Students’ Perception of the Effect of Formative Assessment on Their Learning

In this paper, we analyse students’ perception of their formative assessment in a Databases course. Two forms of feedback are analysed: interactive questionnaires during class time and self-assessment of lab practices. Qualitative data gathered with a survey is used to conduct a grounded theory qualitative study. Our aim is to understand those aspects of formative assessment that contribute to our students’ learning. The results obtained show that students’ perception is positive for both forms of feedback. Responses about what factors of formative assessment contribute to their learning fall into four categories: formative feedback, metacognitive control (reflective learning), relevant learner activity, and social learning. It is also worth mentioning that students’ perception of the formative assessment has not been substantially affected by the COVID-19 impact on the learning environment.