Formative assessment processes in elementary education. A Systematic review

Abstract

Formative assessment is an area of great interest for educational research. Therefore, it is essential to analyze systematically the key elements of the research developed in recent years. Current reviews are focused on the factors that condition the use of formative assessment processes but do not address aspects such as the benefits perceived by teachers because of their use or the formative assessment strategies used. Thus, this review aims to answer the following questions: (i) What are the benefits perceived by elementary school teachers regarding the use of formative assessment in classroom practice; (ii) What are the factors that influence teachers' intentions to use formative assessment processes in the classroom; (iii) What are the most frequently used formative assessment strategies in the classroom by the teachers and how are they used? A systematic review of the last five years was carried out in WOS, SCOPUS, ERIC and Psychinfo following the PRISMA statement. After applying the inclusion criteria, 36 studies were analyzed. The results show that teachers perceive benefits of assessment processes associated with 10 variables related to process improvement, learning regulation or teaching improvement. Moreover, the factors that influence their intention to apply them are personal, interaction with others and contextual. Finally, the most used strategies are providing feedback, involving students in the evaluation, sharing evaluation objectives and criteria, and asking questions. Therefore, this study contributes to systematize the research carried out in relation to formative assessment processes, opening a door to the generation of new lines of research and the application of concrete actions in educational practice.

Key words: formative assessment; elementary education; teachers; benefits; strategies