Evaluation of the alternative assessment and evaluation techniques used by biology teachers and teachers'-students' views

The purpose of these study is to evaluate the alternative assessment and evaluation techniques used by biology teachers and to determine the views of teachers and students. The working group of this study consists of 57 biology teachers from 20 different high schools in Ankara, 1018 students studying biology during 2011- 2012 Educational year and examples of alternative assessment and evaluation techniques (such as written exams, leaflets of the classroom activities, performance projects, etc.) that were used at these schools during the biology lessons. Moreover, 15 of these biology teachers 15 of them were selected by using availability sampling in order to implement semi- structured interview forms. This study was carried on according to mixed model, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. While the quantitative part of the study was formed teacher and students questionares, the qualitative part covering of semi- structured interview forms and rating scales used for documents including the alternative assessment and evaluation techniques implemented by biology teachers. Quantitative data was analyzed by a computurized statical software and during the analysis Kruskal Wallis H test, Mann Whitney U test and Benferroni Correction Method were used. In the questionare, data analysis frequency (f), percentage (%), arithmetic mean ( ) and standard deviation (Sd) were used. During the analyzing of interview forms, content anlysis method was used; f and % values of the common answers gained from the questions asked to 15 teachers selected from searching group were calculated and also some examples of the participants? answers were used. In the calculation of reliability of the rating scales used during the analyzing of the documents that included alternative assessment and evaluation techniques implemented by biology teachers Cohen?s Kapa Coefficient was calculated and the documents were evaluated according to these scales. At the end of the study it was confirmed that teachers? views about alternative assessment and evaluation techniques didn?t differ according to the years they have worked, but according to the type of school they worked. Teachers and students indicated that during the lessons, mostly traditional assessment and evaluation techniques were used. They also expressed that some alternative assessment and evaluation techniques; such as performance homework, projects and structured grid were used during the lessons, but portfolio and rubric were rarely used. It was determined that projects and performance projects were the assessment and evaluation instruments in which teachers felt themselves proficient during the processes of preparation, implementation and evaluation. Teachers stated that the most important problems they confronted while they were applying alternative assessment and evaluation techniques were lack of time and the alternative assessment techniques were not corresponding with the university enterance exam. When the documents which included the information about the alternative assessment and evaluation techniques used by teachers were studied, it was seen that in the written exams, mostly structured grid was used and in the oral exams projects and performance homework were preferred. However, these techniques found in the documents didn?t have nesessary requirements proposed in the cirriculum. Some of the significant results found that there were no rubrics to measure the performance studies and projects as well as there were no information about how to measure the structured grids, consept maps and diagnostic trees. When the other results were considered; it could be said that the teachers need inservice trainings about preparing, implementing and evaluating the alternative assessment techniques and also a well-prepared teacher?s guide book. In the light of the results of the research, some suggestions were made for researchers and actions to be taken were mentioned.