Synchronous Versus Asynchronous: Pre-Service Teachers’ Performance in Science Formative Assessment Tests

The purpose of the study was to assess the performance of pre-service teachers in three science formative assessment tests in an online learning environment. The participants consisted of 138 pre-service teachers (57 participated in synchronous session and 81 participated in asynchronous sessions). The study used a quasi-experimental design, non-equivalent groups post-test only. Tests were used to collect the data: Energy Concept Test (ECT), Teaching Energy Concept Test (TECT) and Basic Electronics Concept Test (BECT). ANOVA results revealed a significant effect of type of test on test scores of students at the p < 0.05 level for the three tests [F (2, 364) = 9.641, p = 0.000].