EPISTEMOLOGICAL CONCERNS 1
Epistemological Concerns
Name
School of Education, Liberty University
Epistemological Concerns
The article “Disclosing own reasoning while appraising the students’ reasoning:
implications for developments in formative assessment in science-engineering education”
(2023) explores how instructors’ and assessors’ epistemological beliefs influence formative
assessment practices in higher education. While rubrics are often designed to make assessment
criteria explicit and transparent, this article argues that they oversimplify the complexity of
EPISTEMOLOGICAL CONCERNS 2
learning and reasoning processes. The primary focus is on how educators’ beliefs and their
assumptions about the nature and construction of knowledge shape the way formative
assessment is conducted and interpreted. This is demonstrated by how these beliefs influence
assessment practices and the feedback students receive.
Summary
A study is conducted on the challenges and opportunities of using rubrics for formative
assessments in science and engineering education. Teachers use rubrics as part of their
pedagogical tool to solve various problems; however, this may challenge the full explicitness of
assessments. According to the author, they are perceived as a no-win solution that requires
explicit clarification on expectations, which limits the critical thinking and reasoning of students.
Professionals in the field of science are expected to possess and apply critical thinking skills, and
grading through a rubric does not allow students to think beyond the educator's expectations.
The author emphasizes that we cannot account for the complexities of intellectual platforms
during a learning task (Orozco, 2023).
The research was conducted around inquiry-based learning principles, with tutors acting
as assessors and using rubrics to evaluate students’ reasoning, reports, and reflective work.
These rubrics included expectations, connectivity, vagueness, labeling of concepts, research
questions, models, relevance, imagination, and meaning, among others. The findings showed
the “assessors’” responses were shaped by their own epistemological beliefs. This meant that
the rubrics would become skewed due to the assessors’ beliefs about implicit personal
standards or their focus on specific aspects of the criteria. This demonstrated that rubrics
cannot be fully standardized assessments because tensions exist between empirical
observations and theoretical reasoning, like those in inquiry and hypothesis experimentation.
The assessors realized that subjectivity exists in assessments and should be embraced
and made visible to inform epistemological concerns and judgment. In doing this, assessments
can be reflective and authentic with scientific reasoning. Assessing rubrics as flexible guides
EPISTEMOLOGICAL CONCERNS 3
instead of static ones enables students to think more critically and promotes knowledge-based
retention. The author advocates for formative assessments that not only measure learning but
also mirror the very reasoning processes that science education aims to cultivate. There has
been more focus on the nature of science itself rather than the principles, as this dynamic view
integrates a deeper understanding of scientific knowledge.
Reflection
The article is significant because it challenges traditional assessment methods and
emphasizes aligning practices with the authentic reasoning process of scientific inquiry. In
science, critical thinking, creativity, and conceptual thinking are more valuable than memorizing
facts. The assessors’ epistemological beliefs, which shaped their feedback to the students,
revealed what educators define and value, even though they were given a rubric to follow.
Applying this can transform rubrics from outdated and static to fluid scoring tools that enable
students to be creative. This approach can shape the assessment of outcomes to nurture the
process of inquiry, interpretation, and discovery in proper scientific education.
The first alternative assessment that I have chosen is an oral presentation. It will be used
to let students explain a physical concept or present the findings of an investigation to the
class (Chiapetta & Koballa, 2015). This demonstrates knowledge of the subject area while
allowing students to bring their own additional information and skills to the assessment.
After completing an experiment on work, force, and motion, students will give a short oral
presentation summarizing their data and discussing the factors that caused the experiment
to go right or wrong (Virginia Department of Education, 2023, p. 7). This encourages
students to articulate scientific reasoning and connect experimental evidence to scientific
principles. The teacher will evaluate the student based on how they organized the topics
and prepared themselves.
The second alternative assessment I have chosen is the laboratory report. The laboratory
report will be completed with detailed sections that include the hypotheses, procedure, data,
EPISTEMOLOGICAL CONCERNS 4
analysis, and conclusion of the lab (Chiapetta & Koballa, 2015). Students can present their
findings from an investigation and use critical thinking skills to draw conclusions through
analysis of the material. After completing their lab on compounds and chemical formulas from
the periodic table, students will provide the teacher with their completed lab reports,
highlighting their hypotheses and conclusions (Virginia Department of Education, 2023, p. 6).
This provides a structured assessment for students to conduct scientific investigations and
analyze their results.
The third alternative assessment I have chosen is a performance task, which will allow
students to apply knowledge to real-world or problembased situations (Chiapetta & Koballa,
2015). This involves students applying prior knowledge and using critical thinking skills to solve a
problem or find a solution. Through this process, students demonstrate their application of
knowledge, rather than simply filling in answers or following written-out instructions detailed
on a rubric. This can be shown to satisfy the standard set by the VA DOE: Students will
manipulate a simple device and demonstrate how energy changes during operation (Virginia
Department of Education, 2023, p. 7). This allows students to measure
understanding through application and real-world knowledge.
The fourth alternative assessment is a journal that can include responses or questions
written by the individual that pique their interest or want to understand (Chiapetta & Koballa,
2015). This type of assessment shows students’ critical thinking skills and how they process
information given during the class period. Taking students’ thoughts and reflections assists in
providing a deeper analysis of students’ thoughts. This can address specific aspects of how
students process information, such as in a lesson about the watershed, where students log the
different functions of the watershed or write down questions about how humans help or hurt
the watershed (Virginia Department of Education, 2023, p. 7). This encourages continuous
reflection or metacognitive thinking by having students reflect on their own knowledge and
learning.
EPISTEMOLOGICAL CONCERNS 5
The final alternative assessment is developing a concept map, which is a visual diagram
connecting key ideas within a topic or unit (Chiapetta & Koballa, 2015). Through the process of
creating a concept map, students can visually see and differentiate between various attributes
and vocabulary used to describe or define a concept. This helps visual learners’ separate
material while also synthesizing key ideas and formulating descriptions of how they are linked
together. One standard that this can satisfy is:
Students will complete a diagram of the different stages of cell division (Virginia Department of
Education, 2023, p. 8). This lets the teacher assess how well
the students understand relationships among scientific concepts.
Reference:
Chiappetta, E. L., & Koballa, T. R. (2015). Science instruction in the middle and secondary schools:
Developing Fundamental Knowledge and skills. Pearson.
Orozco, M. (2023). Disclosing own reasoning while appraising the students’ reasoning:
implications for developments in formative assessment in science-engineering
education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher
Education, 49(2), 165–177.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2023.2196008
Virginia Department of Education. (2023) Virginia standards of learning assessment: Test
blueprints: Science: 2018 Science Standards of Learning
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/15812/63803515880133
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