Assessment Tools are used to Measure Affective Learning

Measurement of affective traits is more challenging compared to measuring cognitive and

psychomotor dimensions of learning. Such measures may be direct or indirect. Direct or indirect. The
direct assessment of affective learning outcomes is more attainable at the lowest levels in the affective
learning taxonomy.
Teachers can take attendance to measure pupil’s willingness to receive information.
Likewise, may consider the number of times the pupil raised his or her hand to answer or ask
questions or the number of completed assignments and projects.

Methods for Indirectly Assessing Intended Affective Learning Outcomes

Self-Report Questionnaires or Self Inventory – is a type of assessment where the respondent is asked to
answer a question about himself/herself, his or her behavior, emotions, feelings, or views
 It serves many purposes to include diagnosis of students’ mental and emotional state.
 This is also popular in a pre-test and post-test design when the teacher wants to assess
change (attitude, interest, motivation) before and after instructional period.
 This assessment tool is easy to administer to get immediate results and information
directly from the person who is knowledgeable about himself/herself.
 One limitation of this method is the honesty of the person-his or her tendency not to write
the truth of what he/she feels. Instead, the student may choose a response that can satisfy
the teacher, rather than actually writing the truth.
a. Likert Scale – this measuring tool, invented by Rensis Likert. It is a series of questions or items
that requires the respondents to select on a scale a rating reflecting the level of agreement or
disagreement on items that are related to a particular topic, experience, or issue. The
responses both descriptive and numeric form, range from one extreme to another, such as
“strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”, where “5” is the numerical value of the extreme positive
feeling and ‘1” for the extreme negative.
One danger of having the numeric values 5,4,3,2,1 is the possibility that an option with a
higher value will be more attractive to the respondents. You have the choice to omit the
numeric just indicate the actual scale labels in the instrument. Likewise, descriptive labels and
numeric scale can vary to the more congruent with the Likert Items.

“ I like reading books by myself.”

“ I save my money to buy extra books I like.”
The two statements are action statements rather than opinions, instead of using Strongly
Agree, Agree, Disagree, which are more common, it is appropriate to use the descriptive scale
labels: Always(5); Almost Always(4); Sometimes(3); Rarely(2); Never(1) or Always(5); Very
Often(4); Often(3); Not Very Much Often(2); Never(1).

The 5-point scale is the most common continuum, but it is more fitted if your respondents
are adults. A 4-point or 3-point scale will be easier for younger respondents. Also, instead of
the numerical values that appear in many of the standardized rating scales, some visuals
might be more useful to catch the attention of the younger respondents in answering the
instruments.

Writing Statements for Rating Scale for Self-Report

1. Statements should refer to present conditions rather than past or future situations.
2. The statement should be relevant to the psychological construct being measured.
3. Avoid factual statements since the nature of what is assessed is affective traits.
 4. Statements should elicit a response that lends itself to one interpretation.
5. Statements should be clear and simple sentences using precise and direct language.
6. Considering that responses in the instrument reflect gradation, statements should no longer
contain always, nearly, only, never, and just. These words are ambiguous.
7. Use vocabulary appropriate for the level of understanding of the respondents.
8. Avoid double negative sentences.

Steps in the Construction of the Rating Scale

1. Select the affective trait you want to assess, which you find relevant to teaching-learning situation.

Example: Issue: The "Math Anxiety"

Often, the barrier isn't a lack of cognitive ability, but a low sense of self-efficacy—
students feel they aren't "math people," which leads to avoidance and lower grades.
Issue: Academic Resilience (Fear of Failure)
Many schools currently face an issue where students are increasingly anxious about
making mistakes. This "perfectionism trap" leads to burnout, cheating, or students
simply giving up when a task gets difficult.

2. Construct items that are clear, definite, and focused on the trait you want to measure. Consider
the different levels of affective taxonomy in constructing the items. In addition, if you are
assessing on emotions or affect, items should include positive and negative positions that will
make the respondent think carefully the answer to the item.
3. Pilot test or field try the inventory and revise the parts that appear to be unclear. The purpose of
field testing the instrument is to detect unclear questions and statements and procedural
difficulties the intended respondents can experience with the questionnaire. It is preferred that
field test be given to comparable set of students.
4. Administer the self-report inventory to your target respondents. It is advised that adequate time is
provided for completion of the inventory.
5. Analyze the results and consider the findings and draw implication.

b. Semantic Differential – this is widely used scale that employs ratings of concepts with contrasting
adjectives placed at opposite ends of the number scale.

Problem Solving

Difficult ___ ___ ___ ___ ___Easy

1 2 3 4 5
Interesting ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Boring
1 2 3 4 5

Useful ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Useless

1 2 3 4 5

Realistic ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Unrealistic

1 2 3 4 5

Rigid ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Loose

1 2 3 4 5
In this example the students are asked to express their attitudes toward problem solving They need to make a
check mark on the scale indicating the degree of agreement they have with the adjectives listed. The position of
the positive and negative adjectives in semantic differential are reversed to balance the scale and create a less
biased measurement.
 c. Checklist – is a form of self-report that asks the persons to indicate whether they demonstrate a set of
qualities or behaviors. In affective assessment, it is a total for identifying the presence or absence of a feeling,
attitude, or behavior. The behaviors that are checked will reflect what values and beliefs learners hold.

Self-Report Behavior Checklist: Reading Habits

Name: __________________________ Grade & Section: ______________ Date: ______________

Instructions: Read each statement carefully. Put a check mark (✔) in the column that best describes your
behavior during our reading period.

Behavior / Habit Always Sometimes Seldom

1. I prepare my reading materials
before starting.
2. I use a finger or a pointer to stay
focused on the text.
3. I look at the pictures/titles to guess
what the story is about.
4. I re-read sentences that I do not
understand.
5. I look up the meaning of difficult
words in a dictionary.
6. I can summarize the main idea of
what I just read.
7. I participate in class discussions
about the story.
8. I read for at least 15–30 minutes
every day at home.
9. I enjoy discovering new stories Another form of
and information.
checklist also provides students
a list of adjectives for describing something or making judgments about behavior and actions and asks the
respondents to check those that apply to them.

2. interview – this is an oral assessment of student learning that is conducted through spoken words and casual
conversation. The assessment tool allows the teacher to collect and explore more in-depth information about the
trait being assessed that cannot captured by written instrument nor even be observed. The assessment data are
not just answerable by “YES” or “NO” or other predetermined responses. Through this assessment technique the
teacher is able to probe responses that other forms of assessment tool cannot. The students can qualify and
expand their previous answers, which can be vague at the earlier part of the conversation. It provides students
with the opportunity to open other thoughts and ideas, and the teacher can be flexible to adapt questions as the
need arises. It can provide a powerful moment of sharing where learner is able to express face-to-face his or her
feelings and emotions.
Interviews may be structured or unstructured.
  Structured Interview – there is planned sequence of questions, which led to open ended discussions
between the teacher and the student, either done individually or by group. One limitation is that
predetermined questions tend to limit flexibility.
 Unstructured Interview - is an informal data-collection method where the interviewer does not follow a set
list of predetermined questions. Instead, the conversation flows naturally based on the interviewee's
responses.

For Interview to be effective assessment tool, the following are general steps in developing and conducting and
interview:
1. Select the assessment objectives.
2. List the oral questions in sequence based on objectives. However, the sequence is not absolute, instead,
there should be room for flexibility. Questions should start with general questions followed by more specific
ones.
3. Make a report sheet or any form to record responses.
4. Conduct an interview. Start the statements that will make the learner be at comfort level with the teacher.
5. Record the responses, both elicited responses and responses that were aided by prompts. Record as well
as the questions that were not answered, and additional questions that were given during the probing
process. Record the waiting time for the response. It will be worth noting to record the non-verbal behavior
like body movements during the interview process.

Sample Interview Questions (PE Class)

Questions Teacher Notes
1. What do you already know about the
basic rules of basketball?
2. Which basketball skill do you feel most
confident with (e.g., dribbling, passing,
shooting)? Why?
3. Can you explain why teamwork is
important when playing basketball in PE?
4. What is one basketball drill or game
you enjoy in class and why?
5. How do you feel when you make a
mistake during a basketball game? What
do you do next?
6. What is one thing you would like to
improve in your basketball skills this
year?
7. How do you show good sportsmanship
before, during, and after a basketball
game in class?
8. What helps you feel safe when playing
basketball with your classmates?
9. How do you prefer to learn basketball
—watching the teacher demonstrate,
working in small groups, or trying it
yourself first?
10. If you could design a basketball
game for PE, what new rule or rule
change would you suggest and why?

write

3. Student Journals – these are effective tools that can be used in assessing and monitoring student thinking and
attitudes. Journal writing gives students guided opportunities to think aloud through writing. It is a special form of
documentation that records personal experiences and thoughts. It reflects learners’ own perception about a
problem, a situation, or an activity they are tasked with. A student who encountered a difficult problem and is
asked to write about a situation through a journal will reflect more deeply and think previous critically about the
problem or situation and what actions and decisions were made to hurdle the difficulties. In journal writing,
students are given opportunity to rewind previous experiences that can give them new perspectives in facing
future actions. Further, through journals, students are given the opportunity to open and express their thoughts
and feelings,
Journal writing opens the door for a one-to-one dialogue between the teacher and student. It creates an
environment of partnership where teachers and students resolve issues and conflicts of ideas and understanding
in confidential manner. The written journal provides information for teachers to give feedback and ask questions to
students that can develop different ways of thinking. While the primary intention of journal writing is to capture
students’ feelings and emotions, the discourse can lead to improving the cognitive domain of learning.

Guide Questions to Consider in Journal Writing

1. What is your purpose for the student journal writing (critical thinking, reflection, self-awareness, goal
review, developing self-confidence, overcoming anxiety)?
2. What is the format (handwritten, type-written)?
3. What is the topic? What do you want the students to write about?
4. How much do you want your student to write (number pages, number of paragraphs, or number of words)?
5. How will the students be given feedback (individual, with a small group, with the teacher)?
6. How will you read the journal (with the teacher only, with other teachers, with selected students)?
7. How will the students be graded (Pass/fail, rubric, no scoring needed)?

4. observation – is an assessment tool that involves looking out for the presence or absence of behaviors of
learners in a natural setting. Observations allow the teacher to assess student behavior in the actual teaching and
learning process. Unlike other forms of assessment that require separate time with the students to answer the
measuring instrument. This method is a rich source of clues that can be both obtrusive and unobtrusive measures
of attitude, beliefs, disposition, character, etc. Like interview, observation may be structured or unstructured. An
unstructured observation is open-ended with no formal recording of what is observed as assessment process is
ongoing. This does not mean that it does not require planning, you must be very clear of what to observe and list
the behaviors and actions that will indicate the possession of the trait. There is still the need to record observed
data right after actual observation time. Unstructured observation, you need to prepare a checklist or rating form
before the actual observation. This checklist defines the positive and negative behaviors indicative of the trait you
wish to measure. The recording is straightforward as it just requires a check on the “Yes” and “No” column for the
presence or absence of the behavior, respectively, or a check on the appropriate numerical and descriptive scale
if rating scale is used.

Rating Scale for Structured Observations in Science Class

Student/s Observed : ______________________ Date : _________ Time : __________

 Grade & Section : _________________________ Observer : ________________________

Sometime Most of the Almost/

Behavior Not at All Rarely
s Time Always
1. Raises hand during
class discussion
2. Tells others that the
lesson is fun
3. Gives criticism to
classmates’ response to
teacher’s questions
4. Asks questions about
issues connected to the
science concepts
presented
5. Goes through the
laboratory manual before
engaging in the actual
experiments
The measures obtained from the observation approach can be made more valid and reliable with the following
guidelines:
1. Set clear definition on the affective trait you want to observe.
2. Prepare a checklist or rating scale that will define the more specific affective behavior you want to capture.
This checklist or rating scale will also be used in collecting and recording your data.
3. Consult with a colleague or expert about the behavior listed as doable for the observation or not. You can
try this sample with a sample of students.
4. Have a colleague/s to work with you in the actual observation time.
5. Be clear on ethical issues.
6. Record the observation immediately. Use the checklist, supplemented by anecdotal records. Record
factual observation and be cautious on personal interpretation and biased statements.
7. Review data. Reflect on outcomes.
8. Decide future steps based on the observation results.
9. Adjust planning and apply interventions.
10. Monitor progress.