Using online formative assessment tools in grade 6 social sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: South African journal of childhood education 2024, Vol.14 (1), p.1-13
• Main Authors: de Beer, Marnelda, Lautenbach, Geoffrey V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ability; Access; Adult Education; Classrooms; Communications technology; Continuing education; Correlation; COVID-19; Curricula; Departments; Distance Education; Distance learning; Education; Education, Special; Educational Assessment; Educational Change; Educational Environment; Educational technology; Electronic Learning; Elementary Education; Elementary schools; Epidemics; Evaluation; Formative assessment; Formative evaluation; ict; Information technology; Infrastructure; Instructional Improvement; intermediate phase; Language & Linguistics; Learning; Management; Mathematics, Applied; Methods; online; Online Courses; Online instruction; Outcome Based Education; Pandemics; Policy implementation; Politics of Education; Professional development; Qualifications; Social sciences; Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary; South Africa; Students; Teacher Education; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Improvement; Teacher Qualifications; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching methods; technology; Technology Uses in Education; Willingness
• ISSN: 2223-7674; 2223-7682; 2223-7682
• DOI: 10.4102/sajce.v14i1.1438

Background Formative assessment is an essential element for improving teaching and learning in the classroom. During the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown, educators were confronted with the need to adapt to online assessment. South African educators also experienced challenges that made online formative assessment difficult. Aim This study explores the experiences of intermediate-phase educators using online tools to enact formative assessment in the teaching and learning of social sciences. This research included a narrow spectrum of socioeconomically diverse schools. Setting Data were obtained through interviews with a sample of six diverse intermediate-phase educators teaching social sciences from one district in the Gauteng North province. Methods This research adopted a generic qualitative approach. Themes were derived from the data and five subthemes were identified to report the findings. Results The results of this study identified factors that prevented the implementation of online formative assessment in the intermediate phase. The data also identified online tools that educators used for online assessment in their classrooms and some barriers. These barriers hindered the participants' ability to provide an interactive and stimulating learning experience for their students. Conclusion Despite challenges, which included a lack of training and support, as well a lack of trust in their abilities, the participants demonstrated a willingness to incorporate technology in their teaching and assessment. The study highlights the need for ongoing professional development and improved infrastructure and accessibility to support the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in education. Contribution Based on educators' perceived willingness to make use of ICTs for formative assessments, and their ability to even identify some useful tools themselves, findings contribute to the field of policy implementation related to teaching with technology at this level.