HOW 6TH-GRADERS PERCEIVE EFFORT AND SKILL

This exploratory study was a first attempt to determine if the use of formative assessment has an effect on middle school students' self per ceptions of effort and skill. Although a number of researchers and mea surement experts have advocated the use of formative assessment to imp rove teaching and learning (Dunham, 1994; King, 1990; McGee, 1984; Vea l, 1992a), few studies have directly investigated the effects of forma tive assessment on students in physical education. The study included teacher-designed formative assessments as interventions; however, this article win focus primarily on students' responses to questions about their effort and skill in physical education classes.