The evaluation used to improve the contents during curriculum development is:
2025
The evaluation used to improve the contents during curriculum development is:
- A.
Summative evaluation
- B.
Formative evaluation
- C.
Diagnostic evaluation
- D.
None of these
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: Educational evaluation is classified by WHEN and WHY it happens relative to a program's development cycle. Formative evaluation (drawing on Scriven's formative-summative distinction) is carried out WHILE a curriculum or instructional material is still being designed or developed, specifically to gather feedback and revise the content before it is finalized. Summative evaluation is carried out AFTER a program has been completed and implemented, to judge its overall effectiveness or worth. Diagnostic evaluation, a related evaluation category, is carried out BEFORE instruction begins, to identify learners' existing knowledge, skills, or gaps.
Application: The question asks for the evaluation used to improve the contents DURING curriculum development -- that is, an evaluation embedded in the development process itself, whose findings feed revisions back into the material before it is finalized. This ongoing, revision-driving role during development is the defining function of formative evaluation.
Cross-check:
Summative evaluation is conducted only after development and implementation are complete, so by definition it cannot feed improvements back into content that is still being developed.
Diagnostic evaluation is administered before instruction begins, to assess learners' prior knowledge or skill gaps -- it evaluates learners, not the curriculum content itself, and does not occur during content development.
The named evaluation types already cover the standard classification used for evaluating content during a development cycle, so ruling out all of them is not warranted here.
Therefore, the evaluation used to improve the contents during curriculum development is formative evaluation.