Exhibitions: Student participation in an alternative assessment experience in a senior English class

The purpose of this study was to explore the exhibition as an alternative assessment tool in a high school second semester senior English class. Specifically, this study investigated sixteen students' reactions to one exhibition process in their college-preparatory class, their views of it as an assessment tool, and their beliefs of how the experience encouraged their future learning.; This naturalistic study took place in an alternative-choice, suburban public high school. The class was two hours and five minutes in length per day for four days a week; I was the students' teacher for nine weeks.; The foundation of this study was student responses as they moved through the exhibition process and to document thick description, various qualitative methods of data collection were used. First, three student interviews took place, one structured and two unstructured. Second, artifact analysis occurred from each student writing five separate journal responses throughout the semester; they each also wrote a reflective essay on the last day of class. Finally, my own participant observations, taking place each class day as students worked on their exhibitions, were used. The data sources were analyzed using the constant comparative method.; Seven themes developed from the students' perspectives regarding their exhibitions: confidence, criticism, active learning, expanded learning, open-mindedness, self-expression, and responsibility. The study adds to the field of education because it introduced and explained one type of assessment alternative for teachers that honed students' critical thinking skills. Also, the students explained how the exhibition experience prepared them for future community involvement as life long-learners.