Teachers’ Knowledge and Practice of Performance-Based Assessment in Junior High Schools in the Berekum Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

The study sought to assess the knowledge and practice of performance-based assessment among Junior High School teachers in the Berekum Municipality of the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design procedure with a quantitative approach. The study employed the census sampling procedures in sampling 588 Junior High School teachers in the Berekum Municipality. Questionnaire and a documentation checklist were used for the research study. The study revealed that Junior High School teachers in the Berekum Municipality are not abreast with what Performance-Based Assessment entails. The study revealed that in the practice of Performance-Based Assessment in the Berekum Municipality, most of the teachers were not really practicing the Performance-Based Assessment because they lacked the required knowledge and skills needed to practice it. It was further evident that Junior High School teachers in the Berekum Municipality were challenged in terms of time factor, insufficient knowledge, lack of attention from policy makers, too much workload, teaching of large classes and lack of practical materials. It was recommended that Junior High School teachers in the Berekum Municipality be retrained on Performance-Based Assessment so that they would know what it is and how it could be applied. This could be done by Ghana Education Service in liaising with measurement and evaluation experts in the University of Cape Coast.