scholarly journals Evaluation of Assessment Strategies Used by Basic School Teachers in Ghana: The Case of Assessment for Learning

Author(s):  
Osei-Asibey Eunice ◽  
Kusi Prince ◽  
Nimoh Vivian ◽  
Bosson-Amedenu Senyefia

Ghana’s new curriculum for the basic school emphasizes collecting and evaluating information about learners and using the information to make decisions to improve their learning. This study employed the survey research design aimed at evaluating the use of Assessment for learning strategy by basic school teachers in Ghana. The features, strategies and principles underpinning Assessment for learning strategy formed the basis of the construction of 16 item Likert scale with a reliability coefficient of 0.979. A sample size of 100 was computed at 95% confidence interval and randomly selected from the population. The study found significant difference between demographic variables (such as teaching division, teaching experience and gender) and the use of assessment for learning strategy. Female teachers demonstrated greater skills with respect to providing interactive assessment that gives immediate feedback and direction to students than their male teacher counterparts .Class teachers demonstrated greater skills with respect to providing assessment that is inclusive of all learners than their subject teacher counterparts .Again, teachers with at least four years of experience in teaching demonstrated greater skills with respect to use of variety of feedback from students as a basis for deciding on groupings, instructional strategies and resources than their counterparts with less than four years of teaching experience . The study recommended for continuous professional development (PD) session to be introduced for basic school teachers by Ghana Education service on effective use of formative assessment.

Author(s):  
Bosson-Amedenu Senyefia ◽  
Osei-Asibey Eunice ◽  
Wiah Eric Neebo

Teachers are the pivot of Ghana’s new educational reform and their expertise in the use of the recommended assessment strategies need to be evaluated from time to time to enhance teaching and learning. This survey research approach sought to measure the use of Assessment as Learning strategy among basic school teachers in Ghana. The features, strategies and principles underpinning Assessment as Learning strategy formed the basis of the construction of 7 item likert scale with a reliability coefficient of 0.995. A sample size of 100 was computed at 95% confidence interval and randomly selected from the population. With respect to the use of Assessment as Learning strategy, significant differences were found for teaching division, teaching experience and gender. From the findings, the mean difference of 1.281 explains that class teachers demonstrated greater skills (M:3.75, SD:.436) with respect to assessing students in ways that make them reflect on their own work on regular basis through self and peer assessment, than their subject teacher counterparts(M:2.47, SD: 0.507). Also, with a mean difference of 1.526,class teachers (M: 3.59, SD: .496) exhibited higher skills of providing safe environment and support for students to take chances, than their subject teacher counterparts(M:2.06, SD: .246).Again, the absolute mean difference of 1.085 explains that teachers with at least 4 years of teaching experience (M:3.82, SD:.389)demonstrated greater skills with respect to providing for the development of independent learners than their counterparts(M:2.73, SD:0.447) with lesser years of teaching experience. Female teachers (M: 3.90, SD: .303) demonstrated greater skills with respect to providing for the development of independent learners than their male counterparts (M: 2.76, SD: 0.431)with a mean difference of 1.140.The overall performance of the teachers with regards to the Assessment as Learning strategy was found to be 57% using the grand mean as the threshold criterion. The findings provide a basis for Ghana Education Service to provide in-service professional learning training aimed at enhancing teachers’ knowledge of formative assessment with the ultimate goal of enhancing students’ learning and achievement.


Author(s):  
Bosson-Amedenu Senyefia ◽  
Osei-Asibey Eunice ◽  
Wiah Eric Neebo

Ghana’s new curriculum for the basic level places much emphasis on the need for teachers to evaluate the learner’s cumulative progress and achievement. This requirement makes it imperative to measure the competency of the teachers on the use of Assessment of Learning strategy. The study adopted a survey research approach and the features, strategies and principles under pinning Assessment of Learning strategy formed the basis of the construction of 12-itemlikert scale with a reliability coefficient of 0.98. A sample size of 100 was computed at 95% confidence interval and randomly selected from the population. With respect to this learning strategy, significant differences were found for teaching division and teaching experience. The findings indicated that with respect to providing processes that make it possible for students to demonstrate their competence and skill, the expertise of class teachers were significantly different (  from subject teachers . The mean difference of 1.256 shows that class teachers exhibited greater expertise in providing processes that make it possible for students to demonstrate their competence and skill than their subject teacher counterparts. Also, with regards to reporting students’ learning based on evidence obtained from variety of contexts  and applications, the expertise of class teachers  were significantly different (  from subject teachers with a mean difference of 1.710.In terms of providing range of alternative mechanisms for assessing the same outcomes, a significant difference (  was found between teachers with teaching experience of at least 4 years  and those with less experience .The absolute mean difference of 1.444 is an indication that the former performed better than the latter. The findings provide the basis for Ghana Education Service to organize in-service professional learning training aimed at enhancing teachers’ knowledge of summative assessment with the ultimate goal of enhancing students’ learning and achievement. The study recommends in-service training and continuous professional development sessions for subject teachers to build their capacity in the use of Assessment of Learning strategies.


2020 ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Bosson-Amedenu Senyefia ◽  
Osei-Asibey Eunice ◽  
Acquah Joseph

Ghana’s new basic school curriculum requires teachers to use new teaching strategies that also address cross cutting issues in their teaching to enhance learning. This study sought to assess the use of assessment strategies by basic school teachers in Ghana. A sample size of 100 was computed at 95% confidence interval and randomly selected from the population. The features, strategies and principles underpinning the assessment strategies and cross cutting issues in Ghana’s new curriculum for the basic school formed the basis of the construction of the 47 items used in the questionnaire. The internal consistency of the items used in the four point likert scale was high with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.995. Principal component analysis and multiple linear regressions were the main methods used for the analysis.KMO statistic of 0.921 and Bartlett’s Test’s Chi Square value was13684.049 with difference of freedom of 1081 and significance at 0.00000. Multiple extraction approaches were used to retain two components which explained about 91% of the variance. The first component named Criterion motivation explained about 61.7% of the variance and composed generally of assessment as-of- and - for learning strategies. The second component which was named inclusion motivation, generally loaded highly with the cross cutting issues and explaining about 28.6% of the total variance. Criterion and inclusion motivation were found to predict feedback with a high power of 94%.Criterion motivation was found to have a positive impact on feedback received from students and was statistically significant (B = 0.746, P<0.001). Again, there was a positive relationship between the inclusion motivation and feedback with a significant difference (B = 0.232, P<0.001).There were some disparities in the use of assessment strategies outlined in the new basic school curriculum for Ghana. Teachers were found to exhibit preference to some components of the assessment strategies recommended for use in the new curriculum at the detriment of others. It is recommended that the developed criterion motivation and inclusive motivation approaches are adopted in teaching in order to enhance maximum feedback from learners.


2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-358
Author(s):  
Ayse Ceren Atmaca ◽  
Seyit Ahmet Kiray ◽  
Mustafa Hilmi Colakoglu

Sustainable development is an interdisciplinary structure that includes the dimensions of environment, economy and society. The aim of this research was to determine the sustainable development awareness of science, social studies and primary school teachers. The research designed with the survey approach was carried out with 2982 teachers working in different regions of Turkey in 2019. In the research, Sustainable Development Awareness Scale consisting of 3 sub-dimensions and 36 items developed by Atmaca, Kiray and Pehlivan (2019) was used. Significance level was taken as .05 in the analyses that examined the signification between the groups. As a result of the research, no significant difference was found between the teachers’ sustainable development awareness and their branches and years of service, while a significant difference was found between the teachers’ ages and gender and their sustainable development awareness scores. Keywords: descriptive research, science education, sustainable development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 508-513
Author(s):  
Sijila Das ◽  
Nalinilatha M

The role of teacher is proficient, be composed of academic, didactic and social roles. Academic roles cover teaching, instructing and supervisory characters and pedagogical characters include instructional, valuation and simplifying roles. The study aimed to identify the teaching competency of secondary school teachers. The investigator adopted survey method to study the teaching competency between teachers from selected government, private and aided school. For this study a sample of 300 school teachers from eight various schools which are situated in Palakkad district selected by the investigator using simple random sampling technique. The findings revealed that there is no significant difference towards teaching competency among selected secondary school teachers with respect to personal variables like Gender, Marital Status, Educational Qualification, Type of Management and Teaching experience. The findings of the study help to discover the teaching competency of secondary school teachers in the society.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (35) ◽  
pp. 237-248
Author(s):  
Jumadi Musa ◽  
Mohamad Nizam Nazarudin ◽  
Zakiah Noordin ◽  
Nur Afny Juati ◽  
Hujaimah @ Siti Syafiqah Juhumin

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between headmaster instructional leadership, headmaster transformational leadership, self-efficacy, and trust among primary school teachers. Furthermore, the study aims to examine the role of gender, age, and teaching experience in headmaster instructional leadership, headmaster transformational leadership, and self-efficacy. The participants were selected by proportional stratified sampling and simple random selection. This study adopted a survey research design that utilized an ex-post facto research type in which the researcher used questionnaires to collect data from the respondents. The instruments used are the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS), Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), and Trust Scale - Trust in Principal. A total of 297 respondents (mean age 37.4 + 1.5 years) from 71 schools were involved in this study. The data gathered from the respondents were downloaded into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for quantitative analysis. The results of the study indicate that there is a positive significant relationship between headmaster instructional leadership (r = .708, p <.05), headmaster transformational leadership (r= .683, p<.05), self-efficacy (r = .615, p <.05) and trust. It is found there is no significant difference among primary school teachers of different ages and teaching experience concerning their headmaster instructional leadership [F (2, 296) = 1.533, p> 0.05][F (2, 296) =. 878, p> 0.05], , headmaster transformational leadership [F(2, 296)=.396, p> 0.05][F(2, 296)=.396, p> 0.05] and teacher efficacy [F (2, 296) = 1.164, p> 0.05] [F (2, 296) = 1.204, p> 0.05]. The present study gains significance as the results can assist the teachers and organizations in enhancing the thrust of teachers.


Author(s):  
Dominic Owusu ◽  
Anthony A. Nkyi ◽  
Grace Sintim Adasi

This study assessed occupational stress among Senior High School teachers in Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. The census method was used to involve all the 520 teachers in the selected public Senior High Schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The research instrument used was a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA) were employed for the data analysis. The findings showed low level of occupational stress among the teachers engaged in the research. The study also revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in occupational stress among teachers based on their gender. However, the study found out that there was a statistically significant difference in occupational stress among teachers based on their age, educational qualification and teaching experience. Based on the findings and the conclusions drawn, it was recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) and other analogous institutions should consciously re-design the responsibilities of teachers in the classroom in such a way that it may reduce the occupational stress, burnout and turnover intentions teachers experience on their jobs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-47
Author(s):  
Dandy George Dampson ◽  
Stephen Kwakye Apau

This study assessed the level of reflection among basic school teachers in the Central Region of Ghana. The mixed method paradigm, employing the concurrent parallel design (Quan-qual) was adopted for the study. A total of 312 basic school teachers were involved in the quantitative phase through a systematic sampling technique. Twelve teachers who participated in the quantitative phase of the study were selected randomly for qualitative data collection. A pre-validated Likert-scale questionnaire made up of 29 items was adopted for the quantitative phase of the study. A semi-structured interview guide was designed by the researchers to gather qualitative data from the respondents. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data whilst the interview was analysed thematically. The study revealed that even though the reflective practices of basic school teachers are moderate, they are practical, cognitive, learner-centered, meta-cognitive and critical. The study further established that gender, age and teaching experience predict the reflectivity level of the teachers. The study, therefore, recommends that the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) should make reflection a key component of teacher training curriculum in Ghana. Again, in-service training and periodic workshops should be organised by the Ghana Education Service for teachers to be educated on how they can effectively reflect on their classroom practices in order to maximize students learning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Merve Bayram ◽  
Mine Koruyucu ◽  
Figen Seymen

Purpose: Traumatic dental injuries, majority of which occur at school and primary care given by teacher, should managed as soon as possible. The knowledge and attitudes of teachers is critical for the best prognosis of traumatized teeth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate knowledge and attitudes among elementary public and private school teachers in dental trauma management.Materials and Methods: A modified three-part questionnaire comprised of questions regarding demographic data, attitude and knowledge about dental trauma was distributed to 328 teachers (public schools:164/private schools:164). The results of the questionnaire were expressed as frequency distributions. Statistical analysis was performed by version 20.0 of the SPSS statistics software.Results: The average correct knowledge score was 4.96 out of 10. Two individual predictors significantly improved the respondents’ knowledge: being more than 50 years old age (p=0.001) and more than 15 years teaching experience group (p<0.001). While 84.5% of public, 79% of private school teachers found their knowledge poor; and 85% of public, 76% of private school teachers state they're not satisfied with their level of knowledge. Private school teachers had given significantly more correct answers to the questions about dental avulsion management than public school teachers (p=0.01). There was no significant difference between public and private school teachers' knowledge regarding dental trauma management.Conclusion: The level of knowledge in dental trauma management determined in this study was unsatisfying. Programs on increasing the awareness and motivation of teachers on dental trauma management in both types of schools are recommended.


Author(s):  
Swarupa Rani T. ◽  
A. Siva Padmavathi

All around development means a person must be physically fit, mentally balanced, emotionally strong, socially adjusted and spiritually uplifted. The spiritual intelligence solves problems of meaning and value. It gives direction to our life in critical moment. Meaning/Purpose in life must be conceived in terms of the specific meaning of a personal life in a given situation. The study is design to examine the influence of the spiritual intelligence on purpose in life of secondary school teachers. The method used for the study is survey method. The sample of the study is 200 secondary school teachers. Two types of tools are used for this study. 1. The spiritual intelligence questionnaire constructed by Danah Zohar and Marshall (1999), it is a 5-point scale and 2. The purpose in life test prepared by Crumbaugh and Maholick (1969) is selected as an instrument to measure Viktor Frankl’s concept in meaning in life. It is a 5 point Likert scale. Both the tools are used to collect the data from secondary school teachers. The results of this study indicated that there is no significant difference is found in spiritual intelligence of secondary school teachers with below 10years, 10-20 years and 20 and above year’s groups.  No significant difference is found in purpose in life of secondary school teachers in their teaching experience with below 10years, 10-20 years and 20 and above year’s groups. The variable teaching experience does not influence significantly the spiritual intelligence and purpose in life of secondary school teachers. The study showed that there is no significant association between the levels of spiritual intelligence of secondary school teachers and their purpose in life. Findings of this study shows that all secondary school teachers have average level of spiritual intelligence and purpose in life.


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