Philippine E-Journals

STUDENT – DESIGNED PERFORMANCE TASKS: MAKING LEARNINGPERSONAL

Cathlea Tongco | Kristina Pamela Aguinaldo | Calvin Joshper Calvadores

 

Abstract:

Performance-based learning and assessment embody a set of techniques for the attainment and application of information, abilities, and work practices through the performance of tasks that are meaningful and engaging to students. However, with students’ differing capabilities and talents, as well as their economic, social, and cultural backgrounds, these performance tasks may only be good and effective for specific students. Hence, learners’ knowledge, discernments, and voices are vital and helpful in evaluating and reflecting on their learning journey. This qualitative study described and understood the lived experiences and relayed the stories of the learners as regards designing their performance tasks. A phenomenological method was used to explore how students design their performance tasks, the challenges they encountered, and the realizations they have made during the process. Through a series of focus group discussions with the students, the central question, “How do students design their performance tasks?” was addressed in this study. The responses of the participants gave focus and direction to this study which provided a thoughtful perception of this phenomenological study. After a thorough analysis and coding, categories were identified and themes emerged from the focus group discussions of the students concerning the factors that they consider in designing performance tasks (authenticity of tasks, students’ self-efficacy, and assessment criteria and time allocation); the experiences in designing performance tasks (difficulty in conceptualization, conflicting ideas, and self-discovery); and students’ realizations in designing the task (opportunity, challenge, and reward). The students have also made suggestions as to how student-designed performance tasks can maximize student learning and engagement. The lived experiences of the students in designing their performance tasks allowed them to become more responsible, to discover themselves better, and to become learners who successfully faced the challenges in their academics. In the light of these findings, the researchers developed the Student-Designed Performance Task Template that will serve as a guide for both students and teachers during the process.