@article {991, title = {FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT AS A TOOL TO ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF INQUIRY SKILLS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {20}, year = {2021}, month = {April/2021}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {204-222}, abstract = {Formative assessment (FA) is considered a powerful tool to enhance learning. However, there have been few studies addressing how the implementation of FA influences the development of inquiry skills so far. This research intends to determine the efficacy of teaching using FA in the development of students{\textquoteright} inquiry skills. A test of inquiry skills was used as the main research instrument to identify the level of the selected inquiry skills before and after a period of teaching with or without FA in the experimental and control group respectively. In the experimental group (n=73), FA was implemented across five subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and informatics, while the control group (n=48) was taught without any external intervention. In both groups, mostly teacher-centred methods of teaching were applied. The research findings confirmed a low initial level of inquiry skills. Teaching using FA showed higher efficacy than teaching without FA, even without a special focus on the inquiry methods. The experimental group achieved significantly better results compared to the control group. In addition, the results confirmed higher efficacy of FA in lower performing students. Gender did not prove as a determining factor in the effective implementation of FA.}, keywords = {formative assessment classroom techniques, inquiry skills, inquiry skills test, science teaching, students{\textquoteright} performance, upper secondary school}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/21.20.204 }, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2021/987-1616865729.pdf}, author = {M{\'a}ria Ganajov{\'a} and Ivana Sot{\'a}kov{\'a} and Stanislav Luk{\'a}{\v c} and Zuzana Je{\v s}kov{\'a} and Veronika Jurkov{\'a} and Ren{\'a}ta Orosov{\'a}} } @article {824, title = {INFLUENCE OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT CLASSROOM TECHNIQUES (FACTs) ON STUDENT{\textquoteright}S OUTCOMES IN CHEMISTRY AT SECONDARY SCHOOL}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {19}, year = {2020}, month = {February/2020}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {36-49}, abstract = {Assessment in many Central- and Eastern-European countries is dominated by summative assessment (SA). Simultaneously, researchers and educators from western Europe and the US proclaim the formative assessment (FA) as an important element of the educational process and advise including it into curricula and everyday teachers{\textquoteright} practice. The research presented herein reports an introduction of formative assessment classroom techniques (FACTs) during chemistry lessons at K7 level in Slovakia. In total 202 students participated in the research. They were divided randomly into a control (n=97) and an experimental (n=105) group, and the intervention covered 10 successive lessons. After the intervention, the student{\textquoteright}s outcomes were compared using the test checking student{\textquoteright}s knowledge and skills according to various domains of Bloom{\textquoteright}s revised taxonomy. The results suggested a statistically significant increase in the score of the experimental group, and a detailed analysis revealed that the increase was significant in both lower- and higher-order cognitive skills area. Finally, the students{\textquoteright} reaction on the introduction of formative assessment was studied and showed their positive attitude towards the introduced method.}, keywords = {chemical education, formative assessment classroom techniques, higher-order cognitive skills, secondary school}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/20.19.36}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2020/987-1581269504.pdf}, author = {M{\'a}ria Babin{\v c}{\'a}kov{\'a} and M{\'a}ria Ganajov{\'a} and Ivana Sot{\'a}kov{\'a} and Pawe{\l} Bernard} } @article {861, title = {INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE EDUCATION AS A REVISION STRATEGY}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {19}, year = {2020}, month = {June/2020}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {499-513}, abstract = {The research aim was to identify the effect of revising the thematic unit {\textquotedblleft}Changes in Chemical Reactions{\textquotedblright} using IBSE (based on confirmation inquiry) in the 8th grade of secondary school. This thematic unit is taught in chemistry lessons in the 2nd term of the 7th grade. A set of activities verified by a piece of pilot research was used to implement IBSE based on confirmation inquiry using the 5E Educational Model. The research was performed in ten Slovak secondary schools during the 1st term of the 2017/2018 school year. This research employed the quasi-experimental methodology involving pre-test{\textendash}post-test two-group design. The research sample consisted of 292 8th grade students. They were divided randomly into a control (n=149) and experimental (n=143) group, and the intervention took place during 10 lessons. Cognitive tests based on the revised Bloom{\textquoteright}s taxonomy were used to measure students{\textquoteright} knowledge and skills before and after revision. The results indicate that using IBSE (based on confirmation inquiry) in the revision phase is more effective than teaching without using IBSE in terms of developing conceptual understanding. It affects the lower and higher cognitive processes (understanding, application, and analysis) and stimulates learning mainly in students with lower academic performance.}, keywords = {chemistry education, cognitive processes, confirmation inquiry, secondary school}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/20.19.499 }, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2020/987-1591088137.pdf}, author = {Ivana Sot{\'a}kov{\'a} and M{\'a}ria Ganajov{\'a} and M{\'a}ria Babin{\v c}{\'a}kov{\'a}} }