Qualitative Research on Science Lessons Based on the “Assessment Triangle”: Analyzing the Fourth-Grade Unit on the “Change in Volume of Air with Change in Temperature”

Abstract

We planned and implemented a science lesson based on the “assessment triangle,” a model of assessment proposed in National Research Council literature, and the lesson in which it was implemented was presented as a case study. To present the case studies, we used the ethnography of qualitative research as our methodological framework, and participant observation was thus chosen. The lesson we planned and subsequently practiced was the fourth-grade elementary school class on the “Change in Volume of Air with Change in Temperature”. Analysis of the results demonstrated that the elements of the “assessment triangle,” namely “cognition,” “observation,” and “interpretation,” were realized in the class. Specifically, in the “Cognition” section, we determined what the children were aiming for, and in the “Observation” section, we collected data from the contents of their notebooks, their presentations, and their activities during the experiment. The data was interpreted and organized into a seating chart to grasp the state of achievement of the “cognition” goal, and a plan was subsequently made for the next period to further achieve the goal. We were thus able to demonstrate that the “assessment triangle” can be effectively applied to science education in Japan.