All Age Schools Forum – Research Questionnaire Submission

Participating School or Schools:

Bro Hyddgen School

Local authority and/or Consortia?

Powys

Participating Staff researchers:

Caryl Morgans
Rhian Griffiths
Catrin Jones

Theme:

Other

If “other” please state:

Developing assessment system within Mathematics and Numeracy AoLE

Rationale for the choice of theme:

When evaluating the results of the student feedback questionnaire on “Response to Feedback”, it became apparent that the assessment process was ineffective within our Learning and Experience Area. Additionally, it was not a valuable use of our time as learners were not confident in deepening their understanding as a result. Furthermore, we felt that learners were looking back rather than forward to making progress.

What was the research question?

Exploring effective strategies for assessing students’ work leading to independent progress by learners.

What research design was used?

Practitioner Research. (Research by school practitioners).

If “other” please state.

Practitioners Research

Research methods used.

Questionnaires., Interviews., Experiments.

If “other” please state.

Gathering student opinions through questionnaires and interviews. Experimenting with different classes.

How was the funding used to resource the design?

Staff cover.

If “other” please state.

Staff supply.

What were the research objectives?

We aimed to gather student opinions on the school’s assessment method by creating a student feedback questionnaire and interviewing students.

What were the research outcomes?

Over half of the students occasionally or never read the written feedback with less than a quarter of them agreeing that written feedback was valuable. However, most students still respond to feedback occasionally or sometimes, but students were not sure if they were making progress as a result of the feedback.

How has the research process impacted the school?

We, as teachers, are managing our time to assess much more effectively. The students enjoyed the process and were actively involved in it, leading to learning. As a result, students see progress in their work and look forward with confidence as the work has been appropriately leveled with each student receiving an appropriate challenge level.

What, if any, are the potential areas for follow-up research?

We are considering allowing students to choose their own symbols with a discussion with the teacher discussing their attainment. For example, if a learner were to put a triangle symbol for themselves and the teacher agreed, they would then continue on that symbol. On the other hand, if the teacher disagrees with the symbol, there would be a discussion to consider further skilling by watching a youtube video on the favorite square topic. By doing this, it allows students to reflect maturely on their understanding and attainment. A discussion will need to be held before the assessment lesson considering time constraints.

How have any changes resulting from the research been implemented?

We are implementing the new assessment method with classes from years 7 – 11 by now.

Can the school make recommendations to other schools based upon the research?

We have already shared the practice in conferences across the country.

Ethical research practice

The school confirms that the enquiry detailed above was carried out in accordance with the 2018 British Educational Research Association’s Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research. These guidelines include participant consent, transparency, the right to withdraw, incentives, avoidance of harm, privacy and data storage, and disclosure.

Report Author:

Caryl Morgans

Report Date:

29-02-2024