character, setting and
events.
____ (b) Share inferences, thoughts and feelings based on the short story.
____ (c ) Relate story events to personal experience.
____ (d) Read carefully the short story.
____ ( e) Examine thoughts on the issues raised in the short story.
2. Objectives developed from the affective domain are intended to change what?
a. opinions b. knowledge c. skill d. behavior
3. The second area or level of the affective domain is which of the valuing?
a. receiving b. organizing c. valuing d. responding
4. The goal of the valuing area or level of the affective domain is which of the following?
a. being willing to be perceived as committed
b. acting consistently
c. relate the value to something your already have
d. complying with the rules
5. Which of the following will more than likely change the behaviors?
a. classroom attendance
b. repetitive practice in a laboratory or simulator setting
c. written examination
d. annual refresher training
6. Which of the following verbs can be used in the characterization area or level of the affective domain?
a. Influence b. Solve c. Share d. Comply
Task Description: Identify some noncognitive disposition and skill targets for students and construct a
short questionnaire to assess the targets. If possible, find a group of students who could respond to the
questionnaire. After they answer all the questions, ask them about their feelings toward the questions and
the clarity of the wording.
Journal Writing
Description: This activity will enable you to reflect about the topic and activities you underwent.
Instruction: Reflect on the activities you have done in this lesson by completing the following
statements. Write your answers on your journal notebook.
Reflect on your participation in doing all the activities in this lesson and complete the following
statements:
References
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