Abstract

The main objective of this study was to investigate “Teachers’ competence in test construction and its influence on students’ performance in clothing industry in technical schools in South West Region” of Cameroon.

The study employed a survey design and more specifically a concurrent triangulation mixed method approach. analysis were used. The semi-structured questionnaire were used aimed at capturing how teachers assess their students and the open-ended questions associated expanded on the reasons why standards were not met, the challenges and suggested response measures. An interview guide were been employed to judge student’s perception.

As for the documentary analysis, this consisted and describing the GCE ‘A’ level evaluation scheme with respect to the objectives set for the study. The concurrent triangulation mixed method approach is therefore well justified in the context of this study as the semi-structured questionnaire and the documentary analysis deal with the same objectives. The questionnaire and interview guide justifies both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the study.

The methodological technical requirements were adequately applied whereby a demographic cluster sample was used to sample teachers at their marking centres as they marked GCE instruments were checked for content validity, face validity while the internal consistency assumption was tested using Cronbach Alpha Reliability test for both the trial-tested and the real studies.

A total of 132 students and 50 teachers were involved in the study. Questionnaire data were analysed with the support of SPSS 21.0 while textual data from focus group discussion were analysed following the systematic approach of thematic analysis.

The revealed that the teachers set test items at GCE examination that has the highest Predictive Power on students’ performance (84.6%), followed by teachers’ selection of test items following specification table (73.3%), the alignment of assessment schemes for practical with test objectives (60.4%), the alignment of assessment schemes for theory with test objectives (58.4%), then the attainment of test objectives in the table of specification (57.1%), being the performance.

Finally, student’s perception defers with that of teachers in that they were poor in practical though they appraised teachers teaching and setting of examination.

Based on these findings, it was recommended that GCE board should try to examine the scheme of work and objective to ensure that it meets the current or contextual requirements whereby the professionalization of training is becoming a pre-requisite, thus aligning with those that perceived the need for updating the syllabus to meet the current or contextual requirements, teachers should also consider all topics, and follow the test specification table to make sure that some topics are not left out.

Finally it was also recommended that both theory and practical should be given equal consideration and that seminar should be organized in order to updates teachers’ knowledge on test construction skills.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Historical Background

The background of this study includes both the historical and contextual background.

Attempts to assess human cognitive abilities can be traced back to a time early in the history of imperial China (DuBois, 1982; quoted in Cunningham, 1986; Ebel, quoted in Amedahe, 1989; Flanagan et al., 1997), they created a standardized testing system for the civil service as far back as 2200 B.C aimed at selecting states workers during recruitment into public service this program lasted for about 4000 years.

In 1845, oral and written tests were conducted in American schools and Boston Public School Committee was to allow objective test to be organized and given to students aimed at reporting valid and reliable results concerning the level and quality of teaching in the urban schools as well as comparing schools and their teachers. In 1865 the New York Regents Exams was developed as a result of the written test.The Army Mental Test which was a type of aptitude test was introduced known as Army Alpha and Beta test were conducted for soldiers joining United States army during world war 1.

In 1905 Alfred Binet (1857−1911), a French psychologist, created the first intelligence test together with Theodore Simon (1872−1961), They devised a method that would determine which students did learn effectively from regular classroom instruction so they could be given remedial work .He later developed two more scales, the 1908 scale and 1911 scaleAnastasi, 1982.

Two scholastic Aptitude Test and American College Test are the most widely recognized standardized test .The scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was used by the college board and other educational organization in 1926.the test initially had a duration of 90 minutes and had mixed questions testing vocabulary and basic mathematic and consisted of 315 questions .By 1930 the test has evolved into two parts test currently used as verbal and mathematic were separated.

At the end of world war II the SAT was accepted as the standard entry test for universities for all high school qualifiers .It remained in this form for 75 years until 2005 and in this same year the section on the analogies was replaced by a section on creative writing .Intelligence as well as aptitude test are often employed by teachers in the technical schools since they both deal with cognitive and psychomotor skill.

Statement of the Problem

In the general human development framework and in order to provide the  Cameroon’s human resources with the skills necessary for building an emergence Cameroonian economy by 2035, the government intends to lay special emphasis on the training of human capital through sustained implementation of the education sector strategy.

In the educational sector, one of priority targets is the development of a quality secondary cycle based on a dynamic balance between general and technical education in preparation for higher studies in priority professional fields of studies for the development of the economy.

The state is conscious of the loopholes of the technical educations including the clothing-textile. To effectively serve the role it is supposed to play in the economy growth of Cameroon. It is in line with this that as for technical education specifically, the state intent to first of all seek to significantly improve its quality by tailoring to real market needs and by forging partnership with the productive sector of the economy in order to increase the provision of quality training, significantly increase the provision and improve the quality of technical education by tailoring it to the profession, tailoring the curricular to suit the job market.

The paradox is that the performance of technical students particularly of the clothing-textile field have always been very high, 88.56% in 2016 for probatoire(ITC), 93.36% in 2017 for brevet (ATC), 98.24%for cap thus contrasting the inadequacy with the job market and the inability to really impact to economy growth as highlighted in this report prospecting growth and employment strategy for Cameroon for the period 2010-2020 (IMF, 2010).

Many factors could account to this contradiction but our objective in this study is to find out whether the evaluation strategy is adequately tailored as to portrait the real performance of students.

This got the researcher to wonder what could be the result of this underperformance and so decided to investigate the procedures of test construction in higher education and evaluate if the test which students take may have any quality assurance in built among the teachers.

Coupled with the points mentioned above, it is also noticed studies of this nature were conducted in other part of the world, but no such studies have been conducted in Cameroon. It is for this reason that this study seeks to find out teachers’ competence in test construction and its influences on students’ performance in Technical Schools in South-West Region, Cameroon.

Objective of the Study

Main Objective

The main objective of this study is to examine teachers’ competence in test construction and its influence on student’ performance in the clothing industry(CI) in  Technical Schools in the  South-West Region, Cameroon.

Specific Objective

1. To find if the test objectives match with the assessment schemes for the theoretical work of the course.
2. To determine how test objectives are aligned with the assessment schemes for the practical
3. To determine the extent to which the table of specification matches test objectives.
4. To examine the extent to which the selection of test items is done following the table of specification.
5. To find out the extent to which test items meet the standards of the G.C.E examination.

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