Students in the Real-World of Performance Tasks Assessment: A Qualitative Inquiry

Providing relevant learning activities in a responsive classroom is necessary to develop 21st-century skills and competencies among students. That is why performance task assessment comes in as part of the educational reform brought about by the K to 12 Curriculum of the Department of Education. Several studies on the challenges to the curriculum planners and educators in implementing the performance-based assessment have been conducted. However, limited research has been done to look into the challenges encountered by the students during this implementation. Thus, this study was conducted. Employing a generic qualitative research design, this study explores the challenges encountered by Senior High School students in the implementation of the Performance Task Assessment. The data were gathered from the six participants who were chosen using criterion sampling, one of the purposeful sampling techniques. These participants got the lowest scores in the performance tasks component of the students' grades. The data were collected utilizing the unstructured interview. During the interview, the iterative process was followed until the saturation point was reached. The gathered data were analyzed using the recursive textual data analysis. The result of the study revealed that planning of tasks, execution of tasks, and consequences of tasks were contributory to the challenges encountered by students. Challenges on the planning of tasks included quality of leadership, preparation, and articulation. The absence of skills and lack of supervision and motivation were included in the challenges specific to the execution of tasks. Consequences of tasks included challenges brought about by unreliable scores received and the limited learning gained. The findings provided the baseline data for the formulation of departmental policies and procedures on the implementation of performance tasks assessment.