Abstract:
Formative assessment may be a useful pedagogical practice to enhance the teaching of
HOTS in mathematics. This study explored the impact of a formative assessment
intervention on 1) students’ achievements in HOTS mathematics tests (pre-and-post)
when their teachers were supported to implement the instructional intervention and 2)
Standard 4 (Grade 4) teachers’ formative assessment practices. To explore the effects of
2-day intervention for professional development teacher training, this study employed
mixed methods, sequential embedded approach with single-group, pre-test, intervention
(training), and post-test instruments. Data were gathered from nine primary schools
involving nine teachers and 272 standard 4 students in the southern region of
Botswana. Students’ tests scales were used to measure achievement in mathematical
HOTS items along with classroom observations and interviewed the teachers’ experiences
and reflections. Students’ achievement data were assessed for internal reliability and
validity by applying the Rasch Partial Credit Model followed by descriptive analysis and
Wilcoxon signed-rank testing. The observed and interviewed teacher data were analyzed
by descriptive frequency counts and thematic analysis, respectively. The students’
achievement in mathematically HOTS items was found significantly improved from pretest to post-testing. Post-intervention classroom observation showed that teachers
practised the integration and implementation of some formative assessment strategies.
Finally, the teachers’ experience and reflections were found to be favorably inclined to
support formative assessment higher-order thinking skills as a strategy to enhance
mathematics teaching.
