Action Research on Performance Assessments in High School Basic Physics

Abstract

We conducted action research on performance assessment in the first-year high school subject “Basic Physics” at Okazaki Kita High School in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. This assessment practice is characterised by the calibration of teachers’ judgements through moderation, the process of establishing assessment consensus, based on concrete examples of students’ works. This article presents an overview of our action research, examines what kind of student performance should be regarded as a demonstration of “shiko-handan-hyogen (thinking, judging and expressing)” and “shutaitekini-gakushuni-torikumu-taido (disposition towards learning)”, and considers what implications this practice provides.