Abstract

Assessment is a dynamic and multi‑faceted process with variable aims. The assessment can be continuous, a final examination or a combination of both. Effectiveness of continuous assessment can be judged by making observation and collecting information periodically from specific tasks given to students during their learning process. The present study seeks to the impact of continuous assessment on secondary school students’ academic performance in Buea Municipality. Specifically, the study seeks to find out teachers’ attitude toward continuous assessments on secondary school’s students. To examine teacher’s competence in conducting continuous assessment among secondary school’s students in Buea Municipality and to assess the challenges faced by teachers in conducting continuous assessment in secondary school students in Buea Municipality. To achieved the study objectives, the study adopted a Descriptive research design, using convenient and random sampling techniques, the study sampled seventy (70) teachers from four (04) selected secondary schools in the Buea Municipality using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was validated by the research supervisor along with other experts of this work. Reliability was ascertained by measuring the Cronbach Alpha Moment Co-efficient which was determined to be 0.075. Findings revealed that teachers’ attitudes have a positive attitude towards CA as most finds CA easy to administers and easy to evaluate and making students test results part of students’ terminal and annual examination results. With regards to teacher’s competence, Study revealed that most teachers lack the competency in conducting CA as most finds CA time consuming to administers, others see CA as boring while a majority lacks to competence in developing CA. The major challenges faced by teachers in conducting continuous assessment in secondary school students in Buea Municipality are overcrowded classrooms, absence of a good record system, time-consuming and overload the curriculum. It is therefore recommended that teachers should be given training in using continuous assessments in teaching.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

According to Kellaghan and Greany (2003), during the 198s and 1990s, among the many countries that engaged in examination reform were Uganda (1983), Kenya (1985), Zimbabwe (1990), and Tanzania (1994). Following the World Bank (1988) Policy Paper, Education in Sub-Saharan Africa‟, which recommended, “a renewed commitment to academic standards principally through strengthening examination systems” (World Bank 1988), the first plenary meeting of the Donors to African Education (DAE) now called Association for Education Development in Africa (AEDA), reflecting the mood and development in many countries, addressed the need to improve education quality. This led to the establishment of the Working Group on School Examinations (WGSE) in   recognition of the important role examinations could play in quality improvement (Kellaghan and Greaney, 1992).

In Cameroon, the Education Policy Review Commission (EPRC, 1977) was initiated to review the education system. The commission noted that, the two years of Advanced Level (A‟ Level) secondary education be retained for the purpose of giving adequate time for preparation to students who wished to continue with higher education and 5years for Ordinary Level (O-Level). The same commission emphasized the importance of both continuous assessment and final examinations (EPRC, 1989). The Jomtien declaration (1990) in Thailand about Education for All (EFA) required definitions targets for quality improvement and it specified a need to assess students‟ achievement (Kellagan, 2003). This is why the White Paper (1992) on the Education for National Integration and Development recommended that schools should maintain a cumulative record card on continuous internal assessment including class performance. Since then, teachers have continued to carry out continuous assessment in secondary schools for “A‟ Level classes as often as possible and without waiting until the end of each term or year.

Examinations and assessment are an integral component of our educational structure. They are conducted both formally and informally, at practically all levels of education and serve a variety of different functions. The need to evaluate students after an effective teaching and learning process is necessary. To this end, educationist have introduced a method of evaluation known as continuous assessment.

Assessment is a dynamic and multi‑faceted process with variable aims (Vergis and Hardy, 20009). It is used to find out how much student have acquired in terms of knowledge and learning skills (Anaf and Yamin, 2014). The Assessment can be continuous, final examination or a combination of both. The method of assessment per se is not the target (Van der Vleuten, 2005) but its impact on student learning is the important.

The principal rationale behind the continuous assessment (CA) is to enhance the quality of education by ensuring that students do not wait for the end of the semester or term to exert study efforts. It is designed with the aim of sustaining quality of learning throughout a period of semester or term. In this respect, the CA is more important than the final examination as it keeps students’ learning as an on‑going process and helps the retrieval of knowledge (Carrillo and Pérez, 2012; and Logan et al., 2014).

The CA is supposed to relieve the pressure of examination as it accounts for a percentage (Anaf and Yamin, 2014). This fact determines that the CA has an impact on the overall student’s performance (Adeniyi et al., 2013). The weight of the CA from the final examination varies from 10% to 30% (Adeniyi et al., 2013) and 50–60% (Anaf and Yamin, 2014) or even used as a system of student assessment as are placement to the final examination.

Continuous assessment as a method of assessment has important advantages Anaf and Yamin (2014) such as a guidance orientation, can diagnose areas of weakness, promotes frequent interactions between students and teachers, and it’s a class room assessment. Disadvantages and problems of CA are associated with both the academic staff and the implementation in the universities. These problems include the staff skills in test construction and administration, their attitude toward CA and student’s loss of interest as they are being examined continuously (Anaf and Yamin, 2014).

The education system of Cameroon is examination oriented and this has persisted since 1960‟s up to date. All the teaching and learning is centered on passing final examinations. It is sometimes referred to as “teaching to the test‟. This challenge is compounded even further by the fact that students‟ promotion or selection to another level is based on student’s grades.

According to Kellaghan and Greany (2003), that kind of assessment is subjective, informal, immediate, on-going, and intuitive as it interacts with learning as it occurs.  For instance, teachers teaching senior six are required to assess their students regularly using different assessment strategies so that learners could memorize the subject content taught to them during the final examinations. This is done so that students could perform highly in the final examinations.

The downside of this approach is that students are encouraged to exercise rote memorization of facts and cramming of information rather than acquiring problem-solving skills.  This study was therefore conceived, designed and undertaken in order to analyze the various classroom assessment practice and find out whether there was any relationship between CA practices with students‟ performance on the final examinations which is a proxy for students‟ acquisition of functional skills and knowledge

Ivan Pavlov (1929-1936) in his conditioning theory of Classical Conditioning concluded that a dog learnt to salivate whenever a bell was rung. He undertook many trials and each time the bell was sounded the dog salivated and food was simultaneously presented. The conditioning theory has therefore been adopted to inform this research because it was assumed that students in secondary schools Level obtained good grades whenever subject matter/content was taught, followed by many continuous assessment (trials) exercises. Pavlov suggested a Conditioned Response (CR) that refers to student’s reactions that develop as result of training/teaching in this study. A Conditioned Stimulus (CS) refers to incentives that evoke CR through training/teaching. In this study, it was assumed that students‟ attainment of good grades was the Conditioned Response (CR), continuous assessment was the Conditioned Stimulus (CS), and teaching was the Unconditioned Stimulus (US).

In addition, Behaviourist Theories of Learning of the 1930 identified with Pavlov, James Watson, B.F. Skinner and Thorndike’s work most will also be used in this study. The theory hypotheses’ that learning environment is a determined factor. Training is seen as the conditioned response to outside stimuli. Rewards and penalties are powerful ways of shaping or extinguishing behaviors, or at least denying rewards. Praise can be part of that system of incentives. As for the environment for learning, these theories imply that students are taught best in homogenous groups according to skill level, or individually according to their rate of progress through a differentiated programme based on a fixed hierarchy of skill acquisition.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Several studies have advocated the need for Continuous Assessment as an integral part of school’s evaluation programme (Hambury, 1995). However, there is no empirical data to support the effectiveness of the Continuous Assessment system in promoting learning and to show whether or not the performance of students will increase on exposure to more continuous assessment.

As continuous assessment has potency to motivate learners to learn. Vroom (1984) defined achievement as a product of motivation and ability. According to him behaviour is not only just influenced by ability but also by how much the individual wants to do certain events and by how much they expect they will do it. So when students are being examined they are motivated to work hard. Therefore, the problem of this study is to find out if exposure of students to many Continuous Assessments has significant effect on the final examination performance.

What is not known conclusively is the consistency of Continuous Assessment scores to examination scores. Odilim (1995), in his study, asserts that some Continuous Assessment scores are not consistent with examination scores since they show little or no significant correlations. Ihiegbulem (1994), however, found out that a substantially high and significant degree of positive relationship exists between Continuous Assessment and examination scores. One of the purposes of this study therefore, is to determine whether there exists a relationship between Continuous Assessment and examination scores.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1.3.1 General Objective

To investigate the impact of continuous assessment on secondary school students’ academic performance in Buea Municipality.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

1. To find out the effect of continuous assessments on secondary school’s students’ academic performance in Buea Municipality
2. To examine teacher’s competence in conducting a conducting continuous assessment among secondary school’s students in Buea Municipality
3. To assess the challenges mitigating against the use of continuous assessment in assessing secondary school students in Buea Municipality

1.4 Research Questions

1.4.1 General Research Question

What is the impact of continuous assessment on secondary school students’ academic performance in Buea Municipality?

1.4.2 Specific Research Questions

1. What is the effects of continuous assessments on secondary school’s students’ academic performance in Buea Municipality?
2. What are the teacher’s competence in assessing continuous assessment of secondary students in Buea Municipality?
3. What are the challenges mitigating against the use of continuous assessment in assessing secondary school students in Buea Municipality?