Designing Formative Assessments to Enhance Student Engagement and Motivational Persistence within Thesis Circles

Thesis writing is challenging for bachelor's students as it requires independent work in integrating knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Thesis circles (small group supervisions) provide a structure to foster reciprocal learning and socially shared regulation. However, peer- and self-assessment activities within these circles often face resistance, and their impact on student engagement and motivational persistence remains underexplored.
This study investigates the relationships between formative assessments—peer and self—assessment—student engagement and motivational persistence within thesis circles. Building on Reeve's student engagement framework, we examine agentic engagement, which involves students expanding their freedom of action to enhance motivation and learning. Motivational persistence, categorized into current purposes pursuing, long-term purposes pursuing, and recurrence of unattained pursuits, is also explored.
Using Sandoval's conjecture mapping approach, we conduct a scoping review to integrate theoretical aspects of formative assessment design, engagement support, and motivational persistence strategies within thesis circles. The study predicts interactions that enhance behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and agentic engagement while fostering persistence in pursuing both short- and long-term goals.
Results include a comprehensive conjecture map outlining high-level hypotheses, mediating processes, and intervention outcomes. The discussion focuses on the implications of formative assessment design for enhancing student engagement and persistence within the context of thesis circles.