Saudi Arabia Teachers’ Use of Formative Assessment in 8th Grade Mathematics and Its Impact on Female Students’ Attitudes

Abstract

This dissertation aims to understand the female Saudi mathematics teachers' formative assessment practices after coming back to in-person instruction and the impact of such practices on female student attitudes toward learning mathematics. The study was conducted in two middle schools located in the North and South districts of a large city in Saudi Arabia, using a sequential mixed study design methodology . The study's sample included 4 female mathematics teachers and 104 8th grade mathematics female students. For the qualitative research design, I conducted four interviews and used the NVivo program to thematically analyze my results. Additionally, I used AssessToday observational protocol to conduct 12 observations (three per teacher) and triangulated to analyze the data, including my filled notes, lessons audio recordings, and photos. For my quantitative design, I administered the Attitudes Towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) Scale to 104 8th-grade mathematics female students in a pre- and post-survey and I performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the internal structure of my data. Overall, the study revealed that despite teachers' claims of practicing formative activities, their actual practices may not reflect it. The study confirmed the literature that using AssessToday is applicable regardless of the location, culture, language, and education system. The study contributes to short-cycle formative assessment literature by showing a positive and linear relationship (although not statistically significant) between teacher's use of formative assessment and students' attitudes toward learning mathematics.