578 EEJ 12 (4) (2022) 578-586 English Education Journal http://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/eej The Implementation of Performance-Based Assessment Technique to Assess Students’ Analysing Skill in English Learning Umniyyatul Makmuroh, Hendi Pratama, Puji Astuti Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia Article Info ________________ Article History: Accepted 09 May 2022 Approved 04 July 2022 Published 23 December 2022 ________________ Keywords: Analysing Skill English learning Performance- based Assessment, HOTS ____________________ Abstract ___________________________________________________________________ Performance-based assessment (PBA) offers teachers to figure out students’ authentic language proficiency and encourages students to think critically. The students implemented what they have got in the teaching and learning process in real ways. Moreover, this technique is purposed to help teachers in improving students’ higher-order thinking skill. The first higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) to be achieved among all is analysing skill. Since some studies found that this skill is less assessed. Therefore, this study aims at explaining the implementation of Performance-Based Assessment to assess students’ analyzing skills in learning English. Employing qualitative research design, an English teacher who was teaching ninth-grade students at SMPN 2 Semarang and fulfilled the study requirements were selected to be the subject of the study. Data were gathered using classroom observation, document analysis, and interview. The result showed that the teacher applied process-oriented assessment in the implementation of performance-based assessment to assess students’ analyzing skills in English learning. Some probing questions were delivered during the going time of learning activities which could trigger students to think critically about the answers at that time. The teacher guided the students in a depth discussion about the learning materials. Most importantly, the questions used to conduct the assessment were WH questions which require HOTS. To sum up, the implementation of PBA to assess students’ analyzing skills was done through probing questions. This result is significantly found as a reference in conducting analyzing skill assessment. Correspondence Address : Jl. Kelud Utara III No.15, Kel. Petompon, Kec. Gajahmungkur, Kota Semarang, Jawa Tengah 50237 E-mail: umniyyatul@gmail.com p-ISSN 2087-0108 e-ISSN 2502-4566 Umniyyatul Makmuroh, et all. / English Education Journal 12 (4) (2022) 578-586 579 INTRODUCTION The role of assessment in the teaching and learning process will never last. Whatever the subjects, an assessment must be conducted. As stated by Wahyudi et al. (2019), assessment is important because it can help a teacher to discover how far the teaching and learning process quality has been so that information on what to do next can be acquired. In English class, an assessment is done to find out students’ language acquisition to closely get the English learning objectives. According to Tosuncuoglu (2018), assessing students can help teachers in knowing the number of students who have achieved the objectives of learning a foreign language, who get difficulties or problems with their learning, and which techniques are useful and appropriate in teaching a foreign language in classes. Accordingly, the teacher can make some decisions if the foreign language-teaching program can be continued or changed to utilize other teaching techniques. Hence, assessment should be meaningful and can be applied to learners’ real life. In achieving this assessment goal, picking up alternative assessment is more considerable due to its authenticity in describingstudents’ language comprehension instead of the traditional one, such as multiple choice. Wiyaka et al. (2016) said that multiple-choice assessments cannot give deeper insight to what the students are able to do with regarding the language use. Thus, a traditional assessment may not be helpful for learners’ needs because they are not demanded to apply knowledge in real life. In other words, using a test such as a paper and a pen test may affect students negatively. It can reduce students’ motivation in language learning because of extreme stress. Students usually will focus on memorizing materials rather than understanding the concept. To deal with this problem, doing the authentic assessment is more beneficial for teachers in gaining references about students’ learning results (Mursyida et al., 2020; Nugraheni et al., 2022). The authentic assessment offers a more real description of students’ abilities. Students engage themselves in real-life situations and are more productive during learning hours. One of the preferable alternative assessments can be employed is performance- based assessment. Performance-based assessment techniques point out a set of techniques for applying information, abilities, and work habits through the accomplishment of relevant and interesting activities for pupils (Hibbard et al., 1996). Such assessments provide teachers with information about how well students understand and apply knowledge. It goes beyond the ability to recall information and beyond the rote of memorizing rules. Performance-based assessment techniques are based on actual-world tasks and examine to see if students can do these tasks using their knowledge and skills. The advantages are increasing student engagement in classroom activities and gaining some awareness of what has to be done later. Moreover, Brown (2004) said performance-based assessment offers students higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Students will have a long-term memory of the information they gain since they possess a solid conceptual understanding and are able to utilize the material in a new setting with ease. In curriculum 2013, the Performance- Based Assessment technique (PBA) technique can be applied even in Junior high school. One of the objectives of curriculum 2013 is that students can think creatively and critically. The curriculum 2013 emerges Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) at all levels of education to enhance students’ understanding and critical thinking. Moreover, the newest curriculum applied Penguatan PendidikanKarakter (PPK) and 4C: creative, critical thinking, communicative, and collaborative. In this case, students should be able to find out information by themselves rather than from the teachers. Getting information needs critical thinking and creativity, which belongs to HOTS. To sum up, PBA and HOTS beneficially address the need for education, especially in English subjects. With the merge of those two, students can gain the expected English ability in critical ways and perform it authentically. Umniyyatul Makmuroh, et all. / English Education Journal 12 (4) (2022) 578-586 580 Based on the studies on Performance- Based Assessment and HOTS reviewed it is revealed that Performance-Based Assessment has significant impacts on English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Learners gained some significant improvements in their learning (Latipah and Purnawarman, 2018; Natalia et al., 2014; Safitri et al., 2018; Yildirim and Orsdemir, 2013). Students’ and teachers’ responses to Performance-Based Assessment were also analysed to share more detailed information about it (Prastikawati, 2018). Besides, improving students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) will also be beneficial for students’ English proficiency improvement (Yoke et al., 2015). The previous studies review shows that the availability of Higher Order Thinking Skills in English teaching and learning processes and tests was still not achieved (Anasy, 2016; Assaly & Smadi, 2015; Atiullah et al., 2019; Febrina et al., 2019; Keshta & Seif, 2013; Sunggingwati & Nguyen, 2013; and Tangsakul et al., 2017). In conducting some tests, such as daily tests, final tests, national exams, etc. students’ critical thinking on the questions was not required. Teachers still tend to use questions that do not demand students to think critically. One of the higher-order thinking skills to be developed is analysing skill. It is the first skill out of three higher levels. Some studies found that there was still low development in how students break down information. In the study of Anasy (2016), there were only 12 analysis questions out of 157 (7.7%). It is a small distribution. And it is confirmed by another study that the activity of analysis was still not varied (Aryani & Wahyuni, 2020). Whereas Brookhhart mentioned that it is crucial to encourage students to figure out the relationship between one thing and others. The skill of analyzing ideas and information is importantly trained. Based on the previous studies review, most of them just focused on finding the availability of analysing skill in the English textbooks, teaching materials, and examinations. But the gap is none of them investigated teaching activities which assessed anlysing skill and how it is implemented. Therefore, this study would like to investigate the implementation of performance-based assessment to assess students’ analyzing skill in learning English. It then could become the reference for English teachers in improving their students’ analysing skill. METHOD This study employed a qualitative research design that formed descriptive data. To meet the data needed, the study applied a purposive sampling technique. The sample selection was done purposively because the subject applied Performance-Based Assessment in the classroom. The data were collected based on the implementation of Performance-Based Assessment to assess students’ HOTS in English learning at SMPN 2 Semarang. The subject was an English teacher who was teaching ninth-grade students. To limit the subject and expectedly fulfill the data, there are some requirements in selecting the subject of the study. The English teacher should have been teaching at least 10 years, got certified, and ever joined training or workshop about HOTS assessment. The data were collected using three instruments. They are classroom observation, document analysis, and an interview. Classroom observation was used to know the students’ and the teacher’s activities in the implementation of Performance-Based Assessment. The observation was done in three meetings. Next, document analysis was used to support the data found in the classroom observation. And the last was the interview. An open-ended interview was applied. It was conducted to clarify and confirm what has been done in the assessment activities process. There were three questions asked to the teacher. After all the data gained, further was analysed by filtering the activities which are grouped into analysing skill and interpreted. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS A classroom observation was conducted to know the implementation of performance-based assessment technique to assess students’ Umniyyatul Makmuroh, et all. / English Education Journal 12 (4) (2022) 578-586 581 analysing skill. An observation sheet was used to collect the data. What the teachers and students did during the teaching and learning process was noted, especially when the teacher did an activity of analysing assessment that triggered students’ critical thinking. The following table is the result of the observation activities for analysing skill in the meeting one and meeting two. From the result of the classroom observation, it was found out that the teacher implemented a performance- based assessment to assess students’ analysing skills in the first meeting and the second meeting. Table 1. Observation Result in the 1st Meeting Teacher’s activities Teacher’s instructions Students’ activities The teacher shares a video and asks some questions “I have a video. Look at the video about how to make crispy potato wedges. Try to analyse. Then, group the video material into each part of procedure text. “What did you find on the video?” “What are the ingredients?” “What are the tools?” “What are the steps?” Students do the activities and answer the questions from the teacher. In the first meeting, the material focus was the procedure text of a recipe “How to Make Crispy Potato Wedges” as the first theme. After the teacher explained the materials about the procedure text, she evaluated her students’ learning results throughout the Performance- Based Assessment technique. To support her, she implemented a process-focused assessment in conducting a performance-based assessment technique by asking the students to analyze a video of procedure text. Figure 1 Content Display of the Procedure Text Video of Recipe The teacher presented a video and instructed students to analyze and group the video content into procedure text structure materials. This assessing activity was known from the teacher’s instruction in the table presented. Based on the teacher’s instruction a in the classroom observation above, it is yielded that the teacher used the operational word “analyze” and “group” for the process of knowing students analysing skills. These activities were involved into the first order of higher order thinking skill since the students had to break down information from the video they watched. In the video, there was no information that told the students every part of a procedure text. They should take conclusion based on their analysis on which the part belongs to. After giving the instruction and time for students to do the process, the teachers probed some questions related to the text analysis. Here, she used some probing questions to make the students share their answers as the process–focused assessment (The questions were displayed in the table of teacher’s instruction b, c, d, and e). These kinds of questions were other ways to trigger students’ critical thinking in term of the analysis. The stimulated questions helped the teacher to know how far the students could do the analysis activity. The assessment process of analysing skill presenting HOTS was also done in the second meeting. Umniyyatul Makmuroh, et all. / English Education Journal 12 (4) (2022) 578-586 582 Table 2. Observation Result in the 2nd Meeting No Teacher’s activities Teacher’s instructions Students’ activities 1. The teacher gives some questions for the video discussion. “What is the video about?” “What do you think about this text? Is it a recipe or manual, or tip?” “What is the goal of the speaker in this text?” “Where do you usually find this kind of text?” “What is the suitable title for the text?” The students responded to the teacher’s questions. In this meeting, the theme was different from the first. On that day, the material taught was about the procedure text of the manual. To assess students’ analysing skill in this theme, the teacher presented a video of “How to Wear a Life Jacket”. Figure 2 Content Display of the Procedure Text Video of Manual The duration of that video was around one-minute length. The students were asked to watch the video and listen to what it was told about. Some questions related to the video were prepared by the teacher. In this second meeting, students’ analysing skill was assessed through a process-focused assessment like what the teacher did in the previous meeting. The questions were in the form of probing questions that can stimulate students’ critical thinking All the questions mentioned above inferred that they were purposed to trigger students analysing skill. In the first question, students were required to know the main idea presented by the speaker. In this case, students had to be able to comprehend the text and make a conclusion about the kind of text given. The process of concluding is involved into analysing skill. The second question was about the process of categorizing since the students had to know the social function, generic structure, and the language features of a manual procedure text. Next question was about the purpose of the text. In the video, the speaker did not mention the purpose of the text. She directly shared the steps of wearing that jacket. In this question, the teacher wanted students to discover the text goal based on the speaker’s explanation. The fourth question, which was about the place of the text, was given to instruct students to assume what they have got from the text. And the last question was determining the title of the text. The process of this determination was a part of inference. When the information provider did not provide the title, the students had to understand the content of the text and then decide the title which represented the text. All activities done by the teacher and students confirmed the lesson plan which the teacher had created for before the teaching process. In analyzing the lesson plan, I only focused on the activities which referred to process of analysis during the teaching and learning process. The result on the document analysis is presented below. Table 3. Rubric of Lesson Plan Analysis No Items Notes 1 HOTS Analysing skill 2 Availability Yes 3 Meeting/Theme Meeting 1/recipe Meeting 2/manual 4 If “Yes” which parts of the lesson plan Activities of analysing skill is stated in the first Umniyyatul Makmuroh, et all. / English Education Journal 12 (4) (2022) 578-586 583 reflect the referred HOTS? meeting in the lesson plan. It says, “Peserta didik mengamati video “How to Make A Crispy Potato Wedges” Guru memberi umpan balik berupa pertanyaan Peserta didik menganalisis struktur teks (generic structure) dari teks prosedur berdasarkan teks dalam video (Activity 4)\ To add, the activities of analysing skill are also written in the second meeting in the lesson plan. It says, “Guru memberi umpan balik berupa pertanyaan (activity 5)” Activity 5 What is the video about?” “What do you think about this text? Is it a recipe or manual, or tip?” “What is the goal of the speaker in this text?” “Where do you usually find this kind of text?” “What is the suitable title for the text?” The table above presents that analysing skill was employed in the first and second meeting synchronizing the result of classroom observation. The activities both in the first and the second meeting represented process-focused assessment which encourages students to optimize their higher thinking of analyzing. The data found were supported by the teacher’s statement in the interview. “For analysing skill ……. And after that I will give my students questions that still relate to materials or exercise, and they answer it.” (Archived on Thursday, 15 October 2020) Implicitly the teacher mentioned that she chose to ask some questions to trigger the students’ skill in analysing objects. In this case, in the teaching procedure text a number of questions were given to figure out the result of to what extend the students could discover information which are not implicitly stated in the text. The result showed that the teacher took students to participate in this skill assessment by giving questions in the teaching and learning process. She probed some questions related to the topic discussed that day to some students. Dealing with the skill of analysing, it is the first cognitive level of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). It refers to the ability to break down information into its parts and know the reason for it (Brookhart, 2010). In line with this, Krathwohl (2002) mentioned that in the process of analysing, students are required to be able to divide a complex structure of a concept into more simple ones and students can describe the relationship of each part. Analysing skill involves students’ extension of understanding. After they have gone through the process of three cognitive levels of lower order thinking skills, the stage is going upper one level more. This skill should be completed before the students gain evaluating and creating skill. Based on the findings, activities that the teacher did in this process of assessment was categorized into performance-based assessment activities. Students answered questions through process-focused assessment, in which the task did not focus on the product or performance of students at the end of unit instead in the going time. McTighe and Ferrara (1998), process- focused assessment or process-oriented assessment measures the task of real performance. It only aims at finding out process which students have witnessed as they are given tasks. Students will be observed directly through Umniyyatul Makmuroh, et all. / English Education Journal 12 (4) (2022) 578-586 584 activities which the teacher has designed. In other words, students could trigger their thinking skill by finding out what the teacher questioned. Related to what has been studied, Munira (2017) found that process-focused assessment or process- oriented assessment could facilitate students to improve their productive skills, writing and speaking. Almalki (2019) did an explanatory study to discover whether process-orinted assessment is capable to develop the progress of students’ speaking. Even, he also investigated students’ critical thinking. Under the circumstances the finding viewed that this technique is suggestive to be carried out in English classroom. The students’ overall speaking skill was updated. This finding is supported by the study of Kaya and Ateş (2016). From their study, the students got particularly improvement on their writing skill after having the process-oriented technique in the learning process. Students were well- taught steps of writing to produce a good writing. Sequences of writing were done thoroughly. Still and all, this technique of assessment was ever applied by Deng (2020) in the flipped classroom for the study of English business translation class. Through questionnaire and survey result, it was depicted that process-oriented assessment technique was able to improve students’ motivation in doing their tasks related to English business translation. Moreover, the final quality of their translation performance was significantly getting enhanced. The point is the technique brought up the students not to be passive listeners and followers. By then, they become the main subject and the center of assessment activities. CONCLUSION Developing student’s higher-order thinking skill as apart of assessment should be a major issue for teachers. Studies found that the availability of HOTS in textbook, even teaching and learning process is still low. This study offered how performance-based assessment gives solution to improves students’ analysing skill in English learning. From the finding presented, it is revealed that the teacher applied performance- based assessment to assess students’ analysing skill by using process oriented assessment through probing questions. It shows that the process-oriented assessment could be an alternative assessment activity that could trigger students’ participation in analysing critically. Instead of explaining the activities done by the teacher in Performance-Based Assessment technique, the findings of the study give an insight on how Performance-Based Assessment technique is applied and used to assess analysing skill of HOTS. Therefore, it can be the references for English teachers in high school in for improving their students’ analysing skill. REFERENCES Almalki, M. S. (2019). 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