Classroom Assessment of Learners: Assessment Practices of Junior High School Social Studies Teachers in two Districts of Ghana
Frank Awuah *
Dambai College of Education, P. O. Box 84, Dambai, Ghana.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine Junior High School Social Studies teachers’ assessment practices in two districts in Ghana. The study was conducted in the Asuogyaman and Krachi East districts in the Eastern and Oti Regions respectively. The participants of the study were one hundred (100) Junior High School Social Studies teachers drawn purposively from the two selected districts. Data were collected through the administration of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observation. The study employed the mixed-method approach. Results of the study revealed that the Junior High School teachers preferred and actually used traditional assessment techniques in their teaching activities. Their assessment conceptions and practices are rooted in the traditional learning paradigm. It is recommended that Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) should reconsider their curriculum and emphasise more on the teaching of alternative or contemporary approaches to educational assessments. It was also recommended that refresher courses should be organised for in-service teachers to up-grade their knowledge and skills in alternative educational assessment practices.
Keywords: Educational assessment, traditional assessment, alternative assessment, summative assessment, assessment practices