ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS' ATTITUDES AND ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT CONTINUAL ASSESSMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The history of assessment in the Nigerian educational system is obscure; maybe its earliest appearance was in the form of an ordinance enacted in 1882, which included the following criteria for granting grants for teacher wages. To begin, funds for organization and discipline are provided, along with special awards to schools that achieve a high proportion of passes and a high quality of academic performance. Second, each subject is granted a captivation permit (Anyanwu, 2021).

In 1889, another ordinance was established, which stated in part that no grant would be granted in favor of any school unless the institution had achieved the required percentage of efficiency in public examinations. This explains the importance of assessment and testing in the school curriculum; evaluation is generally straightforward because it occurs at the conclusion of the academic year. In secondary schools, a very selective system of evaluation was used. A written examination followed by an oral interview served as the passport to secondary education. There were term and final examinations on which most schools relied for promotion purposes (Edet, 2014).

One of the most significant features of the 1981 National Policy on Education is the inclusion of continuous assessment as a useful instrument for assessing and evaluating students' learning outcomes at all levels of our educational system. Continuous assessment is currently being implemented in secondary schools. In 1982, the National Policy on Education (1981) established a six-year primary school, a three-year junior secondary school, and a three-year secondary school. Tertiary education and four-year universities, each of which would be permitted to use continuous assessment in accordance with the federal ministry of education's guidelines. It is defined by the objective to specialize pupils early enough in their future vocations. Most notably, it has procedures for rehiring dropouts (Okoronkwo, 2018). This new educational system will take the place of the official one-final examination system, which has demonstrated its utility. The formal examination method has been chastised for flaws. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

It is a well-known fact that the majority of students spend the most of the school year roaming the streets, returning to the classroom just a week or two before the promotion exams to perform any meaningful study. They are unprepared for academic work as a result of their lack of preparation (Edet, 2014).

This demonstrates why famous scholars have stated that examination is not a real barometer of an individual's competence. There have been instances where students have committed themselves as a result of failing a test. It should be noted that examinations at the high school level focused only on the cognitive part of students' learning and tended to overlook the emotive and psychomotor aspects. As a result, our children develop an examination conscience and a need for memorizing and repetition of facts, which tends to suffocate their original thinking. Among other causes, these factors contribute to examination misconduct among students.

As a result, it is envisaged that the adoption of continuous assessment would address the examination system's shortcomings. There are several techniques available for determining the results of learning activities. These may take the form of a test, an assignment, a project, an observation, an interview, or a questionnaire (Okoronkwo, 2018). The data collected about the pupils will subsequently be utilized to facilitate his future usage and for the purpose of sending information to the student's parent, guardian, and others who may benefit from it. This type of assessment entails the use of several modes of evaluation with the goal of guiding and enhancing students' learning and performance.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary objectives of this study is to assess of teachers' attitudes and ability to implement continual assessment. Specifically, other objectives of this study are:

i.          To examine the factors that affects the implementation of continuos assessment.

ii.        To determine whether teachers have knowledgeable about the importance of the continous assessment.

iii.      To detemine whether adequate training has been given to teachers in the implementation of continous assessment.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be nswered in this study:

i.          What are the factors that affects the implementation of continuos assessment?

ii.        Do teachers have knowledge about the importance of the continous assessment?

iii.      Has adequate training has been given to teachers in the implementation of continous assessment?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Educational development is necessary for the nation's growth. As a result, and in order to keep up with the rapid growth of this market, we want an effective evaluation process that reveals precisely what one desires to know about persons. This explains why teachers' attitudes and abilities to undertake continuous evaluation are critical, since they are change agents in society. Continuous assessment is a requirement for all instructors in Nigeria's new educational system. This effort will empower classroom instructors with the tools necessary to undertake continuous assessment in their respective schools. It will instruct and enlighten teachers on the areas of children's behavior that will be examined and the technique to follow in accomplishing this goal.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study is focused on examining the factors that affects the implementation of continuos assessment, determining whether teachers have knowledgeable about the importance of the continous assessment. It will further focus on detemining whether adequate training has been given to teachers in the implementation of continous assessment.

Teachers of selected primary schools in Ibeno LGA, Akwa Ibom State will serve as enrolled participants for the survey of this study.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study is limited to examining the factors that affects the implementation of continuos assessment, determining whether teachers have knowledgeable about the importance of the continous assessment. It will further be limited to detemining whether adequate training has been given to teachers in the implementation of continous assessment.

Teachers of selected primary schools in Ibeno LGA, Akwa Ibom State will serve as enrolled participants for the survey of this study, thus the sample size was limited because only a few respondents were chosen to answer the research instrument, therefore the results cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Assessment: The action of assessing someone or something

Teachers: A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue. Informally the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone.

Continous assessment: Continuous assessment is a form of educational examination that evaluates a student's progress throughout a prescribed course. It is often used as an alternative to the final examination system.