Junior High School Teachers' Knowledge and Challenges in the Practice of Formative Assessment in the Mfantseman Municipality

Abstract

The study sought to examine the knowledge of junior high school teachers on the practice of formative assessment in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region. A descriptive research design was used for the study. The target population for the study consisted of 79 public junior high schools in the Mfantseman Municipality, which is made up of eight educational circuits. The sample for study consisted of 300 junior high school teachers.These were made up of 189 male teachers and 111 female teachers in the Mfantseman Municipality. Simple random sampling, specifically, the lottery method, was used to select five circuits out of the eight circuits. The questionnaire, which contained both close-ended and open-ended items, was the major instrument that was used. The study found that teachers in the Municipality have an adequate level of knowledge about formative assessment. The study again found that the sampled teachers on the average practise formative assessment effectively. The study further found that, teachers have difficulties in using scores generated through students' peer-assessments to inform future teaching and learning, which generate feedback loops during classroom discourse with students. The study found no statistically significant differences between the means of the teachers' years of experience and knowledge of formative assessment. It was also found out that there was a weak, positive correlation between the teachers' knowledge and practice of formative assessment. The study recommended that the Ghana Education Service in Mfantseman Municipality should organise workshops to educate teachers on how to use scores generated through student peer-assessments to inform future teaching and learning.