Practical Assessment in School Science: are written examination questions a valid assessment of practical skills at age 16, and what effects do they have on pedagogy?

This seminar presents findings from UYSEG's Practical Assessment in School Science (PASS) project, a major three-year research project conducted in partnership with King's College London, and funded by Wellcome, the Gatsby Foundation and the Royal Society (PI: Judith Bennett). Currently in England, GCSE science students' knowledge and understanding of science practical work is assessed only indirectly through written questions in terminal examination papers taken at age 16. We explored the validity of this approach by investigating whether the examination questions can discriminate between students who have experienced different types and amounts of practical work (including hands-on practical work, teacher demonstrations, and video demonstrations). We also investigated the 'backwash' effect of this assessment approach on how practical work is done in classrooms. This mixed-methods research involved 2000 students from schools in Yorkshire and London, teacher interviews, lesson observations, and four types of classroom intervention.