Knowledge and Practice of School-Based Assessment of Pre-Service Teachers in Central Region

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore the knowledge and practice of schoolbased assessment of pre-service teachers at Komenda and Foso Colleges of Education in the Central Region. The study was guided by the following research objectives; examine the level of knowledge of pre-service teachers on SBA, investigate the attitudes on the implementation of SBA principles, examine the impact of SBA on instructional methods of pre-service teachers and identify the challenges of pre-service teachers in the implementation of SBA. The respondents were chosen from two colleges in the Central Region using the multi-stage sampling procedure because the study involved a very large population. The cluster of population was divided into smaller clusters in several stages which made primary data collection more manageable. The sample size for the study was 381. A quantitative descriptive research design was used for the study and the study was guided by two hypotheses and five research questions. A questionnaire was employed to acquire data for the study. The questionnaire's Cronbach's coefficient alpha was 0.876. The study revealed that pre-service teachers had knowledge about SBA. It was also observed that pre-service teachers had positive attitude towards the application of SBA in schools. Pre-service teachers had adequate time for SBA implementation. SBA was further seen to have impact on pre-service teachers‘ methods of instruction. Pre-service teachers used SBA to identify the learning needs of students. Teachers further indicated that they faced challenges such as non-availability of SBA guidelines, truancy, irregular pupil attendance and shortage of materials when implementing SBA in schools. It was discovered that there was no significant difference in pre-service teachers' attitudes toward SBA based on their gender. It is recommended that public school teachers and pre-service teachers undergo timely in-service training on SBA-related topics and tasks in order to remain current. Even if teachers have a positive attitude about using SBA principles, regular in-service training and seminars must still be provided to them. Additionally, the Ghana Education Service and other stakeholders should budget money for workshops and seminars for teachers and pre-service teachers on the difficulties with SBA.