The way students’ internalize assessment criteria on inquiry reports

Abstract

This paper, based on two case studies, presents an interpretative research on the processes used by high school students to internalize the assessment criteria of Physics and Chemistry inquiry reports. Findings support that understanding the assessment criteria is complex, mainly because of its terminology. However the discussion of exemplars can have a crucial role in this process. In order to operationalize the assessment criteria, students used strategies stemming from the social context (teacher, peers and other didactic sources) as well as from their individual experience (errors made, engagement in critical thinking and the creation of a favorable environment). However it also showed that some differences in operationalizing the assessment criteria were related to different students’ profile. The results point to a multi-strategy pedagogical approach to enhance students’ internalization of assessment criteria. Nevertheless reducing the tension between teachers’ expectations and students’ own standards of quality showed to be a complex process.