Continuous Assessment Feedback and Students’ Performances in Semester Examinations in a College of Education

Abstract

The study sought to compare the end of semester examination performance of NCE student-teachers in Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri whose continuous assessment (CA) feedback were given and those whose continuous assessment feedback were not given and also ascertain the proportion of lecturers who give CA feedback to their students. A quasi-experimental study involving two random groups, treatment post-test design was adopted. The two groups involved in the study are group A with CA feedback (CAWF) and group B without CA feedback (CAWOF). A systematic sample of 42 participants was drawn from a population of 210 Biology/Chemistry student teachers who took Measurement and Evaluation as an education course using their CA scores. The sample was split into two equal halves of 21 each to form group A (CAWF) and group B (CAWOF) respectively using random sampling techniques by balloting. The instruments used for data collection were researchers-made items as well as face to face interview. Three research questions and three hypotheses were postulated. Frequency tables were used to present data which were used to answer each of the research questions. Independent samples t-tests were used to test hypotheses 1 and 2, while binomial test was used to test hypothesis 3. Findings showed a significant difference between the mean performances of CAWF group (70.2) and the CAWOF group (53.8). However, the end of semester total examination scores does not significantly differ according to gender. The proportion of lecturers who give CA feedback to students was 0.28. Among other recommendations is that lecturers should be trained in implementing CA strategies (especially the area of giving feedback) as it has direct effect on students performance in end of semester examination.

Does an incremental approach to implementing programmatic assessment work? Reflections on the change process

“…Re-engineering continuous assessment created pressures on staff to develop more sophisticated rubrics, implement rigorous moderation processes to enhance the defensibility of assessment results, and provide quality and timely written feedback to students. Osuala et al (2018) recommend that academic staff are trained in implementing continuous assessment, particularly in providing feedback as this is said to have a direct impact on student performance. A targeted professional development program, crystalising current thinking on feedback ( Boud and Molloy, 2013 ), and emphasising the importance of quality and timely dialogic feedback with students, is required.…”