Formative assessment in statistics education: A scoping review

Higher education statistics courses are challenging to teach because of high levels of statistics anxiety and limited student interest. To potentially decrease anxiety and promote student engagement, formative assessment has often been proposed. The core of formative assessment lies in eliciting and using information about student learning to guide further learning. This preregistered scoping review aimed to gain insight into the types of formative activities implemented in statistics courses, the arguments for doing so and the reported results. From 83 included studies, five types of activities were derived (Quizzing & testing, Online environments & class preparation, Student response systems, Assignments, One-minute papers) and six supplementary design characteristics (Diagnostic information systems, Processing & reflection, Frequent assessment, Gamification, Warning systems, Learner control). The analysis of arguments of 16 key studies showed that activities were employed to overcome affective (e.g. statistics anxiety), cognitive (i.e. complexity of the content) and regulative (e.g. disengagement) challenges. The 33 key studies that reported on outcomes mostly reported on cognitive and regulative outcomes. Future studies are needed to evaluate whether the often-intended affective benefits of the activities are actually achieved. Even though most studies reported on the benefits of the formative activities, some studies reported non-significant or negative findings. Despite the core of formative assessment being that information about student learning is elicited and used, the reviewed studies varied in the extent to which teaching and/or learning was adapted. Formative activities that promote processing and reflection and that are used to adapt teaching are recommended. Context and implications Rationale for this Study: University statistics courses pose challenges for students and educators, which formative assessment could mitigate. General reviews on formative assessment exist, but do not focus on the specific statistics context. Why the New Findings Matter: Findings highlight the promise of formative assessment for challenges in statistics education and provide directions for future research in this context. Implications for Higher Education Researchers and Educators: It was found that formative assessment is implemented to address cognitive, affective and regulative challenges in statistics education. While affective challenges were most often reported, and affective outcomes were most often intended, cognitive and regulative outcomes were most often studied. Future research is needed to evaluate whether the intended affective benefits are also achieved. This review provides an overview of formative activities that can be applied in higher education statistics courses. When doing so, attention to closing the formative assessment cycle is warranted. This can be achieved through consideration of processing, reflection and adapted teaching.