I remember my first year studying math at university. High school math had always come easily – sitting in class, listening to the teacher, doing your homework, the normal routine. The material was harder this time, yes, but I attended every lecture, taking notes per usual. As the professor explained concepts and worked through the problems on the board, I followed along, nodding in agreement. It felt like I understood. But had I really grasped the concepts? I didn’t realize I hadn’t, not until I sat down for the final – and only – exam of the course. A wave of panic washed over me as I stared at the questions, unable to even understand what they were asking. What happened?
This experience, perhaps relatable to many, highlights a common challenge in education: the gap between perceived understanding and actual learning. Students can sit through lectures, complete assignments, and feel confident in their grasp of the material, only to discover in a high-stakes, summative assessment that their understanding was superficial. This is where the power of formative assessment, particularly when made visible, becomes crucial.
Make learning visible with Kahoot!
A recent study published in the journal Education and Information Technologies offers compelling evidence for the power of using Kahoot! for formative assessment. In the study conducted at the University of Murcia, Spain, Esther Ortiz-Martínez and her colleagues analyzed the performance of students in Financial Accounting courses. The researchers collected data including Kahoot! scores, continuous assessment marks, final exam marks, and the overall subject marks. Their key finding was significant: scores obtained through Kahoot! games had a positive influence on continuous assessment marks, final exam, and the overall subject marks. This suggests that engaging with Kahoot! throughout the semester can be an indicator, and perhaps a driver, of academic success.
But why does Kahoot! have such a notable impact on final grades? To understand the deeper implications, we can turn to the extensive research synthesized by John Hattie in “Visible Learning”, a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. His work identifies various factors that influence student achievement, highlighting the importance of “visible teaching and visible learning” – where the goals of learning are clear and both teachers and students are aware of the progress being made.
Recent meta-analysis specifically on Kahoot! by Dr. Osman Özdemir further supports these connections, demonstrating its significant positive impact on various learning outcomes.
The findings together with Hattie’s research reveal 5 key reasons why Kahoot! is a powerful formative assessment tool:
- Provide powerful, timely feedback
Feedback is one of the most significant influences on learning. Effective feedback helps students understand “where they are going,” “how they are going,” and “where they are now.” Kahoot! provides immediate feedback to students after each question and at the end of the game, showing them their performance and ranking during live games. This rapid feedback loop can help students identify areas where they need to focus their learning, making the learning process more transparent and visible.
- Foster self-regulation and self-evaluation
Learning requires students to develop self-regulatory skills like self-monitoring and self-evaluation. These skills help students to understand their own learning progress and setting goals. The financial accounting study noted that Kahoot! provided possibilities for self-evaluation. By seeing their scores and progress in real-time, students could gauge their understanding and take ownership of their learning journey. This aligns with Hattie’s findings on the importance of students understanding their own progress and setting goals.
- Link challenging goals with clear success criteria
Setting appropriately challenging goals is crucial for motivating students and directing their efforts. Kahoot! quizzes can be designed with varying difficulty levels, moving from multiple choice to question types that require students to input exact answers (e.g., Type Answer, Pin Answer, Puzzle or Slider). The goal is to answer correctly, or understand where you need more practice. Kahoot! offers solo modes, such as flashcards, for continued practice in those specific areas. Dr. Özdemir’s meta-analysis found that Kahoot! boosts students’ academic achievement with an average effect size of 0.772, suggesting it effectively supports students in meeting challenging academic goals.
- Leverage the power of peers
Whether it’s cooperative games or a competition, the role of peers in learning is significant. Kahoot! was designed to engage students in a friendly competition, but for educators who want to focus on teamwork and cooperative skills, the Kahoot! game modes emphasize collaboration over competition. The study involving financial account students also highlighted students’ increased participation, engagement, concentration, and commitment when playing Kahoot!, partly due to the desire to surpass classmates.
- Encourage and support deliberate practice
Deliberate practice, which involves focused effort to improve performance, is essential for developing expertise. Regular use of Kahoot! for formative assessment provides students with repeated opportunities to practice retrieving and applying their knowledge, but also gives them opportunities to check their understanding against peers and the course expectations. Dr. Özdemir meta-analysis found an exceptionally large effect size of 1.492 for knowledge retention when using Kahoot!, indicating that this practice leads to significantly higher retention rates.
By making learning more visible through immediate feedback, encouraging self-evaluation, leveraging peer interaction, and providing opportunities for deliberate practice within an engaging format, Kahoot! aligns with key principles of effective instruction. Formative assessment is not only a tool for the teacher to assess the effectiveness of the lesson delivered, but a key tool for students to get valuable insights into their own learning journey, ultimately helping students achieve stronger performance and improved final grades.
