UNIT II: Alternative Ways in Assessing

Learning
Lesson 4: Affective Assessment

Introduction

The cognitive and affective domains are inseparable. One is incomplete

without the other. Proper, ongoing assessment of the affective domain-students’
attitudes, values, dispositions, and ethical perspectives-is essential in any effort to
improve academic achievement and the quality of the educational experience
provided. Unfortunately, the practice of routinely assessing learners' affective
constructs is all too often lacking. This lesson highlights the significance and absolute
necessity of regular affective assessment and the ways in which data obtained
through such assessments may be used to refresh and recapture learners.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this Lesson, you should have:

 Familiarized yourself with the taxonomy of educational objectives in

the affective domain;
 Written learning targets or desired learning outcomes in the affective
domain;
 Defined affective assessment and discussed the importance of
assessing the affective aspect;
 Described the affective variables in learning;
 Used the different affective assessment tools
 Activity

1. Observe the behaviors of your younger brother or sister (even cousin if

you don’t have a sibling), for a week and document these behaviors every
day. Put a date for each observation.

Analysis

1. Based on your observations, are there common behaviors that your

subject (the person you’ve observed) manifests during the entire
week? What affective variables are obviously influencing your
subject’s behavior? (interest, motivation, values and beliefs, etc)

Abstraction

Affective Assessment: The Missing piece

High- stakes standardized testing, school report cards, and stiff sanctions for
failing to meet the target are just a few of many indications that an educational
reform movement is currently underway. In fact, the reformation of K-12 education
seems to exist in a perpetual state rather than as a realized goal. For decades,
those groups and individuals responsible for reforming the educational system have
sought and tested numerous potential solutions to educational woes, trying
combinations of strategies in an approach akin to that of putting together a puzzle.
However, finding the right pieces to complete the picture of reform remains a
challenge (Hall,n.d).

For centuries, educators have known about the three domains of learner
behavior; the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. As part of a heavy
emphasis on accountability and reform, attention seems to turn to the cognitive
domain almost exclusively. Most classroom teachers do not devote their attention
directly to their students' affective constructs, and an even greater number of
teachers fail to assess them (Popham, 2011). However, it is entirely conceivable
that potentially the largest piece of the puzzle to which educators, educational
leaders, and legislators seek a solution remains dormant. What is often forgotten is
the fact that the cognitive and affective domains go hand-in-hand; they do not and
should not function independently but should complement and complete one
another. Although increasing what students know and are able to do is primary,
their content-related attitudes, values, beliefs, and dispositions - the affective
domain - are at least equally significant. Popham (2011) even goes so far to say
that "affective variables are often more significant than cognitive variables".

Affective assessment entails measuring students' attitudes, interests, or

values. Sometimes referred to as dispositional assessment, it is conducted in an
effort to discover students' usual or typical inclinations. In contrast to cognitive and
performance assessment, affective assessment does not measure the content that
learners know or the skills they are able to perform. What it measures instead are
students' dispositions (Popham, 2011).

Something happens affectively between the time children enter school and
the time they exit as graduates. Many first graders who so anxiously await every
opportunity to participate in class and please their teacher transform some years
later into students who are disengaged from the educational process. The level of
interest in learning and the desire to excel academically generally seem to diminish
over time, and it is disturbing to read multiple studies of high school drop-outs who
indicate that a major reason for their decision to leave school was an inability to see
relevance in the curriculum. Routine affective assessment that is embedded in the
curriculum and appropriately administered can make all the difference. Such
assessment is a finger on the pulse of learners' attitudes about the relevance and
importance of the content they are to learn as well as their content- related ethical
perspectives. It also keeps a constant watch on students' beliefs concerning their
own ability to meet educational objectives and standards. As such, affective
assessment provides ongoing opportunities for educators to identify students who
may potentially fall through the cracks of the educational system as a direct result
of their affective constructs (Hall).

What is Affective Assessment? Why Assess the Affective Domain?

Affective assessment deals with the measurement of feelings, attitude, or

interest. From the word itself, this type of assessment focuses on the affect
dimension of students’ learning. The affective domain (from the Latin affectus,
meaning “feelings”) includes a host of constructs, such as attitudes, values, beliefs,
opinions, interests, and motivation. They are the noncognitive outcomes of learning
that are not easily seen or explicitly demonstrated. Affective assessment does not
measure what the students have learned. Rather, it looks at how students feel while
they are learning, how their learning experiences have influenced their emotions
and future behavior. Teaching includes knowing and understanding students as
learners and human beings. Hence, it is important for teachers to know the feeling
of pleasure, enjoyment, or even anxiety that learners go through because these
feelings have bearing on their attitudes and motivation in learning. Further, with
information about the students’ affective characteristics, teachers will be able to
individualize their approaches to students and reshape the lesson plan based on the
identified needs of students (David et al., 2020).
 Affective assessment can provide supplemental information about a learning
difficulty or behavior problem that affects learning. For example, if students
experience anxiety when dealing with numbers, how can they be helped such that
their attitude towards number be improved and their performance be improved as
well (David et al., 2020)? According to Stiggins (2005), motivation and desire
represent the very foundation of learning. If students are not motivated to learn, no
learning will take place. Further, Popham (2011), contends that affective variables
are often more significant than cognitive variables. Jazmin-Hena (2015) believes
that assessing the affective domain is also one of the important goals in the
teaching-learning process. Jazmin-Hena (2015) further contends that the
development of desirable values and attitudes among the learners should be
emphasized in all levels of learning, however she also believes that this domain of
learning is difficult to assess objectively.

We have heard people say he/she is “schooled” but not “educated”. This
statement points to the fact much of what has happened in the education process
was focused on the cognitive development. Today, however, we talk about whole
child approach, social and emotional learning (SEL), emotional intelligence quotient
(EQ), positive discipline and growth mindset which deliver the same basic message,
the equally important affective function of education.

Navarro and Santos (2013) assert:

The affective domain is the least studied and most often overlooked domain
in educational literature despite the fact that almost every researcher or author
begins with a premise on the importance of the affective domain in the teaching-
learning process. The reason, perhaps is the fact that the affective domain is the
most nebulous and the hardest to evaluate among Bloom’s three domains.

However, it is important to realize that by tapping the potentials of the

affective domain in enhancing learning, we increase the likelihood of real and
authentic learning among our students. Similarly, students may experience
affective roadblocks to learning that can neither be recognized nor solved when
using a purely cognitive approach.

The five key skills of SEL namely: self-awareness, self-management, social

awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making are in the affective
domain and so are the concern of assessment in the affective domain.

Soft Skills in Affective Assessment

Learning outcomes in the affective domain include soft skills in contrast to

the hard skills (technical skills). Soft skills are non-technical skills that refer to how
one works in the workplace, how one interacts with others in the workplace and how
one looks at problems and solves problems.

Categories of Soft Skills

 According to Corpuz and Cuartel (2021), there are five key skills of SEL, and
these can be grouped into four categories that most school leaders, teachers, and
parents would agree are within the responsibility of schools to monitor and develop.
These are: 1) social skills, 2) self-management skills, 3) academic soft skills, and 4)
approaches to learning.

Social skills include how a student interacts with other students as observed
by teachers and other adults. Self-management refers to self-regulation, i.e., the
student’s ability to take control over what would otherwise be automatic reactions
by planning, focusing attention, reframing experiences and using mental tools. Lack
of self-management is manifested when a student blurts out responses which
suggests a lack of thoughtfulness.

The third category, academic soft skills, are both social and cognitive. Their
defining feature is their ancillary role in carrying out traditional academic tsks, e.g.,
the ability to work independently.

Finally, the category of approaches to learning includes such things as the

student’s engagement in school, pleasure in learning and anxiety about
performance.

Here are observable behaviors of each soft skill:

Soft Skill Observable Behavior

Social Skills Provides peers with positive feedback;
Offers help or assistance to peers;
Initiates interactions with peers;
Participates in discussions with peers.
Has a sense of humor, shares amusement with
peers;
Has friends;
Can carry out leadership activities;
Engages in appropriate social behavior.
Self-Management Controls displays of temper when angry;
Accepts legitimate rules;
Compromises with others to avoid conflict;
Responds in socially appropriate ways to criticism
from others;
Handles teasing and social provocations;
Cooperates with others;
Maintains attention to tasks;
Is respectful to teachers and staffs;

Academic Soft Skills Works independently;

Complete assigned tasks;
Listens to and carries out teacher directions;
Produces work of acceptable quality for ability
level;
 Brings required materials to school;
Arrives at school on time and without undue
absences;
Asks for assistance as needed, asks questions;
Uses appropriate study skills.

Approaches to Learning Enjoys school;

Takes on challenging tasks;
Has confidence in abilities;
Works hard;
Is enthusiastic and adventurous;
Is involved with extracurricular school activities

In relation to assessment, the low level of abstraction and high level of

observability of the student behaviors like those given in the Table have two
important practical advantages. The first is that it is easy for teachers and other
adults who are regularly around individual students to experience directly what is
asked of them to score, e.g., does the child have friends, without the requirement
for an investment in training. The second is that low scores on a particular item for
a particular student or group of students have obvious implications for intervention.
For example, students who have low scores on confidence in abilities and
willingness to work hard may benefit from growth mindset training. Students who
are frequently late in class or absent from school may need counselling and an
intervention with parents. Students who are aggressive with peers and quick to
anger may benefit from training on how to think about and reframe the actions of
others before reacting automatically.

Administrators and teachers can identify both individual students and

classrooms that need additional help, e.g., a classroom in which a lot of students
are receiving low scores on self-management skills is a classroom in which the
teacher needs help.

Taxonomy of Affective Domain in Learning

In ASL I, we have learned the Taxonomy of Affective Domain according to

Krathwohl et al. (1964) as cited by Navarro, et al. (2019). For your convenience,
below is a list of the different categories of the affective domain, arranged from the
simplest behavior to the most complex one:

1. Receiving: being aware or sensitive to something and being willing to listen

or pay attention.

In this level of affective behavior, the learner demonstrates an awareness

in an activity that is happening such that he/she gives attention to that
activity. This level involves willingness to receive the stimulus. For
example, looking at the teacher during lecture is an awareness on a
learning stimulus, but listening and paying attention indicate willingness in
receiving the stimulus (David, et al., 2020).
 Examples of Learning Outcomes:
Listen to others with respect.
Listen for and remember the names of newly introduced
persons.
Remember facts.

2. Responding: showing commitment to respond in some measure to the idea

or phenomenon

In this level, the learner reacts to a given stimulus or information that has
been received. If a learner participates in a class discussion, and not
merely listening, then the learner is in this level of behavior. This behavior
may be compliance to a given task, voluntary engagement, or doing an
activity with interest.

Examples of Learning Outcomes:

Participate in class discussion.
Asks questions about the lesson.
Question concepts in order to understand them well.

3. Valuing: showing willingness to be perceived as valuing or favoring certain

ideas

This is the level where the learner demonstrates commitment to the

object, knowledge, or activity. Here, the learner has internalized a set of
specific values such that these values are manifested through overt
behaviors (David et al., 2020). Example is putting off lights after class
without being requested by the teacher).

Examples of Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate belief in the democratic process.
Show the ability to solve problems.

4. Organizing: arranging values into priorities, creating a unique value system

by comparing, relating and synthesizing values

David et al. (2020) explain that this is the level where the learner has
internalized and integrated his or her feelings, emotions, beliefs, opinions,
etc., resulting to actions where new values and traits emerged. In this
level, the learner is able to discern independently the right from wrong,
and he/she is able to make a decision on what is more valuable based on
his or her own judgment.

Examples of Learning Outcomes:

Accepts responsibility for one’s behavior.
Explains the role of systematic planning in solving problems.
Prioritize time effectively.
 5. Internalizing: practicing value system that controls one’s behavior,
exhibiting behavior that is consistent, pervasive, predictable
characteristics of the person. Internalizing is equaled to characterization.

In this level of affective trait, the learner demonstrates his or her beliefs
and attitudes not only in a single event or situation but in multiple events,
showing consistency of the behavior that establishes an image or character
of the learner. The behavior extends beyond the school setting and
becomes part of his or her lifestyle. For example, if doing an experiment
has instilled the value of patience, such trait could be carried over to the
student’s nonscience activities (David et al., 2020).

Examples of Learning Outcomes:

Show self-reliance when working independently.
Cooperate in group activities.
Value people for what they are, not how they look.

Affective Variables in Learning

The most common variables for affective assessment according to David et

al. (2020) are the following:

1. Attitudes. This is the most talked about affective factor in a student’s

learning. Ajzen (1989) as cited by Alrabai and Moskovsky (2016) defines
attitude as “an individual’s disposition to respond favorably or unfavorably to
an object, person, institution, or event, or any other discriminable aspect of
the individual’s world. ”We always say attitude toward something. This
means we are referring to a person’s reaction whether negative or positive,
favorable or unfavorable toward an object, person or even idea. In a student’s
context, attitude may be towards learning, subject, teacher, classmates,
peers, school, projects, school attendance, flag ceremony, etc. Here, we all
desire to foster positive attitudes. On the other hand, we also want students
to have negative attitude on things like cheating, bullying, fighting, drugs,
absenteeism, and smoking.

2. Values and beliefs. Values are stable long-lasting beliefs about what is
important to a person. They become standards by which people order their
lives and make their choices. A belief will develop into a value when the
person’s commitment to it grows and they see it as being important
(Immigration Advisers Authority, n.d). According to David et al. (2020), values
include principles that one considers to be right, and consequently guides the
person’s future actions and decisions. In a school setting, values that are
included in the curriculum are honesty, patience, perseverance, respect for
others, cleanliness and order, care for the environment, etc. Beliefs are
convictions or opinions people hold to be true, even without evidence.
According to Immigration Advisers Authority (n.d.), a person can base a belief
 upon certainties (e.g. mathematical principles), probabilities or matters of
faith. A belief can come from different sources, including: a person’s own
experiences or experiments, the acceptance of cultural and societal norms
(e.g. religion), and what other people say (e.g. education or mentoring).A
potential belief sits with the person until they accept it as truth, and adopt it
as part of their individual belief system.

3. Interest. Cambridge Dictionary defines interest as the feeling of wanting to

give your attention to something or of wanting to be involved with and to
discover more about something. David et al. (2020) discusses that in a
classroom setting, interest is what students are “into” or the learner’s
disposition about a topic, such as reading, science, mathematics, history, etc.
They add that interest drives the learner to be attentive to the topic of
dissuasion or engage in any academic activity, and that interest may be
personal or situational. For example, if the student reads a book or saves
money to buy books, even if it is not a course requirement, this means that
he/she has personal interest in reading. However, if a student likes
mathematics because he/she likes the teacher, then his/her interest is
situational. David et al., (2020) emphasize that whether the interest is
personal or situational, it is important for the teacher to know how receptive
are the students on the content that is covered in the lesson. If there is low
interest as revealed from the assessment results, the teacher can think of
intervention strategies to address the problem, like creating learning
activities that are more exciting and can let students interact with their
peers. Students are interested when they enjoy what they are doing.

4.Motivation. Chuter (2019) discusses about motivation. According to her,

motivation as the name suggests, is what ‘moves’ us. It is the reason we do
anything at all. For teachers, a lack of motivation has long been one of the
most frustrating obstacles to student learning. While the concept of
motivation may intuitively seem fairly simple, a rich research literature has
developed as researchers have defined this concept in a number of ways.
Social scientists and psychologists have approached the problem of
motivation from a variety of different angles, and education researchers have
adapted many of these ideas into the school context. While there is a great
deal of overlap between motivation theories, researchers differ in their
identification of the underlying belief systems leading to motivational
variation. Some theorists emphasize belief in oneself and one’s competency,
others prioritize goal orientation, and a third group argues that the difficulty
of the task shapes individual motivation.

There are many theories of motivation according to Chuter (2019). One is the
Intrinsic vs. extrinsic forms of motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the act of doing an
activity purely for the joy of doing it, and it is frankly very rare in school and work
contexts. Extrinsic motivation, or the use of external rewards or punishments to
encourage student work completion, is generally painted in education as the enemy
of good instruction. This is true to a certain extent because, as learning is
comparable to exploration, the use of rewards or punishments tends to outline a
boundary around how much a student should explore.
 Another theory of motivation is the Achievement Goal Theory. Achievement
Goal Theory argues that all motivation can be linked to one’s orientation towards a
goal. According to this theory, there are two forms of goal: performance goals and
mastery goals. Performance goals are based on satisfying one’s ego by appearing
smart in front of one’s peers or on achieving a sense of superiority. Mastery goals
are, as they sound, motivated by a desire to fully master a skill or concept. Students
with mastery goals will finish a project when they are proud of it rather than when
it meets the minimum requirements. Even after they turn in the assignment to be
assessed, they may continue to reflect on it and make refinements. Mastery goals
largely align with intrinsic motivation in the former theory.

Expectancy Value Theory Goal orientation has a strong impact on persistence

through a rigorous task, as described in Expectancy Value Theory. According to this
model, expectations and values influence performance and task choice directly.
There are two main components to this theory. First, a student’s effort, the level of
challenge they choose and ultimately their performance will follow their expectation
of success or failure. Second, the extent to which a student values learning a skill or
concept directly impacts their effort and mastery of that skill or concept.
Expectations and values themselves are influenced by beliefs about one’s
competence (otherwise known as self-efficacy) and by beliefs about the difficulty of
the task. If the student remembers doing well or feeling satisfied when completing a
similar task in the past, they are more likely to push themselves to work hard on the
current task. However, if the student remembers that the activity was too difficult to
be completed and they became frustrated, or not difficult enough and they became
bored, they are unlikely to engage with it

Flow Theory Flow is described as a psychological state in which an individual

is purely intrinsically motivated and in which their sense of time is muted. Students
experience flow during mastery-oriented tasks. This state is accompanied by a
lessening of self-conscious thoughts and feelings. While there are many different
psychological states that a student can experience throughout the learning process,
such as wonder, confusion, worry and helplessness, flow is the most effective state
of learning. Not only do students learn a great deal while experiencing flow because
their learning is internally motivated, but they will continue without constant
teacher prodding. These students will continue the learning process beyond the
minimum requirements, or even outside the confines of the school context. Flow is
said to occur within ‘Goldilocks’ conditions: tasks that are too difficult for the
student will engender frustration and helplessness, while tasks that are too easy will
cause the student to feel bored, and both these states of mind lead to
disengagement from the activity. When possible, differentiation for individual
student ability allows students to practice skills and concepts that are just within
their current ability.

Why is motivation important? (Chuter, 2019)

First and foremost, motivation is an orientation towards learning. Therefore, it
impacts how likely a student is either to give up or push forward, and how
thoughtful their reflection on their learning will be. The deeper the motivation for
pursuing an activity, the more likely that the student will not accept easy answers
to complex questions. In short, intrinsic motivation fosters strong and flexible
critical thinking skills. On the other hand, amotivation and purely extrinsic
motivation lead to low interest and academic persistence.
Motivation fosters creativity and critical thinking.
Motivation cultivates resilience and self-assurance.
Motivation and agency. Agency may be defined briefly as a sense of purpose
and autonomy in striving after one’s goals. Agency and motivation are inextricably
linked concepts because, as a student becomes more driven to reach a goal, they
consequently develop a stronger sense of purpose in directing their energy towards
that goal.

How do we cultivate motivation?

While the above theories may differ in emphasis, each can support student
motivation through the following practical applications.
Practice growth mindset. Students who feel like they will improve through
hard work will exert more effort than those who believe that their success is based
on intelligence.
Encourage self-efficacy. Students who are paralyzed by low academic self-
confidence will struggle to drive their own motivation. A sense of competence is
enhanced through optimal challenges. These are also referred to as ‘just right’
challenges because they are difficult enough to be just above the student’s current
ability to work independently but easy enough for the student to follow along with
the teacher. As the student practices this new skill or concept, the teacher slowly
removes their structured support, making it more and more difficult. This slow
removal of support, paired with positive reinforcement and opportunities to receive
support along the way, keeps students at this level of optimal challenge as they
improve. Consistent small successes will further enhance motivation.
Normalize the struggle. Students may give up because they falsely
believe that, if they were going to succeed, it would be easy. Teachers can
disentangle this misconception by providing examples of failures that well-known
individuals overcame along their journey towards success. Emphasizing the value of
asking for help may catch students who are falling behind and becoming
disengaged from the material. Finally, modeling the struggle through your own
words and actions can be a powerful example to students.
Minimize competition. A pressure to compete tends to diminish
motivation unless the two students are and perceive themselves to be equally
competent: if a student at the top of the class is pitted against a student who is
struggling, the latter student may feel that there is no reason to try. This is not to
say that class or schoolwide competitions should be avoided. When broader
competitions are more open-ended, students can creatively self-guide their
projects, and will feel a stronger sense of intrinsic motivation.
 Develop optimally challenging, mastery-oriented goals. Differentiating
tasks so they are appropriately challenging allows students to maintain optimal
engagement.
Create quiet space. Despite the popular idea that fidgets or music support
student focus, brains generally need quiet or ambient noise to stay engaged. Higher
level brain functions such as creativity and critical thinking are inextricably linked to
a state of flow, so students who are constantly interrupted will never be able to
reach this level of highly motivated thinking. Therefore, independent and
collaborative work should occur at separate times, or in separate spaces if they
must occur simultaneously.
Avoid tangible rewards. Some learning is simply not particularly
interesting, and no amount of differentiation can make every learning experience
enjoyable for every student all of the time. External rewards such as long-term
career goals and teacher approval are realistic external rewards that teachers can
use. However, when deciding whether to use external motivation, it is important to
keep certain principles in mind. Tangible rewards are often counterproductive, and
the more external the reward, the less inherently valuable the student will find the
activity. Even when students complete an activity for the inherent value they see in
it, and are given an unexpected reward, they later regard their motivation for doing
the activity as more extrinsically motivated than students who were not given a
reward.
Acknowledge but don’t dwell on potential hurdles. Students who
believe that they can succeed are more likely to reach their goals. However, it is
important that students consider what may go wrong in order to avoid being
emotionally devastated when they encounter setbacks. In fact, letting students
know that they will encounter setbacks, and that they are entirely normal, takes
away some of their sting in the moment. In addition, students who consider hurdles
before taking on a challenge are able to make a plan regarding how to continue
moving forward. It is deeply valuable to emphasize to students that obstacles will
always come up, but that what is important is to learn from these obstacles rather
than to dwell on them.

5.Self-confidence
According to David et al. (2020), self-confidence refers to how a person feels
about his or her abilities to accomplish a task or reach a goal. It is the person’s
perception of himself/herself and his or her capabilities to perform successfully the
task given to him/her. There are many studies which proved that academic
achievement is associated with self-confidence.

Methods of Assessing Learning in the Affective Domain

Change in attitude, values and habits is the end result of affective teaching-
learning in the affective domain. Change in attitude is manifested in change of
beliefs, feelings, aspirations and attitudes toward something of someone. These
changes in our beliefs and values in turn have an impact on our level of motivation
and concept of self-efficacy. The student himself/herself knows the changes that are
taking place or can be observed by a third party who is a witness of the change like
the teacher or parent or classmates. Thus, a popular method of assessing learning
in the affective domain is observation. Through observation, the student’s change
in attitude can be seen.
McMillan (2007) as cited by Corpuz & Cuartel (2021) gave three feasible
methods of assessing learning in the affective domain. These are: teacher
observation, student self-report and peer ratings. These methods of assessing
learning in the affective domain make use of tools such as Likert scale, semantic
differential, checklist, and sentence completion.
Teacher Observation. Teacher observation can be unstructured or
structured. It is unstructured when observation is open-ended. Teacher’s
observation is not limited to items in a checklist or rating scale. Teacher observation
is structured when he/she is guided in what to observe by a checklist or rating
scale. To make teacher observation work in relation to the assignment of affective
learning, the following should be observed:
a. Determine behaviors to be observed in advance;
b. Record student’s important data such as time, date and place;
c. If unstructured, record brief descriptions of relevant behavior;
d. Keep interpretations separate from description;
e. Record both positive and negative behaviors;
f. Have as much observation of each student as necessary;
g. Avoid personal bias. Be objective.
h. Immediately record the observations;
i. Apply a simple and efficient procedure.
A student may also do observation of a classmate or peer. For his/her peer
observation to be reliable like the teacher, the overall purpose of the observation
must be made clear.
Student Self-Report.A student self-report requires the student to provide
an account of his/her attitude or feelings toward a concept or idea or people. A self-
report is also referred to as “written reflection”. A teacher may require a student to
write his thoughts on topics like “Why I Like or Dislike Physics” or “Why I like or
Dislike Coming to School”.

Affective Assessment Tools

Varied assessment tools can be utilized by teachers to assess the
affective domain. According to Jazmin-Hena (2015), the following are some of
them:
1. Anecdotal Records
 An anecdotal record is an observational method used frequently in
classroom or learning settings in which the observer summarizes a
single developmental incident after the event has occurred. Written
from memory, the anecdotal record documents a student’s growth and
trends. Such records are written in journalistic form. They identify the
who, what, where, when and how of a particular incident, focusing on
the subject’s specific conduct in the situation. In early childhood
education, teachers use anecdotal records in common practice for
assessment of skill development in young children. The recorded
observations are intended to identify the child’s current skill level,
interests and skills to develop next.
Anecdotal records should always be objective recordings of the
student’s actions and behaviors. The records should be written in a
nonjudgmental manner. With a collection of anecdotal records about a
student, the child’s developmental progress can be documented and
teaching can be tailored to meet the student’s individual needs. Below
is an example of an anecdotal record. Notice that it provides
information about the learner, the date of observation, the name of the
teacher observing and a factual description of the event.
Student: John dela Cruz
Date: September 7, 2020
Observer: Miss Pilapil

John has been quiet and passive for one month, rarely
interacting with classmates in class or on the playground. Today, John
suddenly “opened up” and wanted continual interaction with
classmates. He could not settle down, kept circulating around the room
until he became bothersome to me and his classmates. I tried to settle
him down, but was unsuccessful.

2. Checklist
A checklist is a written list of performance criteria. As a pupil’s
performance is observed or a product is judged, the scorer determines
whether the performance or product meets each performance criterion
or not. If it does, a checkmark is placed next to the criterion, indicating
that it was observed; if it does not, the checkmark is omitted.
Checklists are diagnostic, reusable, and capable of charting pupils’
progress. They provide a detailed record of pupils’ performances, one
that can and should be shown to pupils to help them see where
improvement is needed.

A sample Checklist for an Oral Presentation

 1. Physical expression
______a. Stands straight and faces audience
______b. Changes facial expression with changes in tone of the
presentation.
______c. Maintain eye contact with the audience.

2. Vocal expression
______a. speaks in a steady, clear voice
______b. varies tone to emphasize points
______c. speaks loud enough to be heard by audience
______d. paces words in an even flow
______e. enunciates each word

3. Verbal expression
______a. chooses precise words to convey meaning
______b. avoids unnecessary repetitions
______c. states sentence with complete thoughts or ideas
______d. organizes information logically
______e. summarizes main points at conclusion

Checklist for Typing YES NO

1. Sitting properly with body erect; sitting up straight _____ ____
2. Hands a little bit raised, with fingers resting on the
right keys _____ ____
3. Well prepared and coordinated movements of
Hands and fingers; there is grace of movements _____ ____
4. Paper is inserted properly; adjustments are made easy ______ ____
5. Speed is more than 60 words per minute ______ ____
6. Accuracy is more than 90 percent ______ ____
7. Copy is generally clean and neat _____ ____
3.Journals
Journals can be used for student reflection. Students write about topics that
are important to the course. As students become more independent in their
thinking, feedback from the teacher becomes less important. The journal becomes a
tool for self-monitoring. The journal allows students to voice out ideas, concerns and
opinions. They stimulate a written conversation between student and teacher or
student and student.

4.Reflection paper
 A reflection paper can be written on an assigned piece of reading, a lecture or
an experience, such as an internship or volunteer experience. A reflection paper
probably will be further clarified by the teacher or professor who assigns it to you.
However, for the most part, a reflection paper cites your reactions, feelings and
analysis of an experience in a more personal way than in a formal research or
analytical essay. When writing a reflection paper on literature or another
experience, the point is to include your thoughts and reactions to the reading or
experience. You can present your feelings on what you read and explain them. You
also can use a reflection paper to analyze what you have read. Like any other paper
or essay, it should be cohesive and refer directly to the specific passage or quote in
the material that inspired this feeling. You can include personal experience in a
reflection paper, but do not depend on it; base your reactions and reflections on the
material that is your subject.

Don’t summarize. Do not use a reflection paper simply to summarize what

you have read or done. Also, a reflection paper should not be a free flow of ideas
and thoughts. The idea of a reflection paper is to write an essay describing your
reactions and analysis to a reading or other experience; however, it is more formal
than a journal entry, so leave out informal language and form.

Organize your thoughts. A reflection paper should be as organized as any

other type of formal essay. Include an introduction, perhaps one that describes your
expectations before the reading or the experience. You also may want to
summarize the conclusions you made during the process.

The body of your paper should explain conclusions you have come to and
why, basing your conclusions in concrete details from your reading and experience.
End the paper with a conclusion that sums up what you got from the reading. You
might want to refer to your conclusions in relation to your expectations or come to
some other conclusion or analysis about the text or experience in light of your
feelings and reactions.

5.Rating Scales

Although they are similar to checklists, rating scales allow the observer to
judge performance along a continuum rather than a dichotomy. Both checklists and
rating scales are based upon a set of performance criteria, and it is common for the
same set of performance criteria to be used in both rating scale and checklist.
However, a checklist gives the observer two categories for judging, while a rating
scale gives more than two categories.

Three Types of Rating Scales

a. Numerical Rating Scale

Direction: Indicate how often the pupil performs each of these behaviors while
giving an oral presentation. For each behavior, encircle 1 if the pupil always
performs the behavior, 2 if the pupil usually perform the behavior, 3 if the pupil
seldom performs the behavior, and 4 if the pupil never performs the behavior.
Physical Expression
 a. Stands straight and faces the audience.

1 2 3 4

b. Changes facial expression with changes in tone of the presentation.

1 2 3 4

b.Graphic Rating Scale

Direction: Place an X on the line which shows how often the pupil did each of the
behaviors listed while giving an oral presentation.

a. Stands straight and faces the audience.

Always usually seldom never

b. Changes facial expression with changes in tone of the presentation.

Always usually seldom never

c. Descriptive Rating Scale

Direction: Place an x on the line at the place which best describes the pupil’s
performance on each behavior.

a. Stands straight and faces the audience

Always Stands straight weaves, fidgets, eyes roam constant, distracting movements,
and looks at audience from the audience to ceiling no eye contact with audience

b. Changes facial expression with changes in tone of the presentation.

matches facial expressions facial expressions usually no match between tone and
To content and emphasis appropriate; occasional lack facial expressions
of expression

6.Likert Scale
 In Likert scale, the students are asked to rate their agreement or
disagreement on a statement.

Chemistry Attitude Inventory

Directions: Below are statements that describe student’s feelings toward Chemistry.
Please answer them by checking the appropriate column which you think accurately
describes your reaction as each statement applies to you in Chemistry. Please
answer all items.

5 SA Strongly Agree

4 A Agree

3 U Undecided

2 D Disagree

1 SD Strongly Disagree

Statements SA A U D SD
1.I find Chemistry
interesting
2.I believe that
Chemistry is one of the
most useful subjects.
3.Chemistry topics
challenges me to study
more.
4.Knowledge of
Chemistry is useful to our
lives.
5.I do not see any value
in Chemistry.
6.I find Chemistry dry
and boring.
7.I like studying
Chemistry more than any
other academic subjects.
8.Chemistry lessons
confuse me.
9.I feel that I have a
good foundation in
Chemistry.
10.I spend less time for
my Chemistry lessons
than for any other
lessons.
11.I easily give up
solving Chemistry
problems.
12.I feel that I am being
forced to study
Chemistry.
13.I feel nervous every
time I am in my
Chemistry class.
14.Chemisrty involves
too much memorizing.
15.I enjoy solving
Chemistry problems.
16.Chemistry is one of
my favorite subjects.
17.I find Chemistry a
difficult subject.
18.I believe that I can
effectively practice my
profession without taking
Chemistry in college.
19.I find it important that
every college student
should take Chemistry.
20.I am interested in
reading books,
magazines, and other
materials related to
Chemistry.

3. Semantic Differential
Semantic differential is a type of a rating scale designed to measure the
connotative meaning of objects, events, and concepts. The connotations are
used to derive the attitude towards the given object, event or concept.
Osgood’s semantic differential was an application of his more general attempt to
measure the semantics or meaning of words, particularly adjectives, and their
referent concepts. The respondent is asked to choose where his or her position
lies, on a scale between two bipolar adjectives (for ex. Adequate-inadequate,
good-evil, or valuable-worthless). Semantic differentials can be used to measure
opinions, attitudes and values on a psychometrically-controlled scale.
Example of Semantic Differential
Direction: Below are teacher attributes/behaviors which are readily observable in
class. Rate the teacher objectively by using the scale provided. Please do not
leave any item unanswered.
Criteria for Rating
5 - Outstanding
4 - Very Good
3 - Good
2 - Fair
1 - Poor
Personality
1. Pleasing 5 4 3 2 1 Domineering or aggressive

Poise
2. Thoroughly
at ease 5 4 3 2 1 Extremely ill at ease
Voice
3. Well-modulated 5 4 3 2 1 Inaudible/ hardly heard
Diction
4. Very good 5 4 3 2 1 Noticeably Poor
Communication Skill
5. Clear 5 4 3 2 1 Unclear
Knowledge of Subject matter
6. Comprehensive 5 4 3 2 1 Inadequate/limited
Intellectual Expansiveness
7. Interrelates subject
Matter to other fields 5 4 3 2 1 no interrelation
Use of teaching Aids
8. Uses multiple aids 5 4 3 2 1 Uses only textbook as aid
Organization of Lesson
9. Highly organized 5 4 3 2 1 disorganized
Delivery of Lectures
10.Stimulating 5 4 3 2 1 dull, boring
Clarity of Explanation
11.Highly understandable 5 4 3 2 1 not understandable
Effectiveness of Teaching Techniques
12.Highly effective 5 4 3 2 1 highly ineffective
Classroom Management
13.Effective manager 5 4 3 2 1 ineffective manager

Application

1. Answer the Chemistry Attitude Inventory included in this lesson.

2. Observe a celebrity, a political leader, a newscaster or any one speaking

and assess his/her Oral Presentation Skills particularly the behaviors
he/she manifests. Use the Sample Checklist for an Oral Presentation
included in this module.

Assessment

1.Give and discuss the different levels of the affective domain. For each level,
construct a learning target/ desired learning outcome. Refer to the table
(Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in the Affective Domain). 50 pts.

3. Why is it necessary to assess the affective domain? Explain. 20 pts.

3. Give the different affective variables and discuss how each of these affect
your academic performance. 30 pts.
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Corpuz, B.B. & Cuartel, I. E. (2021). Assessement in learning 2; Authentic

assessment. Quezon

City: Lorimar Publishing Inc.

David, A. P. et al. (2019). Assessment in learning 2. Manila: Rex Book Store.

Hall, R (n.d). Affective Assessment: The Missing Piece of the Educational Reform

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https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1P3-2257394971/affective-

assessment-the-missing-piece-of-the-educational

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http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/102088/chapters/The-Value-of-
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