Attitude Of Economics Students Towards Continuous Assessment As Part Of General Assessment In Imo State University, Owerri

ABSTRACT

This study on “Attitude of Economics Students towards continuous assessment as part of general assessment in Imo State University”  sought to investigate to change students’ negative attitude towards continuous assessment as part of their general assessment with reference to Imo State University, Owerri. Four research questions were posed to guide the study. The survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study is 146 respondents. The sample size is 50 using simple sampling technique. The instrument for data collection is a research made questionnaire titled “Attitude of Undergraduate Economics Student Towards Continuous Assessment Questionnaire (AEUSCAQ)”. The questionnaire was structured in line with research questions using the Likert type scale with benchmark mean score of 2.5. The statistical tool for data analysis were mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that continuous assessment encourage good study attitude among students, distinguishes slow learners from fast learners as well as encourage the use of oral essay test to assess students’ academic performances. It is therefore  recommended that: since continuous assessment has positive effect on the academic performances of the students, from the findings of this study, students should be motivated by commending their academic achievements.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter the researcher presented the followings sub-headings: background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, scope of the study, significance of the study and research questions.

Background of the Study

Continuous assessment is one of the new concepts introduced in the Nigeria educational system with the new national policy on education in short it is an interval part of the new system of education otherwise known as the 9-3-3-4 system. Assessment is an essential element in the educational process. A teacher must make some measurements of the extent to which the learning experiences of students have enabled them, achieve the stated objectives of the course of study.
Ohunche in Odili (2010) defines assessment as an involving the determination for the value and work of a thing implies making decision. The changing needs and attitude of individual students call for a continuous evaluation of such needs and trials in order to enable the students understand themselves better, the lecturers to improve on their teaching methods, the parents and guidance understand the students, so that educational vocational and personal social decision can be realistically made on them. Scholars have looked at the issues of the attitude of students towards assessment in educational system and have seen that the success education will ever offer is seriously tied to the facilities relevant to it. According to Peretomode (2012) stock of educational facilities in public school system in Nigeria is enormous even at the present state of their insufficient and inadequacy. They represent substantial financial outlay to the tax payer. Establishing new educational facilities is no longer that easy because of the current state of economic depression and constantly raising costs. Edem (2018) seeing the importance and position influence of school facilities to educational achievement of students said. It is the duty of the ministry or the board of education to make furniture, equipment, books and expendable materials available to schools. Their inadequacy constitutes another source of frustration and disillusion among lecturers. African leaders earnestly desire good education programmes for their people, but in many cases the resources are so merger that little progress can be made.

According to Inyong Abia (2012) continuous assessment are the pivot on which the wheel of teaching and learning process rotates. As cited by Inyang Abia (2014) the use of continuous assessment is the most significant aspect of influence for student’s effective performance. According to Bayo (2015) the availability of continuous assessment in learning process have the potency for motivating and focusing learners attention on the lesson being presented.

According to Obi (2013), a good continuous assessment can make the following contributions. Promote the development of ready skills and encourage long term habits through reading, listening etc those learning habits from the key to continuous success in school and to the personal encouragement of leisure this throughout line. Assessment is not merely testing (Osokoya, 2006); it is a process through which the quality of an individual work or performance is judged (Mwebaza, 2010). In relation to school setting. Greaney (2011) defines assessment as any procedure or activity that is designed to collect information about the knowledge, attitude, or skills of the learner or group of learners. Thus, in the context of education, assessment can be defined as a predetermined process through which the quality of a student’s performance in the three domains of educational objectives (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor) is judged. Assessment of students learning of curriculum contents in the area of knowledge, skills, and values is a major pre-occupation of many educational reforms. This is because results from such assessment not only provide feedbacks regarding the educational progress of students but remain the authentic yardstick for gaining the effectiveness of the teacher, the quality of instruction and in part the functionality of any curriculum reform. Continuous assessment as an assessment carried out in an ongoing process (Mwebaza, 2010) is an objective judgment considered an important part of structured assessment purposely designed and administered to enable the teacher to evaluate some aspect of a students learning of a specific time.

A number of characterizations of continuous assessment exist in the literature. According to Agawam cited in Mwebaza (2010) continuous assessment not simply continuous testing. Continuous assessment does not solely depend on formal tests. Continuous assessment is more than giving a test; it involves every decision made by the teacher in class to improve students achievement. Continuous assessment as only a part of the field of educational evaluation is a method of evaluating the process and achievement of students in educational institutions (Yoloye, 2016). This means that continuous assessment could be used to predict future student’s performance in the final examinations and the possible success of individuals at the work place or on a particular job. Continuous assessment is a formative evaluation procedure concerned with finding out in a systematic manner, all gains that a student’s has made in terms of knowledge, attitudes and skills after a given set of learning experience (Ogunniyi, 2014). A more comprehensive definition of continuous assessment is given by Ezewu and Okoye (2017). They see continuous assessment within the educational context as a systematic and objective process of determining the extent of a student’s performance and all the expected changes in his behaviour from the day he enter into a course of study in a continuous and progressive manner to the end of such a course of study and judicious accumulation of all pieces of information derived from this purpose, with a view to using them to guide and shape the students in his learning from time to time and to serve as bases for important decision about the child.

Continuous assessment is defined as a mechanism whereby the final grading of a students in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of behaviour takes account in a systematic way, of all his performances during a given period of schooling. Such an assessment involves a great variety of modes of evaluation for the purpose of guiding and improving the learning and performance of the student (Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Education). Continuous assessment is an ongoing diagnostic and school based process that uses a variety of assessment tool to measure learner’s performance (Zambia Ministry of Education, 2017). Continuous assessment could also be defined as a mechanism whereby the final grading of learners progress in the cognitive, affective.

Statement of Problem

In Nigeria, continuous assessment has been introduced into educational system with a view it plays some important roles. Continuous assessment possess certain significant problem for the educational system and Nigeria student most of the problem associated with continuous assessment in the university since its introduction in our educational system as a result of teachers and student attitude towards the practice of it.

Student view to continuous assessment can be accessed through questionnaire and interview. The paper describes the effect the assessment had on student motivation their approach to learning and the change to their learning environment. Over population and age factor also contribute to how students pick interest or improve towards continuous assessment.

The non commitment of teachers towards the course and most cases because of its time consuming may not help to meet the required expected outcome or impact intended for the university student.

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to ascertain economic students reaction towards their performance in continuous assessment in Imo State University.

Specifically the study set to;

• Find out the role of continuous assessment implementation in universities as it affects the performance of the student.
• Find out ways to improve students’ ability and commitment to continuous assessment.
• Find out the type of test instrument that is mostly used in the school to implement continuous assessment in the study of government
• Check if it have the expected outcome and effect on the student after the duration of the study
• Identify problem associated with student grade towards continuous assessment.

Scope of the Study

The content scope of this study seek to address issues such as; continuous assessment, type of continuous assessment, what and how to access student performance, techniques adopted for assessment, problem of continuous assessment.

Significance of the Study

The finding of this study will be useful to all educational stakeholders ranging from; students, teachers, parents, school management, society and further researcher in the following ways;

The implementation of continuous assessment encourages good student habit. Student will see the need to work continuously at their studies rather than engaging in what may be termed ‘massed’ learning towards the end of the years. It will also lead student getting feedbacks on their efforts.

The findings will furnish the teachers who are actual implementers with the necessary information on areas that need attention. On part of the school management, it is hoped that the finding would be used in determining, planning and also organizing effective and continuous assessment of student progress after the duration of his/her four (4) year learning in the university.

Furthermore, to educational stakeholders, the implementation of continuous assessment in accounting in the university schools provides objective data on whether the student assessment Is falling or rising. The finding of this study will help be of great importance to parents, guardians as they are also afforded the opportunity of being informed of their children performance.

Research Questions

The following research questions which are in line with the purpose of the study are poised to guide the study.

1. What are the roles of continuous assessment to the attitude of university students towards continuous assessment?
2. To what extent does the implementation of continuous assessment in the university level help the school teachers to identify student academic strength and weakness?
3. What types of test instrument are mostly used in the university (Imo State University) to check the attitude of students and implementation of continuous assessment?
4. What are the problems associated with the implementation of continuous assessment in the university?
   

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   Pages:  61

   Category: Project

   Format:  Word & PDF         

   Chapters: 1-5                                 

   Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.