Investigation of the Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Conception of Assessment and Its Connection with Their Approaches to Assessment
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Published
Dec 30, 2025
Abstract
This study aimed to examine Turkish pre-service science teachers’ conceptions of assessment, and how pre-service science teachers with different approaches to assessment conceptualize assessment. A total of 15 pre-service science teachers participated in the study. To achieve this aim, an adapted version of the Approaches to Classroom Assessment Inventory was first administered to identify participants’ assessment approaches across four dimensions: purpose, process, fairness, and assessment theory. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather in-depth data. The interview data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, with parent and child codes identified both inductively and deductively. The results indicated that, according to most participants, assessment should focus on the “student” in order to diagnose learning difficulties and misconceptions, monitor progress, and provide feedback. Furthermore, participants emphasized the importance of contemporary assessment methods, such as portfolio assessment, peer assessment, self-assessment, and the use of Vee diagrams. The study concluded that pre-service science teachers’ approaches to assessment reflect contemporary views, though their conceptions of assessment were not fully aligned with any single assessment approach.
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Keywords
Conception of Assessment, Approaches to Assessment, Assessment Literacy, Pre-Service Science Teachers
Supporting Agencies
No funding sources declared.
References
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Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5, 7–74.
Bright, G.W. & Joyner, J. M. (1998). Classroom assessment in mathematics. New York University of America, Inc.
Brookhart, S. M. (1999). The art and science of classroom assessment: The missing part of pedagogy. Washington, D.C.: ERIC learning house on Higher Education and Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Brookhart, S. M. (2011). Educational assessment knowledge and skills for teachers. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 30, 3–12.
Brown, G. T. L. (2004). Teachers’ conceptions of assessment: Implications for policy and professional development. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 11, 301-318.
Brown, G. T. L., & Harris, L. (2009). Unintended consequences of using tests to improve learning: How improvement-oriented resources heighten conceptions of assessment as school accountability. Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation, 6(12), 68-91.
Brown, G. T. L., Hui, S. K., Flora, W. M., & Kennedy, K. J. (2011). Teachers’ conceptions of assessment in Chinese contexts: A tripartite model of accountability, improvement, and irrelevance. International Journal of Educational Research, 50, 307-320.
Brown, G. T., & Remesal, A. (2012). Prospective teachers’ conceptions of assessment: A cross-cultural comparison. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 15, 75–89.
Coombs, A., DeLuca, C., LaPointe-McEwan, D., & Chalas, A. (2018). Changing approaches to classroom assessment: An empirical study across teacher career stages. Teaching and Teacher Education. 71(2018). 134-144.
Council of Higher Education [CoHE]. (1998). Undergraduate programs for teacher education in faculties of education. Ankara, Türkiye.
Council of Higher Education [CoHE]. (2006). Undergraduate program in science teacher education. Ankara, Türkiye.
Council of Higher Education [CoHE]. (2018). Undergraduate program in science teacher education. Ankara, Türkiye.
DeLuca, C., Coombs, A., MacGregor, S., & Rasooli, A. (2019). Toward a differential and situated view of assessment literacy: Studying teachers’ responses to classroom assessment scenarios. Frontiers in Education, 4(94), DOI:
https://orcid.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00094
DeLuca, C., & Klinger, D. A. (2010). Assessment literacy development: Identifying gaps in teacher candidates’ learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 17, 419-438.
DeLuca, C., LaPointe-McEwan, D., & Luhanga, U. (2016a). Teacher assessment literacy: A review of international standards and measures. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 28, 251-272.
DeLuca, C., LaPointe-McEwan, D., & Luhanga, U. (2016b). Approaches to classroom assessment inventory: A new instrument to support teacher assessment literacy. Educational Assessment, 21(4), 248-266.
DeLuca, C., Valiquette, A., Coombs, A., LaPointe-McEwan, D. & Luhanga, U. (2018). Teachers’ approaches to classroom assessment: A large- scale survey, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 25(4), 355-375, DOI: https://orcid.org/10.1080/0969594X.2016.1244514
Dixon, H. (1999) The effect of policy on practice: An analysis of teachers’ perceptions of school-based assessment practice (Albany, NZ, Massey University).
Earl, L.M. (2003). Assessment as learning: Using classroom assessment to maximize student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Firestone, W. A., Mayrowetz, D., & Fairman, J. (1998). Performance-based assessment and instructional change: The effects of testing in Maine and Maryland. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 20(2), 95–113.
Gotch, C. M., & French, B. F. (2014). A systematic review of assessment literacy measures. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 33(2), 14–18.
Hargreaves, E. (2005). Assessment for learning? Thinking outside the (black) box. Cambridge Journal of Education, 35(2), 213–224.
Harrison, C. (2005). Teachers developing assessment for learning: Mapping teacher change. Teacher Development, 9(2), 255–264.
Izci, K. & Caliskan, G. (2017). Development of prospective teachers’ conceptions of assessment and choices of assessment tasks. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 3(2), 464-474. DOI: 10.21890/ijres.327906.
Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. (2015). Classroom assessment standards: Practices for PK-12 teachers. Retrieved from http://www.jcsee.org/the-classroom-assessment-standards-new-standards
Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 4: Trustworthiness and publishing. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 120–124.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage Publications.
Marton, F. (1981) Phenomenography describing conceptions of the world around us, Instructional Science, 10, 177-200.
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
McMillan, J. H. (2000) Fundamental assessment principles for teachers and school administrators, Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 7(8). DOI: https://doi.org/10.7275 /5kc4-jy05
Ministry of National Education of Türkiye. (2017). General competencies for teaching profession. Ankara, Türkiye: Board of Education.
Opre, D. (2010). Expertiza didactica universitara. Ed. ASCR, Cluj-Napoca, ISBN 978-606-8244-07-05.
Opre, D. (2015). Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 209. 229-233. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.222
Phye, G. D. (1996). Handbook of Classroom Assessment: Learning, Achievement, and Adjustment. San Diego: Academic Press.
Popham, W. J. (2013). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Pratt, D. D. (1992) Conceptions of teaching, Adult Education Quarterly, 42(4), 203-220.
Saldana, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed). Los Angeles: SAGE.
Savasci-Acikalin, F. (2009). Teacher beliefs and practice in science education. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 10(1 Article 12), 1-14.
Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for Information, 22(2), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-2004-22201
Siegel, M. A., & Wissehr, C. (2011). Preparing for the plunge: Preservice teachers’ assessment literacy. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 22(4), 371–391.
Skott, J. (2015). The Promises, Problems, and Prospects of Research on Teachers’ Beliefs. In H. Fives & M. G. Gill (Ed.), International Handbook of Research on Teachers’ Beliefs (pp. 13-31). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group: New York and London.
Stahl, N. A. & King, J. R. (2020). Expanding approaches for research: Understanding and using trustworthiness in qualitative research. Journal of Developmental Education, 44(1), 26–28.
Thompson, A. G. (1992) Teachers’ beliefs and conceptions: A synthesis of the research, in: D. A. Grouws (Ed.) Handbook of research on mathematics leaching and learning (New York, Macmillan), 127-146.
Tierney, R. D. (2006). Changing practices: influences on classroom assessment. Assess. Educ. 13, 239–264. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09695940601035387
Timperley, H. (2009). Using assessment data for improving teaching practice [Paper presentation]. 2009- Assessment and Student Learning: Collecting, Interpreting and Using Data to Inform Teaching.
Vandeyar, S & Killen, R., (2007). Educators’ conceptions of classroom assessment in post-apartheid South Africa, South African Journal of Education, 27(1), 101-115.
Vlachou, M. A. (2018). Classroom assessment practices in middle school science lessons: A study among Greek science teachers, Cogent Education, 5(1455633), 1-19, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1455633
Volante, L., & Fazio, X. (2007). Exploring teacher candidates’ assessment literacy: Implications for teacher education reform and professional development. Canadian Journal of Education, 30, 749–770.
Wang, J.-R., Kao, H.-L., & Lin, S.-W. (2010). Preservice teachers’ initial conceptions about assessment of science learning: The coherence with their views of learning Science. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 522-529.
Wen, M. L., Tsai, C., & Chang, C. (2006). Attitudes towards peer assessment: A comparison of the perspective of pre-service and in-service teachers. Innovation in Education and Teaching International, 43(1), 83-92.
Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1-26.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5, 7–74.
Bright, G.W. & Joyner, J. M. (1998). Classroom assessment in mathematics. New York University of America, Inc.
Brookhart, S. M. (1999). The art and science of classroom assessment: The missing part of pedagogy. Washington, D.C.: ERIC learning house on Higher Education and Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Brookhart, S. M. (2011). Educational assessment knowledge and skills for teachers. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 30, 3–12.
Brown, G. T. L. (2004). Teachers’ conceptions of assessment: Implications for policy and professional development. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 11, 301-318.
Brown, G. T. L., & Harris, L. (2009). Unintended consequences of using tests to improve learning: How improvement-oriented resources heighten conceptions of assessment as school accountability. Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation, 6(12), 68-91.
Brown, G. T. L., Hui, S. K., Flora, W. M., & Kennedy, K. J. (2011). Teachers’ conceptions of assessment in Chinese contexts: A tripartite model of accountability, improvement, and irrelevance. International Journal of Educational Research, 50, 307-320.
Brown, G. T., & Remesal, A. (2012). Prospective teachers’ conceptions of assessment: A cross-cultural comparison. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 15, 75–89.
Coombs, A., DeLuca, C., LaPointe-McEwan, D., & Chalas, A. (2018). Changing approaches to classroom assessment: An empirical study across teacher career stages. Teaching and Teacher Education. 71(2018). 134-144.
Council of Higher Education [CoHE]. (1998). Undergraduate programs for teacher education in faculties of education. Ankara, Türkiye.
Council of Higher Education [CoHE]. (2006). Undergraduate program in science teacher education. Ankara, Türkiye.
Council of Higher Education [CoHE]. (2018). Undergraduate program in science teacher education. Ankara, Türkiye.
DeLuca, C., Coombs, A., MacGregor, S., & Rasooli, A. (2019). Toward a differential and situated view of assessment literacy: Studying teachers’ responses to classroom assessment scenarios. Frontiers in Education, 4(94), DOI:
https://orcid.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00094
DeLuca, C., & Klinger, D. A. (2010). Assessment literacy development: Identifying gaps in teacher candidates’ learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 17, 419-438.
DeLuca, C., LaPointe-McEwan, D., & Luhanga, U. (2016a). Teacher assessment literacy: A review of international standards and measures. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 28, 251-272.
DeLuca, C., LaPointe-McEwan, D., & Luhanga, U. (2016b). Approaches to classroom assessment inventory: A new instrument to support teacher assessment literacy. Educational Assessment, 21(4), 248-266.
DeLuca, C., Valiquette, A., Coombs, A., LaPointe-McEwan, D. & Luhanga, U. (2018). Teachers’ approaches to classroom assessment: A large- scale survey, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 25(4), 355-375, DOI: https://orcid.org/10.1080/0969594X.2016.1244514
Dixon, H. (1999) The effect of policy on practice: An analysis of teachers’ perceptions of school-based assessment practice (Albany, NZ, Massey University).
Earl, L.M. (2003). Assessment as learning: Using classroom assessment to maximize student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Firestone, W. A., Mayrowetz, D., & Fairman, J. (1998). Performance-based assessment and instructional change: The effects of testing in Maine and Maryland. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 20(2), 95–113.
Gotch, C. M., & French, B. F. (2014). A systematic review of assessment literacy measures. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 33(2), 14–18.
Hargreaves, E. (2005). Assessment for learning? Thinking outside the (black) box. Cambridge Journal of Education, 35(2), 213–224.
Harrison, C. (2005). Teachers developing assessment for learning: Mapping teacher change. Teacher Development, 9(2), 255–264.
Izci, K. & Caliskan, G. (2017). Development of prospective teachers’ conceptions of assessment and choices of assessment tasks. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 3(2), 464-474. DOI: 10.21890/ijres.327906.
Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. (2015). Classroom assessment standards: Practices for PK-12 teachers. Retrieved from http://www.jcsee.org/the-classroom-assessment-standards-new-standards
Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 4: Trustworthiness and publishing. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 120–124.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage Publications.
Marton, F. (1981) Phenomenography describing conceptions of the world around us, Instructional Science, 10, 177-200.
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
McMillan, J. H. (2000) Fundamental assessment principles for teachers and school administrators, Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 7(8). DOI: https://doi.org/10.7275 /5kc4-jy05
Ministry of National Education of Türkiye. (2017). General competencies for teaching profession. Ankara, Türkiye: Board of Education.
Opre, D. (2010). Expertiza didactica universitara. Ed. ASCR, Cluj-Napoca, ISBN 978-606-8244-07-05.
Opre, D. (2015). Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 209. 229-233. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.222
Phye, G. D. (1996). Handbook of Classroom Assessment: Learning, Achievement, and Adjustment. San Diego: Academic Press.
Popham, W. J. (2013). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Pratt, D. D. (1992) Conceptions of teaching, Adult Education Quarterly, 42(4), 203-220.
Saldana, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed). Los Angeles: SAGE.
Savasci-Acikalin, F. (2009). Teacher beliefs and practice in science education. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 10(1 Article 12), 1-14.
Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for Information, 22(2), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-2004-22201
Siegel, M. A., & Wissehr, C. (2011). Preparing for the plunge: Preservice teachers’ assessment literacy. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 22(4), 371–391.
Skott, J. (2015). The Promises, Problems, and Prospects of Research on Teachers’ Beliefs. In H. Fives & M. G. Gill (Ed.), International Handbook of Research on Teachers’ Beliefs (pp. 13-31). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group: New York and London.
Stahl, N. A. & King, J. R. (2020). Expanding approaches for research: Understanding and using trustworthiness in qualitative research. Journal of Developmental Education, 44(1), 26–28.
Thompson, A. G. (1992) Teachers’ beliefs and conceptions: A synthesis of the research, in: D. A. Grouws (Ed.) Handbook of research on mathematics leaching and learning (New York, Macmillan), 127-146.
Tierney, R. D. (2006). Changing practices: influences on classroom assessment. Assess. Educ. 13, 239–264. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09695940601035387
Timperley, H. (2009). Using assessment data for improving teaching practice [Paper presentation]. 2009- Assessment and Student Learning: Collecting, Interpreting and Using Data to Inform Teaching.
Vandeyar, S & Killen, R., (2007). Educators’ conceptions of classroom assessment in post-apartheid South Africa, South African Journal of Education, 27(1), 101-115.
Vlachou, M. A. (2018). Classroom assessment practices in middle school science lessons: A study among Greek science teachers, Cogent Education, 5(1455633), 1-19, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1455633
Volante, L., & Fazio, X. (2007). Exploring teacher candidates’ assessment literacy: Implications for teacher education reform and professional development. Canadian Journal of Education, 30, 749–770.
Wang, J.-R., Kao, H.-L., & Lin, S.-W. (2010). Preservice teachers’ initial conceptions about assessment of science learning: The coherence with their views of learning Science. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 522-529.
Wen, M. L., Tsai, C., & Chang, C. (2006). Attitudes towards peer assessment: A comparison of the perspective of pre-service and in-service teachers. Innovation in Education and Teaching International, 43(1), 83-92.
How to Cite
Çayır Sarı, A., & Sungur, S. (2025). Investigation of the Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Conception of Assessment and Its Connection with Their Approaches to Assessment. Science Insights Education Frontiers, 31(2), 5029–5056. https://doi.org/10.15354/sief.25.or854
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