Impact of Dynamic Assessment on Matriculation Students’ Learning Potential in Thermochemistry

Abstract

Dynamic assessment is a form of assessment that emphasizes the development of students’ learning potential rather than solely focusing on scores. This study aims to examine the effects of implementing dynamic assessment procedures on students’ learning potential in the topic of thermochemistry. The sample consisted of 10 students enrolled in a matriculation-level program, selected through purposive sampling to represent three achievement categories which are high, moderate, and low performers. The study adopted an interventionist dynamic assessment model divided into three phases, which are pre-test, individual face-to-face mediation, and post-test, which were implemented over a period of three weeks. Two sets of questions were used as achievement test instruments to determine both the actual and potential developmental levels of the students. From the pre-test and post-test scores, descriptive analysis and learning potential score (LPS) were calculated for each student to determine students’ learning potential. The findings show that dynamic assessment procedures can assist students across all performance categories in developing their learning potential in thermochemistry. Moreover, dynamic assessment offers an accurate depiction of students' learning potential, which conventional assessments lack. As a result, dynamic assessment and LPS are highly suitable for adoption in Malaysia’s assessment practices, especially in transitioning from assessments that merely measure achievement to those evaluating learning potential.