Abstract:
The impact of assessment results on teaching and learning development cannot
be overstated. The performance of teachers, schools, and education systems is
measured using test results. However there are concerns regarding
dissatisfaction with achievement tests scores, misuse, and overuse of test
results, high pressure to produce high test scores, high stakes nature of many
tests uses, test scores used to determine educational improvements. The study
assessed the perceived sources of test score pollution in Junior High Schools
in two selected districts in the Northern Region, Ghana. A quantitative
approach using descriptive survey was used for the study thus, the use of
questionnaires to elicit responses from selected teachers. Descriptive statistics
(means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (Independent
samples t-test) were used to analyze the data. A total of 265 teachers were
sampled from the two districts (Yendi and Saboba). The findings confirmed
the main sources of test scores pollution in the districts as teacher factor,
situational factor (test administration), and external factor (parents and
community). The study further revealed that the incidence of test scores
pollution was higher in private schools than the public schools. Again, test
scores pollution was revealed to be higher in Yendi municipality than in
Saboba district. It was recommended that government should take steps to
reduce the high stakes nature of standardized examinations in the country and
again provide appropriate in-service training to Junior High School teachers
on testing practices to help curb the situation where teachers spend much time
in class in preparing students for tests to the neglect of meaningful learning.
