IMPROVEMENT OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN SINGING TEACHING IN JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS IN MACAU

Formative assessment has long been recognised as a valuable educational measurement tool; however, its application in music education in Asia, particularly in Macau, remains underexplored. This study investigated the implementation of formative assessment in Macau and the factors that influence its application. A convergent mixed-methods research approach was adopted, utilising questionnaires, interviews and observations. Initially, teacher questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations were used to comprehensively understand how teachers implement formative assessment in singing teaching within junior middle schools in Macau. This approach identified the strengths and weaknesses of the practices while drawing insights from existing literature. Additional teacher questionnaires and interviews were used to explore the factors shaping teachers’ approaches to formative assessment. To provide a holistic perspective, student questionnaires and interviews were used to examine students’ experiences and perceptions of formative assessment in singing instruction. The findings indicate that a) teachers use all five formative assessment strategies outlined by Thompson and Wiliam (2007) with varying frequencies; b) teachers prioritise skill goals and technical accuracy over expressive qualities; c) performance assessment is common in singing classes, while questioning is more typical in other settings; d) teachers prefer teacher-directed assessments over student-directed ones (self and peer assessment); e) strengths include effective teacher demonstrations, frequent descriptive feedback, self-recording, reflective questions and constructive peer feedback, while weaknesses comprise infrequent use of assessment tools, application of multiple evaluative feedback types and low specificity in some descriptive feedback and misuse of self and peer ratings; f) both personal (teacher attitude, self-efficacy and subjective norms) and contextual (school environment, student challenges and public performances) factors hinder formative assessment implementation; and g) students value strategies like teacher demonstration, descriptive feedback and self-recording but devalue others such as evaluative feedback, self-rating, peer rating and peer feedback. Expert interviews were conducted to address the identified weaknesses and formulate targeted recommendations for stakeholders, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of formative assessment in singing teaching in Macau junior middle schools.