Abstract
The main purpose of this work was to investigate the assessment tools and techniques used by teachers in the implementation of Government curriculum in Enugu Education zone. Three Education zones were purposively selected for the study; Enugu North, Isi-Uzo and South East. The study adopted descriptive survey design. Six (6) research questions guided the study; What assessment tools and techniques are often used by teachers in the implementation of the Government curriculum?, What areas of behaviours do teachers often assess in the process of implementing Government curriculum?, To what extent does gender determine teachers’ effective usage of assessment tools and techniques in the implementation of the Government curriculum?, To what extent does qualification determine teachers’ effective usage of assessment tools and techniques in the implementation of the Government curriculum?, To what extent does teaching experience determine teachers’ effective usage of assessment tools and techniques in the implementation of the Government curriculum?, What are the challenges faced by teachers in the use of assessment tools and techniques in the implementation of the Government curriculum? Three hypotheses on gender, qualification and years of teaching experience were formulated for the study. Results show that teachers of Government do not very often use assessment tools and techniques for affective and psychomotor domains but often use assessment tools and techniques for cognitive domain. The findings also revealed that teachers do not very often assess the areas of behaviour in affective and psychomotor domains but often assess areas of cognitive domain. The findings further show that gender is not a significant factor in the use of assessment tools and techniques by teachers of Government while qualification and years of teaching experience are significant factors. Based on the findings, recommendations were made which include that curriculum planners should emphasize on the need to assess the three domains of learning and that facilities should be provided in schools to enhance the assessment of the three domains of learning using appropriate assessment tools and techniques.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
It is a known fact that for a teacher to determine the extent to which learning has taken place in any subject, assessment must come into place. Government is one of the school subjects that require teacher’s assessment to ascertain the extent to which Government curriculum has been implemented. The term Government has been conceptualised into three viz: as an institution; as an act of governance and as a field of study. The focus of this study is on Government as a field of study. Government as a field of study can be seen as a discipline that deals with the study of the structure, principles, concepts and the theories that explain governmental practices of a nation and her relationship with other countries of the world. Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC, 2007: i), specified among others that the objective of government as a school subject, is to help the student to recognise his role as an informed citizen and his contribution towards the achievement of national development.
The objective of teaching Government is not only to enable the students understand the concepts and process of government but also to become active participants in the democratic process of the nation (NERDC, 2007: i). Nigeria as a democratic nation has been faced with a lot of democratic challenges which range from electoral fraud, post-election violence, insecurity and fraudulent practices. Others include poverty, corruption, violence, unrest and instability, and gradual erosion of democratic standards (Lafenwa(2009). Based on the emerging challenges, the secondary education system should be geared towards social and personal needs to create awareness in the recipients that promote rational thinking in democratic governance (Abdullahi, nd)). Ogunbiyi & Ojebiyi (2012) have noted the need for the study of Government in secondary schools due to its usefulness in fostering the political consciousness and inculcation of a positive attitude and understanding of the Nigerian Political system among youths. To this extent, emphasis on the implementation process of Government is necessary considering the wake of increase in antisocial behaviours among secondary school leavers (Idowu & Esere, 2009).
Implementation process of any curriculum, Government inclusive is known as the vital aspect of the curriculum. Onyeachu (2008), notes that no matter how well a curriculum of any subject is planned, designed and documented that its implementation is important. If a curriculum is well designed or planned but not well implemented, the objective of the curriculum may be defeated. In order that any subject including Government achieves its purpose, the implementation process must be in tandem with the objectives stated in the curriculum. It is expected that the implementation process of Government subject which assessment is part of, will take into cognizance those needed skills required to be an active citizen. Some of the skills are; problem solving skill, communication skill, decision making skill among others. However reports show that students’ performance over the years has been low (West African Examination Council, WAEC, 2011). Among the factors enumerated by WAEC that led to the poor performance include; poor knowledge of subject matter, poor communication skill and inadequate knowledge of current affairs. Others include incorrect interpretation of questions, lack of manipulative skills, poor knowledge of examination techniques among others (Nnaike, 2011). One wonders if these factors are not being checked in the classroom assessment. With this trend, it becomes necessary to look at assessment processes in the classroom. This is because the only way through which learning can be measured and assessed is through assessment. Furthermore, in determining the extent to which a curriculum is implemented, much emphasis has been laid on assessment. This is at least to ascertain the learners’ level of knowledge and for certification as pointed out by Idowu & Esere (2009) and to provide the learners information on the quality of their learning.
Adeyegbe, Modupe & Ayo (2003), opined that assessment, learning and teaching are not mutually exclusive. This implies that one cannot talk of teaching and learning without assessment forming part of it. Good assessment is integral in achieving educational objectives for the learners, ensuring that parents, pupils, and teachers get the feedback they need to make the right choices about teaching (Brown, 2009). The New Zealand Curriculum (2011) states that the primary purpose of assessment is to improve students’ learning and teachers’ teaching as both student and teacher respond to the information that it provides.
Assessment can be defined as process skills that allow a teacher to infer student understanding of concepts taught (Badders, 2011). Thomas & Vincent (2001) see educational assessment as procedure or activity that is designed to collect information about the knowledge, attitude, or skills of a learner or group of learners. In other words, assessment has to do with collecting data on students understanding of a concept in order to move the students’ towards full understanding of more concepts. The sample may include behaviors, products, knowledge, and performances. Assessment is a continuous, ongoing process that involves examining and observing children’s behaviors, listening to their ideas, and developing questions to promote conceptual understanding (Badders, 2011). In order to determine the level of teaching and learning in the classroom, teachers use classroom assessment. Classroom assessment is an important topic for study in today’s educational environment that emphasizes student learning and achievement.
Classroom assessment includes all the process involved in making decisions about students learning progress. It includes the observation of students’ written work, their answers to questions in class, and performance on teacher-made and standardized tests (Asia University, 2012). According to James (2003), classroom assessment is both a teaching approach and a set of techniques. As a teaching approach, the more the teacher knows about what and how students are learning, the better he can plan learning activities in order to structure teaching. Classroom assessment is the process of collecting information from students about their experiences as learners in the class. The aim of classroom assessment is to produce information that contributes to the teaching and learning process and assists in education decision making, where decision makers includes students, teachers, parents, and administrators (Lange,1999). Teachers need to know about their students’ problems while learning, their progress, and the level of formality they are operating at so that they can adapt their teaching strategies to meet the students’ needs. Assessment is a vital indicator of student’s capability and a justification for parents/guardians’ expenditure of scarce resources; the main assessment characteristics are determined in terms of its coverage in special knowledge, attitude, and skill development of the students (Gimba, 2012).
The principles of classroom assessment as noted by Center for Instructional Development and Research CIDR, (2011) include its systematic way of collecting information; its ungraded nature so that students can provide useful information and its call for response from the instructor. The main purpose of classroom assessment as noted by Angelo and Cross (2011) is to empower both teachers and their students to improve the quality of learning in the classroom. Continuing, Angelo and Cross notes that classroom assessment enable teachers become better able to understand and promote learning, and increase their ability to help the students themselves become more effective, self-assessing and self-directed learners. Nevertheless, assessment covers all aspects of school experience both within and outside the classroom (Idowu & Esere, 2009).
Assessment could be formative or summative assessment. Formative assessment is a range of formal or informal assessment procedures employed by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning to improve students’ attainment. Black and William (2009) defined formative assessment as all those activities undertaken by teachers, and/or by students, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2009) emphasised the role students’ play in producing formative assessments. They emphasized that formative assessment aids learning by generating feedback information that is of benefit to students and to teachers. Feedback on performance in class or on assignments enables students to restructure their understanding/skills and build more powerful ideas and capabilities. Ultimately, the goal of formative assessment is for students to develop their own “learning to learn” skills (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, 2005).Formative assessment enables teachers and students to take decisions during learning process while summative assessment occurs at the end of a learning unit and determines if the content being taught was retained. Summative assessment informs both the student and the teacher about the level of conceptual understanding and performance capabilities that the student has achieved.
Mostly, assessment is to be carried out in full and not in part. Although the assessment strategies expected of Government teachers are not stated in the National Curriculum on Government, the National Policy on Education (2004:9) succinctly emphasized that “educational assessment and evaluation shall be liberalized by their being in whole not in part”. It implies that the students’ behavior; attitude, interests, modes of interaction, skills, style of work and a variety of other non-cognitive factors will contribute to the decision made by the teacher on each student (Esere & Idowu, 2010). Furthermore, the Policy on Continuous assessment states that an assessment approach should involve the use of a variety of assessment instruments, assessing various components of learning, not only the thinking processes but including behaviours, personality traits and manual skillfulness. Assessment should be objective, systematic, comprehensive, cummulative and guidance oriented (Idowu & Esere, 2009). By being comprehensive, it implies that assessment should consider all the various aspects of the child’s development (cognitive, affective and psychomotor) in the overall assessment of the student’s performance according to Bloom’s taxonomy of learning.
Bloom categorized the cognitive domain into six levels of thinking. These are knowledge, understanding, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The affective domain covers feelings, values, appreciation, motivation and attitudes. Psychomotor domain includes physical movement, coordination, and use of the motor- skill areas. It ranges from simple handwriting to drawing, handling of implements, apparatus, vehicles and equipment, playing of instruments and using keyboards (Idowu & Esere). These three domains are inter-woven in order to bring out the whole man. It means that students ought to be assessed about: what they know (cognitive); attitudes that they have taught (affective) and skills they have learned (psychomotor) (University of Auckland, 2010). The question whether the students are being assessed in these domains greatly depends on the teacher.
