Systematic review and meta-analysis reveals authentic assessment improves science understanding in secondary students, highlighting teacher training as a key driver of success.
Key Points
To evaluate the effectiveness of authentic assessment compared to conventional evaluation methods in enhancing secondary students' understanding of the Nature of Science and Technology.
Conducted a systematic literature network analysis adhering to PRISMA guidelines across Scopus (2015–2025) using the PICO framework.
Analyzed 1,700 keywords from 384 articles using VOSviewer bibliometric clustering alongside a quantitative synthesis of 16 high-quality studies (N = 2,500).
Authentic assessment demonstrated a significant positive effect on Nature of Science and Technology comprehension compared to conventional methods (Hedges' g = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.53–0.83), reflecting an approximate 25% improvement.
Bibliometric mapping revealed nine thematic clusters dominated by performance assessment, and teacher training programs exceeding 20 hours significantly predicted successful implementation.