Chew! Pour! Pass! and Forget! Students Perception of Authentic Assessment in Universities
Abstract
In recent times, stakeholders in education have questioned the training of students in universities. This is due to the fact that students find it difficult to apply what is learnt in school in the world of work. This study examines students’ perception of authentic assessment in universities in Ghana. A cross-sectional survey was, thus, conducted in five universities in Ghana. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 1,891 students were selected to participate in the study. Questionnaire, which was adapted from Fisher and colleagues, was adapted and validated using confirmatory factor analysis with 5,000 bootstrap samples and thereby establishing the construct validity of the instrument. Mean and standard deviation as well as one-sample t-test was used to analyse the data. The results revealed that assessments in universities in Ghana, according to the students, were not authentic (t(629)=-6.536, p<.001). The students argued that assessment in their institution did not help them to apply their learning to real life. The respondents opined that assessment in their universities failed to examine their ability to answer practical questions even in their field of study. It is recommended that various departments within the university should have assessment officers who would be tasked with reviewing test items constructed by lecturers, supervise the assessment practices of the lecturers and as well organise frequent training on assessment for lecturers.
References
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Alkharusi, H., Aldhafri, S., Alnabhani, H., & Alkalbani, M. (2012). Educational assessment attitudes, competence, knowledge, and practices: An exploratory study of Muscat teachers in the Sultanate of Oman. Journal of Education and Learning, 1(2), 217-232.
Alkharusi, H., Aldhafri, S., Alnabhani, H., & Alkalbani, M. (2014). Classroom assessment: Teacher practices, student perceptions, and academic self-efficacy beliefs. Social Behaviour and Personality, 42(5), 835-856.
Allen, M. J., & Yen, W. M. (2002). Introduction to measurement theory. Illinois: Waveland Press.
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American College Testing (2006). Ready for college and ready for work: same or different? Retrieved from http://www.act.org/path/policy/pdf/ from 24 August 2017.
Amin, M. E. (2005). Social science research: Conception, methodology and analysis. Kampala: Makerese University Press.
Anhwere, Y. M. (2009). Assessment practices of teacher training college tutors in Ghana. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.
Bless, C. & Higson-Smith, C. (2000). Fundamentals of Social Research Methods: An African Perspective. Washington DC: Juta & Company Ltd.
Brown, G. T. L., & Wang, Z. (2011). Illustrating assessment: how Hong Kong university students conceive of the purposes of assessment. Studies in Higher Education, 1, 1-21.
Carless, D. (2007). Learning-oriented assessment: conceptual bases and practical implications. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(1), 5766.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (6th ed.). New York: Routledge.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Publication.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). London: SAGE Publication Inc.
Dhindsa, H. S., Omar, K., & Waldrip, B. (2007). Upper secondary Bruneian science students’ perceptions of assessment. International Journal of Science Education, 29(10), 1261-1280.
Dolmans, D. H. J. M., Loyens, S. M. M., Marcq, H., & Gijbels, D. (2016). Deep and surface learning in problem-based learning: a review of the literature. Adv in Health Sci Educ, 21, 1087-1112.
Dowson, M., & McInerney, D. M. (2001). Psychological parameters of students’ social and work avoidance goals: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 35-42.
Ferguson, P. (2011). Student perceptions of quality feedback in teacher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(1), 51-62.
Fernandes, S., Flores, M. A., and Lima. R. (2012). Students’ views of assessment in project-led engineering education: findings from a case study in Portugal. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(2), 163–78.
Fisher, D. L., Waldrip, B. G., & Dorman, J. (2005). Student perceptions of assessment: Development and validation of a questionnaire. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.
Flores, M. A., Simão, A. M. V., Barros, A., & Pereira, D. (2015) Perceptions of effectiveness, fairness and feedback of assessment methods: a study in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 40(9), 1523-1534,
Fook, C. Y., & Sidhu, G. K. (2014). Assessment practices in higher education in United States. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 123, 299-306.
Gibbs, G. (1992). Improving the quality of student learning. Bristol: TES.
Gielen, S., Dochy, F., & Dierick, S. (2003). Evaluating the consequential validity of new modes of assessment: The influence of assessment on learning, including pre-, post-, and true assessment effects. In M. Segers, F. Dochy, & E. Cascallar (Eds.), Optimising new modes of assessment: In search of qualities and standards (pp. 37–54). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Gijbels, D., Van de Watering, G., Dochy, F., & Van den Bossche, P. (2005). The relationship between students’ approaches to learning and the assessment of learning outcomes. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 20(4), 327-341.
Glenn, D. I. (1992). Determining sample size. Florida: Florida Cooperative Extension Services, University of Florida.
Goodrum, D., Hackling, M, & Rennie, L. (2001). The status and quality of teaching and learning in Australian schools. Canberra, Australia: Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs.
Gulikers, J. T. M., Bastiaens, Th. J., & Kirschner, P. A. (2006). Authentic assessment, student and teacher perceptions: the practical value of the five dimensional-framework. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 58, 337-357.
Hardman, F., Abd-Kadir, J., & Smith, F. (2008). Pedagogical renewal: Improving the quality of classroom interaction in Nigerian primary schools. International Journal of Educational Development, 28(1), 55-69.
Kankam, B., Bordoh, A., Eshun, I., Bassaw, T. K., & Koranteng, F. Y. (2014). An investigation into authentic assessment practices of social studies teachers in the senior high schools (SHSs) in Ghana. American Journal of Social Sciences, 2(6), 166-172.
Koul, R. B., & Fisher, D. L. (2005). Cultural background and students’ perceptions of science classroom learning environment and teacher interpersonal behaviour in Jammu, India. Learning Environments Research, 8(2), 195-211.
Laird, T. F. N., & Garver, A. K. (2010). The effect of teaching general education courses on deep approaches to learning: How disciplinary context matters. Research in Higher Education, 51, 248–65.
Leedy, P. D., and Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design (9th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education International.
Lobanova, T., & Shunin, Y. (2008). Competence based education–a common European strategy. Journal of Computer Modelling and New Technologies, 12(2), 45-65.
Lord, F. M., & Novick, M. R. (1968). Statistical theories of mental test scores. Reading MA: Addison-Welsley Publishing Company
Maclellan, E. (2004). Authenticity in assessment tasks: A heuristic exploration of academics' perceptions. Higher Education Research & Development, 23(1), 1933.
Mazur, E. (2015). Assessment: The silent killer of learning. Lecture delivered at Hope College Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Seminar on February 13, 2015.
McMillan, J. A. (2000). Basic assessment concepts for teachers and school administrators. ERIC/AE Digest. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED447201).
McMillan, J. H. (2001). Classroom assessment: Principals and practice for effective instruction (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Mintah, J. K. (2003). Authentic assessment in physical education: prevalence of use and perceived impact on students’ self-concept, motivation, and skill achievement. Measurement in Physical Education & Exercise Science, 7(3), 161–174.
Neuman, L. W. (2007). Basics of social research: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education Inc.
Nitko, J. A. (2001). Educational assessment of students. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Pontefract, C., & Hardman, F. (2005). The discourse of classroom interaction in Kenyan primary schools. Comparative Education, 41(1), 87–106.
Quansah, F. (2017). The use of Cronbach Alpha Reliability estimate among university students in Ghana. African Journal of Teacher Education, 6(1), 56-64.
Rust, C. (2002). The impact of assessment on student learning. London: SAGE Publication.
Schaffner, M., Burry-Stock, J. A., Cho, G., Boney, T., & Hamilton, G. (2000). What do kids think when their teachers grade? Paper presented at the Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.
Segers, M., Dochy, F., & Cascallar, E. (2003). The era of assessment engineering: Changing perspectives on teaching and learning and the role of new model of assessment, in: M. Segers, F. Dochy & Cascallar E. (Eds.) Optimising new modes of assessment: In search of qualities and standards (Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic Publishers).
Sofo, S., Ocansey, R. T., Nabie, M. J., & Asola, E. F. (2013). Assessment practices among secondary Physical Education teachers in Ghana. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 5(2), 274-281.
Sutton, R. (2000) Cultural issues in mass student testing, Management in Education, 14(1), 27.
Taras, M. (2005). Assessment – summative and formative – Some theoretical reflections. Bri. J. Educa. Stud., 53(4), 466-478.
Traub, R. (1997). Classical test theory in historical perspective. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 16(4), 8-14.
Wass, R., Miller, E., & Sim, K. N. (2014). Contemporary assessment practices in university: Impact on teachers and students. University of Otago: National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence.
Watering, G. V., Gijbels, D., Dochy, F., & Rijt, J. (2008). Students’ assessment preferences, perceptions of assessment and their relationships to study results. Higher Education, 56(6), 645-658.
Watkins, D. (2001). Correlates of approaches to learning: A cross-cultural meta-analysis. In R.J. Stemberg & L. Zhang (Eds.), Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles (pp. 165-196). London: Lawrence Eribaum Associates.
Wiggins, G. (1990). The case for authentic assessment. ERIC Digest. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED, 328, 611.
Wren, J., Sparrow, H., Northcote, M., & Sharp, S. (2009). Higher education students’ perceptions of effective assessment. The International Journal of Learning, 15(12), 11-23.
Alkharusi, H., Aldhafri, S., Alnabhani, H., & Alkalbani, M. (2012). Educational assessment attitudes, competence, knowledge, and practices: An exploratory study of Muscat teachers in the Sultanate of Oman. Journal of Education and Learning, 1(2), 217-232.
Alkharusi, H., Aldhafri, S., Alnabhani, H., & Alkalbani, M. (2014). Classroom assessment: Teacher practices, student perceptions, and academic self-efficacy beliefs. Social Behaviour and Personality, 42(5), 835-856.
Allen, M. J., & Yen, W. M. (2002). Introduction to measurement theory. Illinois: Waveland Press.
Amedahe, F. K. (1989). Testing practices in secondary schools in the Central Region of Ghana. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.
American College Testing (2006). Ready for college and ready for work: same or different? Retrieved from http://www.act.org/path/policy/pdf/ from 24 August 2017.
Amin, M. E. (2005). Social science research: Conception, methodology and analysis. Kampala: Makerese University Press.
Anhwere, Y. M. (2009). Assessment practices of teacher training college tutors in Ghana. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.
Bless, C. & Higson-Smith, C. (2000). Fundamentals of Social Research Methods: An African Perspective. Washington DC: Juta & Company Ltd.
Brown, G. T. L., & Wang, Z. (2011). Illustrating assessment: how Hong Kong university students conceive of the purposes of assessment. Studies in Higher Education, 1, 1-21.
Carless, D. (2007). Learning-oriented assessment: conceptual bases and practical implications. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(1), 5766.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (6th ed.). New York: Routledge.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Publication.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). London: SAGE Publication Inc.
Dhindsa, H. S., Omar, K., & Waldrip, B. (2007). Upper secondary Bruneian science students’ perceptions of assessment. International Journal of Science Education, 29(10), 1261-1280.
Dolmans, D. H. J. M., Loyens, S. M. M., Marcq, H., & Gijbels, D. (2016). Deep and surface learning in problem-based learning: a review of the literature. Adv in Health Sci Educ, 21, 1087-1112.
Dowson, M., & McInerney, D. M. (2001). Psychological parameters of students’ social and work avoidance goals: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 35-42.
Ferguson, P. (2011). Student perceptions of quality feedback in teacher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(1), 51-62.
Fernandes, S., Flores, M. A., and Lima. R. (2012). Students’ views of assessment in project-led engineering education: findings from a case study in Portugal. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(2), 163–78.
Fisher, D. L., Waldrip, B. G., & Dorman, J. (2005). Student perceptions of assessment: Development and validation of a questionnaire. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.
Flores, M. A., Simão, A. M. V., Barros, A., & Pereira, D. (2015) Perceptions of effectiveness, fairness and feedback of assessment methods: a study in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 40(9), 1523-1534,
Fook, C. Y., & Sidhu, G. K. (2014). Assessment practices in higher education in United States. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 123, 299-306.
Gibbs, G. (1992). Improving the quality of student learning. Bristol: TES.
Gielen, S., Dochy, F., & Dierick, S. (2003). Evaluating the consequential validity of new modes of assessment: The influence of assessment on learning, including pre-, post-, and true assessment effects. In M. Segers, F. Dochy, & E. Cascallar (Eds.), Optimising new modes of assessment: In search of qualities and standards (pp. 37–54). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Gijbels, D., Van de Watering, G., Dochy, F., & Van den Bossche, P. (2005). The relationship between students’ approaches to learning and the assessment of learning outcomes. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 20(4), 327-341.
Glenn, D. I. (1992). Determining sample size. Florida: Florida Cooperative Extension Services, University of Florida.
Goodrum, D., Hackling, M, & Rennie, L. (2001). The status and quality of teaching and learning in Australian schools. Canberra, Australia: Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs.
Gulikers, J. T. M., Bastiaens, Th. J., & Kirschner, P. A. (2006). Authentic assessment, student and teacher perceptions: the practical value of the five dimensional-framework. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 58, 337-357.
Hardman, F., Abd-Kadir, J., & Smith, F. (2008). Pedagogical renewal: Improving the quality of classroom interaction in Nigerian primary schools. International Journal of Educational Development, 28(1), 55-69.
Kankam, B., Bordoh, A., Eshun, I., Bassaw, T. K., & Koranteng, F. Y. (2014). An investigation into authentic assessment practices of social studies teachers in the senior high schools (SHSs) in Ghana. American Journal of Social Sciences, 2(6), 166-172.
Koul, R. B., & Fisher, D. L. (2005). Cultural background and students’ perceptions of science classroom learning environment and teacher interpersonal behaviour in Jammu, India. Learning Environments Research, 8(2), 195-211.
Laird, T. F. N., & Garver, A. K. (2010). The effect of teaching general education courses on deep approaches to learning: How disciplinary context matters. Research in Higher Education, 51, 248–65.
Leedy, P. D., and Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design (9th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education International.
Lobanova, T., & Shunin, Y. (2008). Competence based education–a common European strategy. Journal of Computer Modelling and New Technologies, 12(2), 45-65.
Lord, F. M., & Novick, M. R. (1968). Statistical theories of mental test scores. Reading MA: Addison-Welsley Publishing Company
Maclellan, E. (2004). Authenticity in assessment tasks: A heuristic exploration of academics' perceptions. Higher Education Research & Development, 23(1), 1933.
Mazur, E. (2015). Assessment: The silent killer of learning. Lecture delivered at Hope College Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Seminar on February 13, 2015.
McMillan, J. A. (2000). Basic assessment concepts for teachers and school administrators. ERIC/AE Digest. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED447201).
McMillan, J. H. (2001). Classroom assessment: Principals and practice for effective instruction (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Mintah, J. K. (2003). Authentic assessment in physical education: prevalence of use and perceived impact on students’ self-concept, motivation, and skill achievement. Measurement in Physical Education & Exercise Science, 7(3), 161–174.
Neuman, L. W. (2007). Basics of social research: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education Inc.
Nitko, J. A. (2001). Educational assessment of students. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Pontefract, C., & Hardman, F. (2005). The discourse of classroom interaction in Kenyan primary schools. Comparative Education, 41(1), 87–106.
Quansah, F. (2017). The use of Cronbach Alpha Reliability estimate among university students in Ghana. African Journal of Teacher Education, 6(1), 56-64.
Rust, C. (2002). The impact of assessment on student learning. London: SAGE Publication.
Schaffner, M., Burry-Stock, J. A., Cho, G., Boney, T., & Hamilton, G. (2000). What do kids think when their teachers grade? Paper presented at the Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.
Segers, M., Dochy, F., & Cascallar, E. (2003). The era of assessment engineering: Changing perspectives on teaching and learning and the role of new model of assessment, in: M. Segers, F. Dochy & Cascallar E. (Eds.) Optimising new modes of assessment: In search of qualities and standards (Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic Publishers).
Sofo, S., Ocansey, R. T., Nabie, M. J., & Asola, E. F. (2013). Assessment practices among secondary Physical Education teachers in Ghana. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 5(2), 274-281.
Sutton, R. (2000) Cultural issues in mass student testing, Management in Education, 14(1), 27.
Taras, M. (2005). Assessment – summative and formative – Some theoretical reflections. Bri. J. Educa. Stud., 53(4), 466-478.
Traub, R. (1997). Classical test theory in historical perspective. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 16(4), 8-14.
Wass, R., Miller, E., & Sim, K. N. (2014). Contemporary assessment practices in university: Impact on teachers and students. University of Otago: National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence.
Watering, G. V., Gijbels, D., Dochy, F., & Rijt, J. (2008). Students’ assessment preferences, perceptions of assessment and their relationships to study results. Higher Education, 56(6), 645-658.
Watkins, D. (2001). Correlates of approaches to learning: A cross-cultural meta-analysis. In R.J. Stemberg & L. Zhang (Eds.), Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles (pp. 165-196). London: Lawrence Eribaum Associates.
Wiggins, G. (1990). The case for authentic assessment. ERIC Digest. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED, 328, 611.
Wren, J., Sparrow, H., Northcote, M., & Sharp, S. (2009). Higher education students’ perceptions of effective assessment. The International Journal of Learning, 15(12), 11-23.
Authors
[1]
“Chew! Pour! Pass! and Forget! Students Perception of Authentic Assessment in Universities”, Soc. sci. humanities j., vol. 3, no. 03, pp. 901–909, Mar. 2019, Accessed: Apr. 28, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://sshjournal.com/index.php/sshj/article/view/309
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