Meaningful learning and summative assessment in geography education: an analysis in secondary education in the Netherlands

Abstract

Enhancing meaningful learning is an important aim in geography education. Also, assessment should reflect this aim. Both formative and summative assessments contribute to meaningful learning when more complex knowledge and cognitive processes are assessed. The internal school-based geography examinations of the final exam in pre-vocational secondary education in the Netherlands are an important test case to reveal the extent to which geography teachers construct examinations containing complex knowledge and cognitive processes. In this study, internal school-based examinations were analyzed based on a taxonomy table derived from a revision of Bloom's taxonomy and discussed with teachers and experts. The results of the content analysis showed that more than half of the test items in the internal schoolbased examinations are based on remembering knowledge, especially factual and conceptual geographical knowledge.

Geography Curricula Objectives and Students’ Performance: Enhancing the Student’s Higher-Order Thinking Skills?

“…Relying on our results and also on previous research, which states that to enhance meaningful learning, teaching and learning should focus on HOTS and metacognitive knowledge (Airasian and Miranda 2002;Bijsterbosch, van der Schee, and Kuiper 2017;Krathwohl 2002), we suggest three development aspects for consideration. First, we need a careful rethinking of the desired thinking skills and knowledge dimensions of LOs in geography, and a revaluation of the distribution of the HOTS-type LOs between the different geography courses.…”

“…It has been suggested that teaching and learning should focus on HOTS and metacognitive knowledge, because education can thus enhance meaningful learning (Airasian and Miranda 2002;Bijsterbosch, van der Schee, and Kuiper 2017;Krathwohl 2002). The research of Kumpas-Lenk, Eisenschmidt, and Veispak (2018) proposed that students were more motivated, engaged, and satisfied in their studies when learning outcomes were designed to demand higherorder thinking.…”

Understanding of Developing and Setting Tasks in Geography Lessons by German and Dutch Student Teachers

“…Tasks, which include questions, activities, or assignments, are a key tool for geography teachers as they enable students to engage with the subject. They can be used for summative and formative assessment, and promote the development of critical thinking, both subjectspecific and more broadly [3][4][5][6][7]. Recent research has shown that geography teachers in Germany and the Netherlands use tasks for more than 40 percent of lesson time in upper secondary education [1].…”

Comparative Analysis Of Examination Materials In Geography In Russian And Foreign Schools

“…A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas, Jones, Wheeler & Centurino, 2015). The development of the system of educational achievements of students evaluation, including examination materials occurs (Barabanov, Ambartsumova & Dyukova, 2015;Kovaleva, Krasnyanskaya, 2016;Kautz, 2014;Bijsterbosch, van der Schee, Kuiper, 2017;Race, 2014).…”

“…The objective assessment of the level of achievement of educational results in many school subjects, including geography are discussed (Ambartsumova, 2014;Ambartsumova, Barabanov & Dyukova, 2018;Bijsterbosch, van der Schee, Kuiper, 2017;Race, 2014;Rangvid, 2015;Bourke & Lane, 2017).…”