IMPROVEMENT OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN SINGING TEACHING IN JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS IN MACAU

Formative assessment has long been recognised as a valuable educational
measurement tool; however, its application in music education in Asia, particularly in
Macau, remains underexplored. This study investigated the implementation of
formative assessment in Macau and the factors that influence its application. A
convergent mixed-methods research approach was adopted, utilising questionnaires,
interviews and observations. Initially, teacher questionnaires, interviews and
classroom observations were used to comprehensively understand how teachers
implement formative assessment in singing teaching within junior middle schools in
Macau. This approach identified the strengths and weaknesses of the practices while
drawing insights from existing literature. Additional teacher questionnaires and
interviews were used to explore the factors shaping teachers’ approaches to formative
assessment. To provide a holistic perspective, student questionnaires and interviews
were used to examine students’ experiences and perceptions of formative assessment
in singing instruction. The findings indicate that a) teachers use all five formative
assessment strategies outlined by Thompson and Wiliam (2007) with varying
frequencies; b) teachers prioritise skill goals and technical accuracy over expressive
qualities; c) performance assessment is common in singing classes, while questioning
is more typical in other settings; d) teachers prefer teacher-directed assessments over
student-directed ones (self and peer assessment); e) strengths include effective teacher
demonstrations, frequent descriptive feedback, self-recording, reflective questions and
constructive peer feedback, while weaknesses comprise infrequent use of assessment
tools, application of multiple evaluative feedback types and low specificity in some
descriptive feedback and misuse of self and peer ratings; f) both personal (teacher
attitude, self-efficacy and subjective norms) and contextual (school environment, student challenges and public performances) factors hinder formative assessment
implementation; and g) students value strategies like teacher demonstration,
descriptive feedback and self-recording but devalue others such as evaluative
feedback, self-rating, peer rating and peer feedback. Expert interviews were
conducted to address the identified weaknesses and formulate targeted
recommendations for stakeholders, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of formative
assessment in singing teaching in Macau junior middle schools.