Current Assessment Practices in Field Trip Activities and the Need for Ethnoscience-Based Assessment Frameworks

Abstract

Field trip activities have become an important component of contextual learning in Indonesian schools because they provide opportunities for students to interact directly with real-world environments. This study aimed to investigate how student assessment is implemented during field trip activities and to examine whether ethnoscience-based assessment has been incorporated into current assessment practices. A qualitative case study design was employed involving thirteen respondents from junior high schools and Islamic junior high schools in Tegal Regency, Indonesia. Data were collected through questionnaires, open-ended responses, and documentation of assessment practices. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis supported by data reduction, categorization, interpretation, and conclusion drawing. The findings revealed that field trips are regularly conducted in participating schools and are generally designed to strengthen subject matter understanding and character development. Assessment practices predominantly rely on written reports, teacher observations, presentations, and portfolios. Although critical thinking indicators were considered important by most respondents, systematic assessment of critical thinking rarely occurred. Furthermore, no school reported using a specific ethnoscience-based assessment framework. Teachers identified several challenges, including limited observation time, large student numbers, lack of assessment instruments, and absence of standardized rubrics. The study concludes that ethnoscience-based assessment has not yet been systematically implemented in field trip activities despite its potential to enhance authentic assessment and contextual learning. The development of structured ethnoscience-based assessment instruments is therefore necessary to support meaningful evaluation of students' critical reasoning and understanding of local knowledge systems.