Assessment of Achievement Programme: Report of the Sixth AAP Survey of Science (2003)
Preface
The 2003 Science Survey was the sixth survey to be carried out in this curriculum area within the Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP), but the first to report pupils' Knowledge and understanding in science in terms of 5-14 levels and the first to explore pupils' informed attitudes. Core skills assessment also featured for the second time in a national survey.
The stages assessed were P3, P5, P7 and S2, with pupil testing taking place in May and June 2003. Almost 9000 pupils in just under 600 mainstream schools across Scotland took part in the survey: around 2000 pupils in around 155 primary schools at each primary stage, and just over 2000 S2 pupils in 130 secondary schools. All the survey schools participated in written assessments - science, numeracy, reading and writing - and more than half also participated in practical assessments - science investigation skills and ICT skills. To provide a context for the attainment and attitude findings, participating schools at P7 and S2 were invited to complete a questionnaire about the resources available to them for science and about their science provision, and just under half their sample pupils were invited to complete questionnaires about their science learning experience.
The 5-14 National Assessment Bank provided large numbers of the assessment tasks used in the survey, supplemented by tasks developed by staff in the University of Aberdeen ('Knowledge and understanding' in science), the University of Strathclyde (science investigation tasks), the Scottish Qualifications Authority (reading and writing, numeracy) and individual consultants (ICT, with CDs prepared by Learning and Teaching Scotland). School and pupil questionnaires were developed by SEED. The SQA was responsible for printing the test booklets and distributing these to schools. The survey schools organised and supervised their own written test sessions, but the practical assessments were the responsibility of 148 itinerant field officers - practising primary teachers or secondary science teachers released by their 28 education authorities for survey involvement. Completed test booklets were received and processed by SEED. The pupil response data were keyboarded by Lindata Services and analysed by Assessment Europe. The survey report was produced by Sandra Johnson (Assessment Europe) and Jackie Heaton (University of Aberdeen).
This report presents a rich snapshot view of the situation in Scottish schools today as regards science and core skills 3-18. The survey was an ambitious exercise that has resulted in a wealth of information about pupil attainment in these important areas, and about pupils' informed attitudes in science, set within the context of learning circumstances and experiences both within and outside the classroom. The findings presented and discussed in this report will be of great value in informing the newly launched curriculum review of Science 3-16, while the reservoir of attainment and questionnaire data on which the findings are based offers great potential for focused secondary analysis.