The effect of alternative assessment approaches in biology teaching on the academic achievement and attitudes towards biology of science high school students

This study aims to examine the effect of integrating alternative assessment and evaluation approaches into the teaching process for the Urinary System topic of the Human Physiology unit in the 11th-grade biology course at science high schools, on students' academic achievement and attitudes towards biology. The research was conducted during the second semester of the 2023-2024 academic year at the Cumhuriyet Science High School in the Yenişehir district of Diyarbakır province, targeting 11th-grade students. The study involved 32 students from two classes. These classes were randomly assigned as control and experimental groups. The 16 students in the control group received instruction based on the biology curriculum for high school science programs. The 16 students in the experimental group received instruction incorporating alternative assessment techniques such as concept maps, structured grids, diagnostic branching trees, and Venn diagrams. The application lasted three weeks, with four lesson hours per week. This study employed a quantitative research method, specifically a pre-test–post-test control group experimental design. The data collection instruments were an Academic Achievement Test consisting of 25 multiple-choice questions and a Likert-type Biology Course Attitude Scale consisting of 32 items. The obtained data were analyzed using the JAMOVI 2.6.22 statistical program. Descriptive statistics, independent and dependent t-tests were used in the data analysis. The analysis results showed that integrating alternative measurement and evaluation approaches into the teaching process increased the average academic achievement levels of students in biology classes at science high schools; however, this increase was not statistically significant. Furthermore, it was determined that the application had no significant effect on students' attitudes towards the course.