ABSTRACT
A group of children were investigating magnetism. They had played with a variety of magnets, they had magnetised needles and made floating compasses and used these to find the bearings of features around the school. The children had not experienced this topic before, so the teacher thought it would be valuable to assess their understanding of the concept after they had completed the practical activities. She decided to use individual questionnaires in order to evaluate their learning. This proved to be a difficult task for Ben and James: the teacher was aware they enjoyed and participated fully in the practical science, but that they disliked and when possible, avoided reading and writing. It was explained that all the group should complete the questions on their own and afterwards she would talk to them about their answers.
