International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Performance Assessment in Science: Issues and Challenges in Implementation

The National Education Policy 2020 has incorporated different methods of authentic assessment in both school education and teacher training programs. This research investigates the performance assessment strategies employed by prospective science teachers during their school internships and the factors influencing the adoption and implementation of these strategies in elementary school science classrooms. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were conducted to gather information from prospective science teachers using a descriptive qualitative method. Twenty-eight science students in 7th semester B.Sc. B.Ed. Integrated program from the Central University of South Bihar were selected through a purposive sampling technique. The collected information on the challenges and issues faced while implementing performance assessment strategies in the science classroom during the internship was analyzed using thematic analysis. The research shows that prospective science teachers need support in designing assessments that gauge students’ conceptual understanding, managing time, getting necessary resources for their science classrooms, and establishing criteria for evaluation. Besides these, there were also other concerns discovered regarding lesson plans and school administration. The findings of the study will be helpful for the teachers, students and administrators in facilitating the use of performance assessment in science classrooms.