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CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT AS A CORRELATE OF STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

According to Kellaghan and Greany (2003), "during the 1980's and 1990's, among the many countries that engaged in examination reform were Nigeria (1983), Kenya (1985) Zimbabwe (1990), and Tanzania (1994)." Following the World Bank (1988) Policy Paper, „Education in Sub-Saharan Africa", which recommended, "a renewed commitment to academic standards principally through strengthening examination systems" (World Bank

1988: 93), the first plenary meeting of the Donors to African Education (DAE) now called Association for Education Development in Africa (AEDA), reflecting the mood and development in many countries, addressed the need to improve education quality. This led to the establishment of the Working Group on School Examinations (WGSE) in recognition of the important role examinations could play in quality improvement. (Kellaghan & Greaney, 1992).

In Nigeria, the Education Policy Review Commission (EPRC, 1989) was initiated to review the education system. The commission noted that the two years of secondary education be retained for the purpose of giving adequate time for preparation to students who wished to continue with higher education. The same commission emphasized the importance of both continuous assessment and final examinations (EPRC 1989:59), The Jomtien declaration (1990) in Thailand about Education for All (EFA) required definitions of targets for quality improvement and it specified a need to assess students" achievement (Kellagan, 2003). This is why the White Paper (1992) on the Education for National Integration and Development recommended that schools should maintain a cumulative record card on continuous internal assessment including class performance.

Since then, teachers have continued to carry out continuous assessment in secondary schools for classes as often as possible and without waiting until the end of each term or year.

Ivan Pavlov (1929-1936) in his conditioning theory of Classical Conditioning concluded that a dog learnt to salivate whenever a bell was rung. He undertook many trials and each time the bell was sounded the dog salivated and food was simultaneously presented. The conditioning theory has therefore been adopted to inform this research because it was assumed that students in secondary school obtained good grades whenever subject matter/content was taught followed by many continuous assessment (trials) exercises. Pavlov suggested a Conditioned Response (CR) that refers to a student's reactions that develop as a result of training/teaching in this study. A Conditioned Stimulus (CS) refers to incentives that evoke CR through training/teaching. In this study, it was assumed that students' attainment of good grades was the Conditioned Response (CR), continuous assessment was the Conditioned Stimulus (CS), and teaching was the Unconditioned Stimulus (US).

Academic performance has been described as the scholastic standing of a student at a given moment. This scholastic standing could be explained in terms of the grades obtained in a course or groups of courses (Daniels and Schoulen, 1970). Simkins (1981) commented on this scholastic standing and argued that performance is a measure of output and that the main outputs in education are expressed in terms of learning, that is, changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes of individuals as a result of their experiences within the school's system. STAN, (1992) supported this argument and reported that performance is the level of attainment of a person in an examination, that is, how an individual is able to demonstrate his or her abilities in an examination. Noting this point, Al-Shorave (1995) regarded a student's performance in an examination as being depended on his cumulative grade point average. His argument supported Entwistle and Wilson's (1977) assertion that a student's success is generally judged by examination performance while the best criterion of performance is the sum of the student's academic performance in all the subjects taken.

'The pattern of grading students in the Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) and the Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) examinations in Nigeria is such that the distinction grade is being represented by A1 to B3. The credit grade is represented by C4 to C6. The ordinary pass grade is represented by D7 and E8 while the failure grade is represented by F9 (Oyo State Ministry of Education, 1994; Ekiti State Ministry of Education, 1997; WAEC, 2006). It needs to be mentioned however, that the distinction and credit grades are the only requisite grades for admissions into Nigerian universities and candidates must have at least credits in five subjects including English Language in order to qualify for admission (JAMB, 2007). Considering the results in the GCE and similar examinations, a fall in performance in public examinations has been reported in many countries (World Bank, 1988; Adeyegbe, 2002; Onipede, 2003). The World Bank (1988), for instance, found that the quality of education especially in Sub-Saharan Africa has eroded markedly while State support has declined in real dollars. In Nigeria, Adeyegbe (2002) found that there was a decline in students' performance in ]SC examinations. He reported that in topics where teachers found difficult to teach, students tend to perform below expectation. Supporting this point, Onipede (2003) reported that students performed below expectation in Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) examinations in many subject areas especially in English Language and Mathematics.

Researchers have identified different factors that could cause students' failure (Wankowski, 1973; OECD, 1989; Al-Methen and Wilkinson, 1992). Wankowski (1973) for instance, reported that academic failure seems to be associated with the lack of personal confidence, emotional instability and temperamental tendency towards extraversion.

Supporting this fact, Al-Methen and Wilkinson (1992) reported that failure in students is due to the lack of confidence in the knowledge they possess which in turn could affect their level of activity in the classroom. They argued that students' academic problems arise from personal inadequacies such as low ability; negative self concept, anxiety, maladjustment, environmental influences such as poor classroom conditions, curricular inadequacies, peer groups and the lack of home support. These arguments supported OECD's (1989) remarks that many young people do not learn much in developing countries. Some often leave school before the school leaving age while others are in the habit of attending school irregularly.

Researchers have given other reasons why most candidates find it difficult to pass their examinations (Oke, 1992; Ijaiya, 2000; Oderinde, 2003; Adeyemi, 2007). Among these reasons include having to repeat classes, lack of adequate knowledge in their various sublects, inadequacy of professionally qualified teachers in schools and insufficient facilities. These reasons might perhaps have led to the remarks made by (Odesola, 2001; Adelugba, 2003; Asaolu, 2003) that Oyo State recorded an unprecedented failure in core subjects in the year 2000 junior secondary certificate examinations in the annals of the State.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The urgent need to promote learning and improve performance in secondary schools in Oyo State resulted in a range of related but different developments in continuous assessment at classroom levels. The resultant feature has been inconsistent performance of students in Junior Secondary Certificate (ISC) examinations national wide and performance still varies from school to school. This undermines the future of many students that are in schools that persistently perform poorly. What therefore remains disturbing is whether a correlation between continuous assessment strategies adopted by teachers in junior secondary schools of Ovo State with students* performance in final examinations.

Therefore, since performance is a measure of school output (Simkins 1981), why the Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) examination is a major public examinations exposed to by secondary school students in Nigeria, this study intended to examine the correlation between students' continuous assessment and academic performance level of students in the examination in Urban and Rural Areas.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to find out the continuous assessment strategies used by teachers in Secondary schools in Urban and Rural areas of Oyo State

Others include;

1. To find out whether there was a relationship between continuous assessments strategies (CAS used and students* performance in the Junior Secondary Certificate (SC) examinations in secondary schools in Urban and Rural areas of Oyo State.

2. To find out the teachers" perception of whether students exposed to various continuous assessment strategies perform better in the Junior Secondary Certificate (SC) examination than their counterparts.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What Continuous Assessment strategies were being used by teachers in secondary schools in Urban and Rural areas of Oyo State?

2. What was the correlation between the Continuous Assessment strategies being used and students' performance in secondary schools in Urban and Rural areas of Oyo State?

3. What were the teachers' perceptions on whether students exposed to various continuous assessment strategies performed better in the Junior Secondary Certificate (ISC) examination than their counterparts?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

1. The hypothesis is that there are variations in the employment of Continuous Assessment strategies by teachers in secondary schools between Urban and Rural areas of Oyo State.

2. The hypothesis suggests that there exists a correlation between the Continuous Assessment strategies employed and the academic performance of students in secondary schools across Urban and Rural areas of Oyo State.

3. The hypothesis posits that teachers perceive students exposed to diverse Continuous Assessment strategies to achieve better results in the Junior Secondary Certificate (ISC) examination compared to their peers who are not exposed to such strategies.

1.6. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study covered secondary schools in Ovo State of Nigeria. The major emphasis was put on teachers and students of Urban and Rural areas, The study also revolved around continuous assessment strategies being used by the teachers and students" performance in secondary schools in Urban and Rural areas of Oyo State.

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study might contribute in the following ways:

The research results would inform the teacher trainers of the numerous Continuous Assessment Strategies (CASs) being utilized in junior secondary schools in Urban and Rural areas of Oyo State that these strategies should be emphasized during the course of teacher training.

The research would provide relevant knowledge and information to the Inspectorate Department about the performance of students in schools those results from the classroom practice.

Teachers would be informed of the alternative CASs that could be used to enhance students* performance in Urban and Rural areas.

This research will act as a foundation for further research that will benefit researchers.

1.8 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

1. Continuous Assessment: Continuous Assessment refers to the process of evaluating students' performance throughout the academic term or year, typically involving multiple assessments such as quizzes, projects, presentations, and assignments.

2. Correlate: In the context of this study, "correlate" refers to the relationship or association between two variables, in this case, Continuous Assessment and student academic performance, where changes in one variable are reflected in changes in the other.

3. Student Academic Performance: Student academic performance pertains to the level of achievement or success demonstrated by students in their academic endeavors, usually measured through grades, test scores, and examination results.

4. School: In this study, "school" refers to educational institutions providing formal education to students, including secondary schools, both in urban and rural areas of Oyo State.

5. Urban Area: An urban area is a densely populated region characterized by significant human-made infrastructure, such as buildings, roads, and other amenities, with a high concentration of economic and social activities. 

6. Rural Area: A rural area is a sparsely populated region characterized by natural landscapes, agriculture-based economies, and limited access to amenities and services compared to urban areas.

These definitions provide clarity on the key terms used in the study on Continuous Assessment as a correlate of student academic performance in schools.

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