AN EVALUATION OF TEACHERS ATTITUDE AND COMPETENCY IN IMPLEMENTING CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ETHIOPE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF DELTA STATE

ABSTRACT

This study is predicated on selected secondary schools in Ethiope Local Government Area of Delta state with a view to evaluating teachers’ attitude and competence in implementing continuous assessment. In carrying out the survey, the researcher tried to study the problems and found out the factors aecting the eective implementation of continuous assessment in some selected secondary schools in Delta state. Whetherthe schoolteachers are adequately equipped to participate actively in the implementation of continuous assessment programme ofthe state government. If the appropriate facilities have been put in place by the Ministry of Education to facilitate the work of teachers in the implementation of continuous assessment programme. The problems associated with the continuous assessment in schools. If teachers know the difference between continuous assessment and the traditional system of testing the students items while testing the students, hence poor performance in examination. Based on the findings, the researcher made some useful recommendations. It is my ardent hope that these recommendations should be implemented by the relevant authorities.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The history of evaluation in the Nigeria education system is not easy to trace perhaps its first mention was expressed in the form of ordinance that put in place in 1882, among the provisions of these ordinance were that of the following criteria been set for grants for teachers’ salaries. First, grant for organization and discipline with special grants to schools, which obtain the area of percentage of passes and reached high standard of academic excellence. Secondly, a captivation passes grant for each subject. In 1889, another ordinance was enacted and it started in part that on grant would be made in aid of any school except that the school in public examination shall have attained prerequisite percentage of eiciency. This explains the place of evaluation and testing students in the school curriculum, evaluation was relatively simple because it comes at the end of the year’s programme. In the secondary schools, there was a highly selective system of evaluation practice. Passport into secondary school was an organized written examination followed by an oral interview. There were term and final examination which most schools depend on for the purpose of promotion. One of the most important hallmarks of the National Policy on Education (1981) is the provision of the continuous assessment as an effective tool for wholly a partly assessment and evaluating the student’s learning outcomes in the various level of our educational system. This continuous assessment is presently been run in secondary schools as it was introduced. In 1982, the National Policy on Education (1981) provides a six year primary education, three years Junior secondary education, three years secondary education.

Tertiary education and four years University, each of which level would be allowed to implement the continuous assessment as laid down by the federal ministry of education. it is marked by intention to make students specialized early enough in the future careers. Most importantly, it has provisions for making drop outs employee. This new system of education will replace the formal one final examination system, which has outlined its usefulness. The formal examination system has been criticized for its short comings. It is a common knowledge that very many students roam about the street during most of the school year, only to the classroom a week or two before the promotion examination to do any serious work. They are not serious for any academic work because they have not prepared themselves for such tasks. This underscores the point why eminent scholars have argued that examination is not a true test of ones’ ability. There has been an occasion when some students commit suicide because of failing examination. It should be revealed that examination on high predicated on the cognitive aspect of the student’s learning and tended to ignore affective and psychomotor aspects. It consequently creates our students and examination consciousness and an appetite for memorization and regurgitation of fact which in turn tend to stifle their inflection thinking.

These among other reasons encourage examination malpractice among students. Therefore, it is hoped that the introduction of continuous assessment will check the short comings of the examination system. There are various tools which may be used to find out the outcomes of learning activities. These include test, assignment, project, observation, interview, and questionnaires. The data obtained on the students will then be used to aid his further use and the purpose of providing information to the parent, guardian, and others who can use this for the benefit of the students. Such an assessment involves the use of great varieties of mode of evaluation for the purpose of guiding and improving the learning and performance of the students.