Classroom Assessment

A Practical Guide for Educators

Assessing
Affective
Characteristics
Introduction….
 Assessment may focus not on subject
matter learning (i.e., cognitive skills), but
on other student characteristics.
 These characteristics include attitudes,
values, and emotions (i.e., characteristics
that make up the affective domain).
 The Affective Domain and
Categories of Affective Behavior
 Affective domain: Domain of student behaviors that
addresses attitudes, emotions, values, interests,
feelings, etc.

 Affective characteristics are constructs (they are

unobservable, internal characteristics) that can only
be inferred from actions in situations or responses to
carefully designed questions.
Five hierarchical levels:
Receiving
Responding
Valuing
Organization
Characterization
Reasons for assessing affective
behaviors:
Affect may have equal importance to
cognitive ability (with respect to
motivation, etc.).
Assessment of affect can guide future
inclusion of affective instruction.
Can be used to monitor interests or
attitudes during instruction.
Reasons for assessing affective
behaviors:
 Difficult to measure constructs (tends to
have low reliability).
 Tendency for students to give socially
acceptable responses.
 At secondary level, focus is on attainment
of cognitive outcomes, not affective ones.
 Pressure from political and religious
groups who are opposed to nonacademic
instruction.
 Categories:
 Social adjustment: Adaptive behavior and
social development as indicated by responses
to rules, responsibility, and interpersonal
relationships with teachers and students.
 Includes assertiveness, friendliness,
cooperation, collaboration, empathy, etc.
 Attitudes: Relatively stable internal tendencies
that influence what students are likely to do
 Attitudes have objects (“attitudes toward
something”).
 Categories:
 Interests: Preferences for participating in
particular activities.
 Can help teachers select supplemental
materials or design examples that are of
interest.
 Values: Standards that determine end states of
existence, self-conduct, and presentation of self.
 Include world peace, freedom, happiness;
being honest, ambitious, responsible,
helpful.
 “Good citizenship.”
 Categories:
 Self-attitudes: Beliefs and feelings about
oneself.
 Include self-concept, self-esteem, and self-
efficacy.
 Very important in classroom settings
because they influence motivation,
willingness to take risks, etc.
 Best for teachers to focus on academic self-
attitudes.
 Guidelines for Developing
Measures of Affective Behaviors
 Measures must be relatively easy to establish or teachers will
not address the task.
 Important considerations when assessing affect:
• Must realize that feelings and emotions can change
quickly.
• Try to use as many different types of measures as possible.
• Decisions about interest in individual or group results
should be made at initial stages.
• Anonymity (necessary in order for students to respond
honestly).
Guidelines for anonymity:
 Directions on a self-report instrument should
stress the importance of honest answers.
 Restrict responses to checkmarks, circles of
preference; reduce or eliminate the need for
handwritten responses.
 Procedures for collection of completed
instruments should limit the potential for
identification of students.
 Two methods of assessing
affective outcomes:
• Teacher observations: Watching or listening to
students.
 Recall considerations and limitations of
observations.
 Observations may be unstructured (open-
ended) or structured (predetermined checklists
or rating scales).
 Rating scales may be Likert scales or Likert-
type scales.
 Teacher observation forms:
Observation Form:
“Following Directi ons”

1. Follows directions first time given. 

2. Follows directions after second verbal

prompt. 

3. Follows directions after nonverbal

prompt.
4. Follows directions with individualized

teacher intervention.
Student self-reports:
• Students rather than teachers complete the
instrument.
Published instruments exist; but not very
practical for classroom use.
Students may not take them seriously and
must be motivated to respond honestly.
Typical structure consists of statements;
students are directed to circle or check
their preferred responses.
 Validity and Reliability of
Affective Measures
 Validity
• Decisions must be based on objective
observations.
• Prior identification of particular characteristics
will guide the observation itself.
• Students must respond truthfully.

 Reliability
• Samples must be adequate.

• Sources of error are innumerable; teachers must

base decisions on multiple and diverse measures.
 Advantages and Limitations of
Affective Measures
 Advantages
• Unstructured observations can occur in
natural setting; are not restricted to
predetermined list.
• Structured observations provide more form
and guidance; more feasible and
manageable.
• Self-reports allow students to respond
directly about their feelings, attitudes, etc.
 Advantages and Limitations of
Affective Measures
Limitations
• Unstructured observations require
teachers to make extensive notes.
• Structured observations require more
preparation.
• Self-reports require extensive
preparation; restrict what students are
able to respond to.