The Relationship between Alternative Assessment and Physics Learning from the Perspective of Different Functions of Assessment

Abstract

Assessment should reveal what students know and be able to do as well as determine the skills they need to work on. There are different purposes and many forms of assessment. Due to the changes in theories of learning, new trends have emerged in assessment. Consequently, relationship between learning and assessment has established and assessment for learning has been emphasized rather than assessment of learning. Recent research on learning, motivation, and instruction suggests the need to use more alternative forms of assessment, such as performance assessments, authentic assessment, and portfolios. Alternative assessments guide improvement throughout the learning process and require students to construct their answers. This review chapter explores the relationship between physics learning and assessment within the context of alternative assessment. Therefore, recent physics education research was reviewed and their results were discussed to gain better understanding of what have been done in implementation of alternative assessment to enhance physics learning.