Embedded Formative Assessment Model Fostering Deep ConceptualUnderstanding in Junior High School Chemistry: Molecules and Atoms
TAO Li-Jing1, XU Jun-Cui2**, TONG Wan-Qin3, DING Ai-Min2
1. Hefei No.38 Middle School,Hefei 230011,China; 2. School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering,Hefei Normal University,Hefei 230601,China; 3. Hefei 168 Rose Garden East Campus Education Group (Experimental School of EDTZ),Hefei 230601,China
Abstract This study tackles assessment lag and the teaching-assessment divide in junior high school chemistry conceptual instruction by introducing a novel embedded formative assessment model. The model is driven by a “three-stage progressive” approach: microscopic evidence-professional judgment-immediate feedback. This approach ensures that evaluation is seamlessly integrated throughout the instructional process. During implementation,teachers systematically gather micro-evidence of student learning,including verbal responses,diagrams,and hands-on activities. This evidence is then analyzed to identify common misconceptions and assess students’ proficiency levels by referencing the Zone of Proximal Development and Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. This process leads to the provision of immediate feedback through strategies such as probing questions,inducing cognitive conflict,and tool-based scaffolding. Using the teaching of “Molecules and Atoms” as an example,the model enables the capture of thinking processes,facilitates cognitive diagnosis,and guides conceptual construction. Evidence from practice indicates that this model successfully transitions assessment from an “add-on” to an “embedded” element,which has been proven to significantly enhance students’ precise comprehension and deep conceptual learning.
TAO Li-Jing, XU Jun-Cui, TONG Wan-Qin, DING Ai-Min. Embedded Formative Assessment Model Fostering Deep ConceptualUnderstanding in Junior High School Chemistry: Molecules and Atoms[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2026, 47(15): 14-18.
