Formative assessment in HE : feedback practices from UTM postgraduate students’ perspective

Abstract

Formative assessment aids learning by generating feedback information. Feedback has been shown as one of the most potent influences on student learning and achievement. In Higher Education (HE), Assessment Feedback (AFB) enables postgraduate students to restructure understanding, skills and develop more powerful ideas and capabilities to meet HE standard. A focus on AFB practices among the lecturers from postgraduate students? perspective is pertinent in enhancing retention and completion especially on research study. Thus, this prelim study is to investigate mean differences and interactions of AFB practices on three dimensions (Timeliness, Meaningfulness, Specificity) in relation to gender, mode of study (Taught Course, Mixed Mode and Full Research) and Field of Study (Social Science, Science and Technology and Engineering). A sample of 37 postgraduate students who are currently pursuing their research studies in UTM was selected as the respondents. Assessment Feedback Practices Inventory (AFBI) was analyzed using the Rasch Measurement Model for reliability and validity, with a Cronbach Alpha reported of 0.96 for item reliability. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation and Spearman rho correlation coefficient). It was found that AFB practices are at the highest level for Meaningfulness (M = 4.69, SD = .75) followed by Timeliness (M = 4.04, SD = .53), and Specificity (M = 3.88, SD = .55). As for AFB forms practiced among lecturers, it was reported that verbal form (M = 2.80, SD = 1.27) practiced more compared to the written form (M = 2.48, SD = .63). Eighty-one percent prefers the feedback to be in both, verbal and written form. Another 10.8% prefers verbal, whereas a total of 8.1% prefers the feedback to be in written form. However, there are weak relationship between AFB and the independent factors (Gender, Mode of Study, and Field of Study). It is suggested that an assessment feedback standard form should be developed to further assist the students in term of the specificity of assessment feedback.