STUDENT ATTITUDES AND BEST PRACTICES ON SCIENCE PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

Performance –based science assessments provide students with valuable experiences and opportunities to improve students learning. Understanding the attitude of both teachers and students is an important aspect to design suitable performance-based assessment to ensure quality science education. Thus, this study was crafted to determine the teachers and students attitude towards performance-based science assessment and best practices of teachers. This descriptive survey explored the attitude of teachers and students about performance – based assessment. While, Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyzed the significant difference between the teachers and students attitude towards science performance – based assessment. Findings, suggest that students viewed the test performance positively in terms of grading the students fairly in getting good marks in science. While science teachers, believe that class presentations provide opportunities for students, to demonstrate their ability and knowledge during science discussion. Mann-Whitney U test indicates a mismatched between the teachers and students attitude on the performance-based science assessments. While, best practices of science teachers on science performance –based assessment are focused on student-centered activities such as simulation, student journals, exhibits, debates, community based project, project based learning, presentation of science investigatory project, and open-ended questions. Thus, it is necessary for the schools to strengthens the teachers professional development especially in the development and innovations of effective science performance-based assessment tool in order to increase learners achievement. It is also necessary to strengthens students understanding about the role and importance of the different science performance task implored by the teacher.