This study presents a glimpse into the private classrooms of biology instructors and the way they practice formative assessments within a college context. Drawing on the personal practice assessment theory model from Box, Skoog and Dabbs (2015), we carried out a multiple case study to investigate two biology instructors’ theories in enacting formative assessment practices. Data collected included classroom observations, instructor interviews, course artifacts, and student focus groups. Qualitative data analysis revealed that each instructor’s core personal practical assessment theories affected implementation of formative assessment. Tasha’s core assessment theories led her to believe that assessment should be a carefully planned motivational and learning opportunity for students. Meanwhile, Jack viewed assessment as a diverse and stress-free student learning experiment. Cross-case analysis revealed that the teachers’ reasoning and decision-making differences were based on the interaction of their personal practical assessment theories and contextual elements. Overall, this study provides insights into the practice of formative assessment in higher education and identifies some challenges and opportunities such assessment presents.

这项研究提供了生物学指导者私人教室的一瞥，以及他们在大学环境中实践形成性评估的方式。借鉴Box，Skoog和Dabbs（2015）的个人实践评估理论模型，我们进行了多案例研究，以研究两位生物学指导者在制定形成性评估实践中的理论。收集的数据包括课堂观察，教师访谈，课程工件和学生焦点小组。定性数据分析表明，每位教师的核心个人实践评估理论都影响了形成性评估的实施。塔莎（Tasha）的核心评估理论使她相信评估应该是学生精心计划的激励和学习机会。与此同时，杰克将评估视为多样化且无压力的学生学习实验。跨案例分析表明，教师的推理和决策差异是基于他们个人实践评估理论和情境因素的相互作用。总体而言，本研究提供了对高等教育中形成性评估实践的见解，并确定了此类评估提出的一些挑战和机遇。