AN ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS' ATTITUDES AND ABILITIES TO USE THOROUGH EXAMINATION

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 efficiency. 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.

Statement Of The Problem

This research work is designed to investigate the attitude and competence of teachers to conduct continuous assessment in selected secondary schools in Delta state.

The problem of the implementation of the continuous assessment encountered by teachers in our secondary school be useful suggestions from the university teachers and educational administrator on ways of making continuous assessment successful would be considered. Among other thins the questions below would have been answered at the end of the work.

1. The factors affecting the effective implementation of continuous assessment in selected schools in Delta state.
2. Whether the school teachers are adequately equipped to participate actively in the implementation of continuous assessment programme of the state government.
3. If the appropriate facilities have been put in place by the state ministry of education to facilitate the work of teachers in the implementation of continuous assessment programme.

Significance Of The Study

Educational development sustains the growth of the nation. As a result and in order to, with this ever expanding industry, we need adequate assessment method that would show exactly what one wishes to know about the individuals. This explains why teachers’ attitude and competence in implementing continuous assessment is very important because they are agents of change in the society. Continuous assessment is necessity for al teachers in the new educational system in Nigeria. This work will equip the classroom teachers to implement the continuous assessment in their various schools. It will direct and inform teachers on areas of the behaviour of the children to be assessed and the procedure to adopt in achieving this purpose.

Research Hypothesis

The following hypothesis formulated to guide the researcher in this study namely:

1. Firstly, School teachers do not use adequate test items in assessing students, hence poor performance in examination.
2. There is no significant relationship between the system of evaluation in schools and students’ performance in examination.
3. There is no significant relationship between traditional method of testing and continuous assessment technique of grading students.

Scope Of The Study

This work is predicated on selected secondary schools in Ethiope Local Government Area of Delta state with the view to evaluating teachers attitude and competence in implementing continuous assessment in secondary schools in the 6-3-3-4 educational system.

Limitation Of The Study

One of the financial constraints and time on the part of the researcher, it was not possible to use a large sample which would cover very many schools in the Local Government Area.

This work is by no means an answer to all the logistic problems facing the teachers in the implementation of the continuous assessment in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta state ratio; it is an attempt to find solutions to some of them and after useful suggestions to educators, school administrators and government who are concerned with the recruitment of teachers and progress of students within the school system.

Definition Of Terms

The following terms are defined as used in the report, in order to avoid misinterpretation by different individuals.

Continuous Assessment:

This is a method of ascertaining what a pupil gains from school in terms of knowledge, industry and character development, taking into account his/her performance in test, assignment, project and other educational activities during a given period of an education to be determined.

Evaluation:

Evaluation is to determine whether certain changes are taking place in the learning as well as to determine the amount or degree of changes in individual student.

Implementation:

The act or process of putting into effect some operation, plans, policies or ideas.

Cognitive domain:

A behavioural objective of remembering or reproduction of something which has been learned.

Psychomotor Domain:

This deals with manipulative skills and body movement.

Affective Domain:

This has to do with values, belief, attitude, appreciation, interest, social relation, emotional adjustment and life style.

6-3-3-4:

The new system of education in Nigeria as spelt out by the 1981 National Policy on Education broken down thus:

• First: 6-years-Primary Education
• Next: 3-years-Junior Secondary School Education
• Next: 3-years-Senior Secondary School Education
• Next: 4-years-Tertiary or Post Secondary Education

Attitude:

It is the learned disposition in the technique of assessing the total learning experience of the students in academic, manipulative and emotional task organized within the school curriculum studies and supervised by the teachers.

Competence:

This has to do with efficiency, the ability to be skillful, knowledgeable and to be effective in performing a given task. It implies that possession of specialized skills, which would go a long way to result effective performance in specialized areas like the teaching field.