MZUZU UNIVERSITY
CENTRE FOR OPEN, DISTANCE & e- LEARNING
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF FOUNDATION STUDIES
TO : MR. CHOKOCHA SELEMANI MBEWE
FROM : STARFORD MALIKO
REGISTRATION No : BEDLDL 43819
COURSE TITLE : TESTING, MEASURING AND EVALUTION
COURSE CODE : EDUF 2302
LEVEL : TWO
SEMESTER : THREE
ASSIGNMENT No : ONE
TASK : DISSCUSSING FIVE FACTORS THAT AFFECT, THE
EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINUOUS
ASSESSMENT IN MALAWI’S SECONDARY SCHOOLS
AND HOW THEY CAN BE MINIMIZED OR OVERCOMED.
DUE : 12 AUGUST, 2022.
FACTORS THAT AFFECT EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINUOUS
ASSESSMENT AND HOW THEY CAN BE MINIMIZED OR OVERCOMED
Continuous assessment signifies the progress of learners. This technique helps to look in to the
effectiveness of the method of teaching the teachers use (Adela, 2014). One of the most
important tasks for classroom teachers is to ensure that students achieve instructional objectives
(Adela, 2014). Teachers must monitor the progress of the both the class and individual students
in order to make good decisions about where to begin teaching, when to move on to the next
unit of instruction, whether to re-teach the present unit, or whether a particular student or
subgroup of students needs special help to master the learning task. The quality of these
decisions influence the effectiveness of the classroom instructional program (Thorndike, 1997).
Continuous assessment is one of mechanisms of assessing student’s performance. As
professionals assessing student’s performance continuously is very important to get continuous
feedback for their improvement than covering the whole course by giving exams. That is why
the government gives much emphasis and implementing in different levels of educational
institutions at this time (Marcus, & Ayibatonye, 2014). But there are factors that affect
implementation of continuous assessment and it is therefore the aim of this essay to discuss
these factors and how they can be minimized or overcome.
Continuous assessment allows teachers to refine their understanding of the content that they
are teaching students (Adela, 2014), one of the factors that affect implementation of the same
is lack of teacher skills to administer continuous assessment. Since majority of the teachers in
Malawi Secondary Schools do not possess the required skills, it seems so impossible for the
implementation of continuous assessment in the schools (Marcus, & Ayibatonye, 2014). In
other words, lack of the basic skills and training in test constriction and administration of
implementers of continuous assessment is the major problem in Malawi Secondary schools.
For teachers to implement effectively continuous assessment, the skills they should have to be
able to implement continuous assessment at the secondary level of education in Malawi are that
they should be able to state measurable instructional objectives for each lesson; and secondly,
teacher should be able to conduct audience analysis in order to determine the learning styles,
study habits of learners among others (Alausa, 2003).
However, since majority of the teachers in the Malawi public secondary schools do not possess
the required skills, it seems so impossible for the implementation of continuous assessment in
the schools. This is the case in private secondary schools in Malawi where unqualified teachers
are employed regardless to whether they have undergone necessary training to implement
continuous assessments effectively. Community day secondary schools are also facing similar
challenges.
In order to minimize the problem of lack of trained or skilled teachers in Malawi, teachers
should be trained professionally to execute and properly implement continuous assessment
(Alausa, 2003). Government should also provide a policy of the calibre of teachers to be
employed in private secondary school and they should be monitored for effectiveness.
Another factor that affect effective implementation of continuous assessment is lack of
teachers’ ability to measure the learner’s affective attributes such as interest, attitude, motives,
values and other personality traits (Adela, 2014). Such characteristics could be as important as
others associated with intelligence. They could assist the teachers and administration in
understanding learners better, both in the process of education and in the practical activities of
everyday life (Marcus, & Ayibatonye, 2014). They also provide clues about the interest patterns
of learners which could be used in their placement into schools of higher learning and for
employment purpose. It is believed that if such skills are acquired by teachers and continuous
assessment is fully implemented by teachers, anti-social behaviours such as truancy, lying,
cheating, pilfering and poor attitude to work and school could be corrected (Marcus, &
Ayibatonye, 2014).
This problem can be minimised by offering regular workshops and seminars including in-
service training be given to the teachers to update their knowledge on continuous assessment
implementation and to equip them with the ability to measure the learner’s affective attributes
such as interest, attitude, motives, values and other personality traits (Adela, 2014).
Large classes is another factor that affect effective implementation of continuous assessment
in Malawi secondary schools. This is the case because some of the schools are over populated
and as such, this makes the teacher prevent the implementation of continuous assessment
properly and adequately. It will make the teacher give more tests and do more marking and this
makes the teacher to become disinterested in operating the system. Scores are rather “cooked
up” by most teachers (Marcus, 2008).
However, to overcome the problem of large classes which comes as a result of lack of
infrastructures in Malawi secondary schools more especially community day secondary schools
and private secondary schools, the pupils’ population in each class should be ideal to
manageable size. In addition, the recruitment of qualified teachers to improve student teacher
ratio in secondary schools. Samson, & Allida (2018), states that for the successful outcome of
assessment depends on careful keeping of accurate records and giving feedback for each
learner’s independently and so instructors should be trained on how to keep records and provide
feedback. Therefore, the availability of infrastructures and employment of qualified teachers
would be one of the major ways of reducing factors that affect the implementation of continuous
assessment in Malawi secondary schools.
Another follow-up factor that is associated with and can be caused by Malawi secondary
schools’ lack of infrastructure because of student’s population that are high is lack of facilities
such as filling cabinet, file jackets, shelves contribute to teachers’ indifference or general apathy
to continuous assessment implementation since the students’ population is high; this affects
effective implementation of the same. It is required of teachers that learners’ records have to
be adequately and accurately kept over a long period of time. They should be properly stored
and easily retrievable, but since facilities like filling cabinets, shelves, file jacket are lacking in
schools, teacher feel record keeping is a waste of effort and show indifference to recording
keeping and implementation of continuous assessment (Marcus, & Ayibatonye, 2014).
To overcome the problem of lack of facilities and of poor record-keeping such as filling cabinet,
file jackets and shelves among others, which leads to poor record-keeping, principals,
headmasters, headmistresses and school administrators should provide adequate record keeping
system for continuous assessment so that scores can be stored for a long time and would be
easily retrievable when needed (Marcus, & Ayibatonye, 2014).
Another factor that affect effective implementation of continuous assessment is lack of
motivation for teachers. According to Marcus and Ayibatonye (2014), significant in continuous
assessment implementation is motivation in which teachers in Malawi secondary schools are
not motivated in any way; if they are, not many schools in Malawi do that. Peterson (1995) also
explains that much of teacher’s work is carried out in self-contained classrooms that isolate
them from the support of their colleagues. Due to this organizational structure, teachers are
difficult to supervise, do not received regular feedback from others and often find it hard to
collaborate.
For continuous assessment implementation to be result oriented, teachers’ motivation measure
should be based on the three principles.
The first one is that individuals are more likely to strive in their work if there is an anticipated
reward that they value. Another one is the equity principle which states that individuals are
dissatisfied if they are not justly compensated for their efforts and accomplishments. Lastly,
the job enrichment principle which states that workers are more productive when their work is
varied and challenging. In addition, current Malawi secondary school environments are a
reward scarce setting for professional work and often seem to work against teachers’ best
efforts to grow professionally and improve students. Alausa (2003) also agrees this assertions,
that an unmotivated teacher may have the tendency to merely “cook up” scores in the name of
continuous assessment (21). Thus teachers should be encouraged to form favourable attitudes
towards the practice. Government and even the owners of private secondary schools should
create an enabling and motivating environment for the teachers for better educational
productivity.
In conclusion, this essay has discussed that teachers are the main players on the implementation
of continuous assessment in schools. The essay has also discussed that, for a successful
implementation of continuous assessment, the responsibility depends on the classroom teacher.
However, it has been noted that effective implementation of continuous assessment is affected
by the following factors: some teachers in Malawi secondary schools are not professionals and
so do not possess the basic skills to construct and administer continuous assessment test in the
school; Large classes is another factor, some of the schools are over populated and such makes
the teacher dismay in the implementing continuous assessment properly and adequately. Lack
of adequate motivation, good working environment are seen to be scarce and so teachers feel
that it is irrelevant to die in undertakings that never can contribute to their well-being. Other
factors are lack of facilities such as filling cabinet, file jackets, shelves contribute to teachers’
indifference or general apathy to continuous assessment implementation among and lack of
ability of teachers to measure the learner’s affective attributes such as interest, attitude, motives,
values and other personality traits. All these factors can be overcome by providing trained
teachers professionally to execute and properly implement continuous assessment.
Government, private sectors and other stakeholders should create a good environment for the
teachers for better educational productivity. Regular workshops and seminars including in-
service training be given to the teachers to update their knowledge on continuous assessment
implementation. School administrators should provide adequate record keeping system for
continuous assessment so that scores can be stored for a long time and would be easily
retrievable when needed.
REFERENCES
Adela, M. (2014). Challenges and Implementation of Measurement, Continuous Assessment
and Evaluation in Open and Distance Learning in Ethiopia. Accessed from:
http://repository.smuc.ed
Alausa, Y. A. (2003). Continuous Assessment in Our Schools, Advantages and Problems.
Southern African Conference on Continuous Assessment.
Marcus, A. C. & Ayibatonye, J. E. (2014). Science Teachers’ and Continuous Assessment
Implementation in Secondary Schools: Competence and Effects. IOSR Journal of
Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME) 4 (4), pp.36-41 Accessed from:
www.iosrjournals.org
Marcus, A. C. (2008). Factors Responsible for Teachers Indifference to the Implementation of
Continuous Assessment in Selected Public Schools in Rivers State. Unpublished
Dissertation University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt
Peterson, K. D. (1995). Teacher Education. A Comprehensive Guide to New Directions and
practices. Thousand Oaks, C. A. Corwin Press.
Samson, B. & Allida, V. (2018). The Influence Of Continuous Assessment On Academic
Performance In Primary Schools Of Ibulanku Sub-County, Iganga District (Uganda).
Baraton Interdisciplinary Research Journal (2018), 8, pp 1-7.
Thordike, R. et al. (1997). Measurement and Evaluation in Psychology and Education (6th
ed.). USA. Prentice- Hall, Inc.
