Influence Of Continuous Assessment On Students Academic Performance In Biology In Some Selected Secondary Schools In Oshimili South Local Government Area Of Delta State

ABSTRACT

This research work is on the ” Influence of Continuous Assessment on Students Academic Performance in Biology in some selected Secondary Schools in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State. The researcher in carrying out study formulated research questions and hypotheses which formed the basis of the questionnaire development. The research reviewed a sizable related literature on the subject and opinion of the researcher is corporate on each section of the review. The researcher used well structured questionnaire as the major instrument for source of data collection. The population of the study consist of all biology teachers in some selected secondary schools. The need for this research project arose as a result of the incompetent capability of teachers in implementing continuous assessment in secondary schools. It was also discovered that most teachers mainly assess students’ cognitive activities at the detriment of psychomotor and affective behavior et cetera. Recommendations were further made by the researcher based on the findings, these include the need for government to proffer solution to the problems of record keeping, all teachers should update their knowledge in measurement and evaluation, make use of continuous assessment records for decision making about each learners, teachers should assess all area of positively disposed to continuous assessment. This motivated the researcher to carry out a research on this topic.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Continuous assessment is a classroom strategy implemented by teachers to ascertain the knowledge, understanding and skills attained by students (emotional Quotient Review, 2003). Teachers administer assessment in a variety of ways to allow them observe multiple tasks and to collect information about what students know, understand and can do. Continuous assessment occurs frequently during the school years and it is part of regular teacher-learners interactions. Students receive feedback from the teachers based on their performance that allows them to focus on topics they have not yet mastered. The result of the assessment help to ensure that all students make learning progress through put the year cycle thereby increasing their academic achievement.

Assessment is also a powerful diagnostic tool that enables students to understand the areas in which they are having difficulty and to concentrate their efforts in those areas. Continuous assessment also allows the teacher to monitor the impact of their lessons on students understanding. Teachers can modify their pedagogical strategies to include the construction of remediation activities for students who are not working at the expected grade level and the creation of enrichment level. Hence, continuous assessment process supports a cycle of self evaluation and students-specific activities by both students and teachers. The frequent interaction between students and teachers enable teachers to know the strength and weaknesses of their learners and these exchanges foster students-teacher relationship based on individual interaction. Students learn that the teacher values their achievement and that their assessment outcomes have an impact on the instructions that they receive. One-to-one communication between the teacher and the students can motivate students to continue attending to school and to work hard to achieve higher levels of mastery. In continuous assessment, teachers assess the curriculum as implemented in the classroom. Continuous assessment provides information on achievement of particular levels of skills, understanding and knowledge rather than achievement of certain marks or scores. Thus, continuous assessment enable learners to monitor their achievements of grade level goals and to visualize their progress towards those goals before it is too late to achieve them.

Continuous assessment (CA) is a formative mode of evaluation that is, in an ideal form, systematic, comprehensive, objective and guidance. Because of these characteristics, CA is acclaimed to be progressive and objective method of evaluating achievement gains from classroom instructions, their general development; physically, mentally, socially, morally, culturally and movement skills, particularly where it is properly and fully implemented ( Anikweze, 2010). Continuous assessment is a mechanism whereby the final grading of a student in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of behavior takes account in a systematic way of all his performance during a given period of schooling. Continuous assessment is an ongoing diagnostic and school based process that uses a variety of assessment tools to measure learners’ performance. It is a system of evaluating students’ academic performance which have been in existence in all states in Nigeria since the inception of 6-3-3-4 system of education in 1982 (Okwu & Orum,2012).

However, Ekonye (2007), Nzewi (2000) and Eze (2000) observed that problems exists in the implementation of continuous assessment in all subjects including Biology. Ekonye (2007) specially mentioned that teachers do not possess the require competencies for implementation of continuous assessment, the task weigh the teacher down and that teachers focused their greatest attention on measuring cognitive attainment rather than affective and psychomotor behaviors. All these point to the fact that teachers lack the techniques or instrument construction to use especially in the non-cognitive areas of human behaviors.

Lawal (2009) investigated the practice of continuous assessment among biology teachers in Lagos state. According to him, the problems hindering the practice of continuous assessment in biology include: inadequate supply of teaching aids, inadequate supply of Biology teachers, lack of instruments for non-cognitive behaviors, lack of technical knowledge on the part of teachers, inadequate time for test and recording, lack of interest and dodging the test.

Ipaye (2007) opined that most teachers do not have right qualification and training in educational assessment in secondary scjools. Continuous assessment would however, not be successful without dutiful commitment, diligence and sacrifice on the part of the teachers. Okwu and Orum’s (2012), study showed that there was an influence of continuous assessment on the final scores at the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) level in Biology. This study therefore highlights the influence of continuous assessment in the teaching of Biology in secondary schools.

The new National Policy on Education in Nigeria (2004) has directed that continuous assessment should be used at all educational levels for the evaluation of students’ achievement. This means that every teacher from primary school to university should understand and practice it. Before the implementation of continuous assessment, the summative system of assessment was used where students will be assessed at the end of the term without including any other form of assessment and this form of assessment is used to evaluate student’s achievement for placement and promotions to upper class. It is in the light of continuous assessment on students’ academic performance in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Statement of the Study

Teachers can modify their pedagogical strategies to include the construction of remediation activities for students who are not working at the expected grade level and the creation of enrichment activities for students who are working at or above the expected grade level. The frequent interactions between students and teachers enable teachers to know the strengths and weakness of their learners and these exchanges foster students-teacher relationship based on individual interaction. Students learn that the teacher values their achievements and that the assessment outcomes have an impact on the instruction that they receive.

Lawal (2009) investigated that the problems hindering the practice of continuous assessment in Biology include: inadequate supply of teaching aids, inadequate supply of Biology teachers, lack of instrument for non-cognitive behavior, lack of technical knowledge on the part of teachers, inadequate time for test and recording, lack of interest and dodging of test.

The use of continuous assessment encourage the learners to do well in various educational objectives; that is in their cognitive level, affective and psychomotor levels in order to achieve  their academic goal, teachers’ fail to implement continuous assessment in  schools. For example; in those days, teachers  mark students scripts and return back to them which foster the students to know area of weakness he/she needs to make amendment, but now teachers mark without return of students script, and sometimes does not have proper record keeping of students C.A, in that case it affect students academic performance mostly in Biology and other related science subjects. According to Ipaye (2007) pointed out that most teachers do not have the right experience and training in educational assessment in secondary schools, a situation that greeted the effective implementation of continuous assessment in our schools.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of continuous assessment on students’ academic performances in Biology in some selected secondary schools in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State. Specifically, the study is aimed at:

1. To determine the extent to which practice of continuous assessment influence students’ academic performance in Biology in Oshimili South Local Government of Delta State.
2. To find out if the extent to which teachers are adequately equipped to participate in the implementation of continuous assessment in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State.
3. To identify the extent to which items needed for effective implementation of continuous assessment enhance students’ academic performance in Biology in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State.
4. To determine the extent to which challenges hinder the smooth implementation of continuous assessment in Biology in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Research Question

1. To what extent does the practice of continuous assessment influence students’ academic performance in Biology?
2. To what extent does teachers’ experience influence the smooth implementation of continuous assessment?
3. To what extent are items put to use for effective implementation of continuous assessment enhance students’ motivation in the learning of Biology?
4. To what extent do challenges hinder the smooth implementation of continuous assessment?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study only focused on influence of continuous assessment on students’ academic performance in Biology in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State. The study was also confined to four independent variables; practice of continuous assessment on students academic performance in Biology, teachers experience in implementing continuous assessment, teachers’ effective use of items and the challenges encountered. This research is also limited to teachers in senior secondary schools in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Operational Definition of Terms

Continuous Assessment   Assessment of learners over a period of time doing different tasks and not just assessing them in a few hours or minutes on one day.

Influence:   The effect that somebody/something works or develops.

Teaching:   The job or profession of a teacher, the ideas and beliefs that ate taught by a person.

Biology:     The scientific study of life and structure of plants and animals.

Pages:  59

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF               

Chapters: 1-5                                          

Source: Imsuinfo

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.