PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS ON CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT IN DIPLOMA IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND PRIMARY EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN OPEN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA
P. L. N. Randima Rajapaksha The Open University of Sri Lanka
[email protected]
Abstract Assessment is one of the key factors of the teaching learning process. It is very important that the assessment components must be well designed, well planned, timely delivered and properly managed to increase learners’ learning and understanding within the programme of the study. This study attempted to investigate learners’ perception on the two methods of continuous assessments; Take Home and Activity Based Day school Assignment of the Diploma in Early Childhood and Primary Education Programme (DECPE) in the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). A questionnaire, focus group discussion and interviews were utilized under the survey design to a randomly selected sample of 100 students who registered in the DECPE Programme 2013/14 in English medium. Quantitative data analysis using SPSS and qualitative data analysis using descriptive methods under several themes showed that majority of learners were in favor of the both methods of continuous assessments. They agreed take home assignments are consistent with the day school with modules, assess not only the subject content but provided room to apply the theories, and interesting but are complex. However the feedback given and time taken for it weren’t in favor. Activity based assignment also were viewed as interesting, foster social interaction and self learning and easy to score and improve learners’ motivation than take home assignments. The findings concluded that learners hold strong views on both continuous assessment methods and both helped them enhancing learning. Further the study concluded that learners do not receive timely and constructive feedback and have great concerns on the number of assignments to be submitted per day and the complexity of questions. The study suggested conducting an effective mechanism to monitor the questions given and giving constructive feedback to learners.
Keywords: Distance Learning, Continuous Assessment, Learner Perception Introduction As a force contributing to social and economic development, open and distance learning is today one of the most rapidly growing fields of education and training. It is fast becoming an accepted and indispensable part of the mainstream of educational systems in both developed and developing countries, with particular importance for the latter (UNESCO, 2000a). In the Open and Distance Learning, assessment is one of the measures which ensure the quality of open and distance learning. It occupies a vital position in the teaching and learning, certification and acquiring knowledge and skills in a ODL system. It is a sub system of the ODL system which requires a sophisticated and systematic mechanism for managing student assessment (Lekamge, Karunanayaka, Nawarathna, Hewapathirana, Kugamoorthy and Weerakoon, 2015). Dietel, Herman, and Knuth (1991) define assessment as “any method used to better understand the current knowledge that a student possesses”. It is a process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use of teachers to decide where learners are in their learning (Jones and Tanner, 2006). According to Rowntree (1990) there are two major purposes of assessing students, (i) To provide support and feedback to learners and to improve their ongoing learning,
(ii) To report on what they have already achieved, whether this is a grade or a written assessment. Assessment is not only for the benefit of the student learning but also it fulfills requirements of other stakeholders involved in the teaching-learning process such as teachers, institutions and community (Nightingale, 1996). Along with the quality of assessment procedures, research also strongly support that timely and effective studies, feedback on assessment components is a crucial element of the learning process (Higgins et al., 2002; Blayney & Freeman, 2004). This helps learners to monitor their own progress, (ii) feedback from assignments, and (iii) direct feedback and dialogue with counsellors/ tutors during interaction in counseling sessions and laboratory work. Therefore, one can argue that an effective and efficient Formative Assessment system would contribute substantially to improve the excellence of any ODL Programme aimed at professional development of the clientele (Lekamge et al, 2015). For improving the quality and effectiveness of the different types of interactions responsible for teaching-learning process, an effective monitoring and time to time Programme/course evaluation is necessary. The right kind of assessment system increases learning and understanding of learners Tripathi and Fozdar, 2010). Thus, it was decided to conduct an investigation on learners’ perception on continuous assessment components of Diploma in Early Childhood and Primary Education Programme of the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL).
Background of the Study The Diploma in Early Childhood and Primary Education (DECPE) offered by the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Faculty of Education, OUSL, is a two year Programme which enables the participants to perform effectively as teachers/care givers in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education. It is offered both Sinhala and English Mediums in Colombo and Kandy, and only in Sinhala medium in Matara and Anuradhapura Regional Centres. Annually around 1000 students enroll to this Programme. DECPE Programme has two levels; Level 3 and Level 04. Level 03 includes 09 courses which are only subject based and Level 04 includes 6 courses including Teaching Practice in both Preschool and Primary School. The main delivery modes are printed modules and face to face contact sessions. In the DECPE Programme, the assessment process includes continuous assessment and final examination in both written and practical basis. The continuous assessment process includes two types; Take Home Assignments (THA) and Activity Based Day school Assignment (ABDA). Take home assignments are considered as the main method of assessing student progress. Depending on the credit rating of the courses, student teachers had to complete either three (9 credits) or two (6 credits) assignments satisfactorily to get the eligibility to sit for the final examination. The assignments are set by an internal academic and a large number of visiting academics attached to different regional and study centres engage in marking those assignments using the marking schemes prepared by the setter of each course. In THAs students are given short answer questions and structured essay type questions based on the printed modules to write answers at home. The ABDAs are conducted at a Day school where students are given an individual and group activity to find answers during the given time. They have to gather answers in groups and conduct presentations at the same day. In order to successfully complete the Programme one must obtain eligibility for all courses by scoring more 40% for all of these at first attempt. For this how learners perceive the continuous assessment system in the Programme is vital for the successfulness of their achievements. In this paper, it is reported the students’ perceptions on the continuous assessment components of the Diploma in Early Childhood Education Programme in the Open University of Sri Lanka.
Objectives of the Study
The following were the objectives of this study, 1. to identify learners’ perception on the continuous assessment components of the DECPE Programme. 2. to find out major problems learners face in completing the continuous assessment components of the DECPE Programme.
Research Questions In order to achieve the above objectives of the study, the following research questions were formulated. 1. How learners’ perceive the continuous assessment components of the DECPE Programme? 2. Do learners face problems in completing the continuous assessment components of the DECPE Programme? 3. What are the problems learners face in completing the continuous assessment components of the DECPE Programme.
Significance of the Study The two components of the continuous assessment of the DECPE Programme help students in preparing them for the final examination. 30% of their eligibility mark is added to calculate to overall mark including 70% from the final written examination. Therefore learners have to take serious concern on the continuous assessment components of the Programme. However, not much has been published to date on students' view and their concerns of continuous assessment components of DECPE Programme. In addition such a study could provide more understanding on the effectiveness of the continuous assessment components of the Programme. This would also help enhancing the quality of the Programme.
Literature Review What is ODL? The Open and Distance Learning has emerged as a panacea for all ills faced by educational systems both by developed as well developing countries. It has taken many forms with the integration and advancement of new technology (Gunawardene and Lekamge, 2010). The main feature of the open and distance education is that teachers and learners are separated geographically from one another and the learning material takes the form of the teacher. It tries to expand equal educational opportunities through flexible and open methodologies for those who are disadvantaged and do not have access to traditional classroom based learning. ODL is defined as an evolution of the Distance Education from a teacher-centric to a much more learner-centric model, the roles and activities of instructors and other learner support providers have changed to being more proactive than reactive”( Brindley et al : 2004). In the ODL system, assessment is considered as a learning tool which has the capacity to motivate students to engage in the learning process and to evaluate their achievement and provide necessary feedback. Assessment and Open Distance Learning (ODL) Major component of formative assessment in distance education includes assessment of students through assignments. According to Trivedi (2010), assignments are used to inspire learners to study contents by searching knowledge from multiple sources and prove that they have studied the course by completing assigned work. Murugan (1998) takes assignments essential to screen the level of attainment of a learner about the course contents. In his views, assignments stimulate learners to study frequently and motivate them to contact to class fellows and teachers for academic support. In addition, Pandey and Parveez (2006) consider assignments helpful for learners to receive advice of their tutors about their learning
deficiencies. The assignments also serve an important source of feedback to our distance learner, apart from being an evaluation tool. The feedback helps the learner in identifying the strengths and weaknesses in their understanding of course concepts, which in turn might indicate ' the need for some remedial actions. Another important issue is not getting satisfactory comments from the counsellors evaluators. Feedback in the form of a simple mark or a grade is not very useful to the distance learners (Stone & Armstrong, 1981). According to Rowntree (1989) feedback from assessment can only be useful when it includes detailed comments. Feedback should inform the learner about what is correct or incorrect, how can a learner improve himself, and the sources of reference material related to the study content. Feedback is also helpful in increasing the motivation of the distance learner. Some researcher argue that feedback generated from continuous assessment is a valuable tool in the learning process enabling learner to assess their own progress and understanding and remedy any error indicated by the assessment (Macdonald et al., 1999: Zakrzewqki & Bull, 1999). Another research study also indicates that learners value feedback but comments too general or vague, lacked guidance and focused on the negative or unrelated to assessment criteria are not helpful (Weave, 2006). The importance of timely feedback is well appreciated in many researches (Ashby. 2004; Fozdar et. al, 2006; Higgins et. al, 2002). The similar studies conducted by Lekamge and Jayathilake (2002) and Jayathilake (1996) locally and Okonkwo (2010), Dambudzo (2012), Hatzipanagos (2008 ), Tripathi & Fozdar (2007), Kaddam and Elnimeiri (2013) and Onuka & Durowoju (2012) internationally revealed favorable perception on Continuous assessment system and its issues.
Methodology The present study used the survey research design due to a number of reasons. Survey research is often used to assess thoughts, opinions, and feelings (Shaughnessy J., Zechmeister E. and Jeanne Z. 2011).
Research Design and Sample Based on the survey research design the study selected sample of students registered in the Diploma in Early Childhood and Primary Education Programme in 2013/14 academic year. The total population of the study was the total number of students registered for DECPE Programme in the particular year in Colombo, Kandy, Matara and Anurdhapura Regional centres in both Sinhala and English Medium. Among the total population target population was selected including only the Colombo (CRC) and Kandy (KRC) regional centres where a large number of students were registered in both Medium. From the target population a sample of 100 students were selected randomly including 80 from CRC and 20 from KRC only in English Medium. Data Collection Instruments The study gathered data through three instruments; a questionnaire, interviews and a focus group discussion in order to maintain the validity and reliability of the findings. Questionnaire The questionnaire was administered to all students in the sample during a Day school. It included 17 items under 3 parts according to objectives. Scale was used for rating the statements designed for identifying leaner perception. Open ended questions were used to identify problems they faced. Interview
The semi structured interviews were conducted with 20 students. 15 from CRA and 5 from KRC on the same aspects in the questionnaire. Focus Group Discussion 2 focus groups discussions were conducted during a day school with students who participated in the particular day for about 30 – 60 minutes on the same aspects asked in the questionnaire.
Data Analysis The quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed using SPSS package and reported using charts and tables. The qualitative data which were gathered from interview and focus group discussion were categorized according to the objectives and reported descriptively. The reliability and validity of the findings were maintained by triangulation of the data which were obtained from three different instruments under same aspect.
Discussion Background Information of the Respondents The sample included 100 student teachers of DECPE Programme. 84 out of 100 were between 20 -30 years old which indicated that majority were young and in the early adulthood period. Only 12 were above age of 40 and 4 out of total sample didn’t respond to the question. The majority of the sample followed the Programme with an aim of obtaining a professional qualification. With regard to the benefits obtained by the students by following the programme, nearly half of (47) respondents agreed that they were able to gain an understanding about the child. In addition, develop knowledge and skills on different subject areas in preschool curriculum (15), develop the teacher personality (12), develop understanding of different teaching strategies and underline theories of early childhood education (11) were also other benefits obtained by the students. During the interview and focus group discussion it was further identified that students were able to gain benefits specifically understanding the children and creating teaching learning experiences for them based on underlined theories.
Students perception on ODL Creed and Robinson (2002) state ODL is a different system in a sense that it provides tutor and learning material to learners at place feasible for them. Distance learners have opportunity to upgrade their educational status without attending the institution regularly (Akhter, 2015). In relation to students’ perception on ODL, nearly 50% of students identified the Open and Distance Learning as “self learning, convenient way of learning for working students, free learning, no age limit, learning through computers, online learning and learning at home”. When comparing with the literature on the concept of ODL, it could be identified that majority of the sample has a slightly positive understanding about what is ODL? However, the other half of the sample apparently didn’t sure about what is ODL? It was further noticed during the interview that majority didn’t answer the question properly. Moreover this could be further identified that only 13 of hundred had followed any programme previously in ODL institution. Hence majority of them didn’t have experiences of studying in ODL method. Before the commencement of the Programme, students were given an orientation on ODL method and the programme. Among the sample, 72 had participated for this orientation programme while others didn’t. The students who participated at this orientation programme agreed that, they were given a clear idea about what is ODL? (41), Received relevant instruction regarding the programme (36), obtained assistance to solve their problems (40), gave instruction on writing assignments (36), day-schools (39)
and provided all relevant materials (37). During the interview and focus group discussion also students stated that the orientation was very much helpful for them to gain understating of the programme.
Students’ Perception of Take Home Assignments (THA) The following Table 2 shows the students responses regarding THA. Item
Assignments and submission dates are given in advance Assignments are very complex Assignments asses only the subject content Writing take home assignments is boring Constructive feedback is not given for all assignments Assignments are consistent with the day schools and content in the modules Assignments provide room to apply theory into practice Duration given to submit assignment is not sufficient There are too many language errors in the assignments Takes long time to provide feedback
Strongly agree
Agree
35
37
No. of Respondents Neither Disagree agree or disagree 9 4
9 3 4 9
44 30 29 34
23 24 20 18
9
42
13
Strongly disagree
Didn’t respond
1
14
7 27 21 16
1 1 10 1
17 14 16 22
22
6
2
19
43
12
12
00
20
12
33
22
11
3
19
11
35
19
10
07
18
24
34
14
09
1
18
According to the above Table 2 majority agree that THA and assignment submission dates are given in advance (72). More than 50% of the respondents accept that, assignments are consistent with the day schools and contents in the modules (51), enable to apply the theories in to practice (56) but very complex (53) and takes long time to provide feedback (58). Nearly 50% of the respondents also accept that assignments assess only the subject content (39), constructive feedback is not given for all assignments (43), duration to submit assignment is not sufficient(45), there are language errors in the assignments (46), and only 33 accept that writing take home assignments is boring. Similar findings were reveled from the interview and focus group discussion. Majority agree that assignments were helpful for them to self learn and obtain more knowledge. Some said that since there was more practical work in the assignments it was difficult for them to do the observations asked in some assignments due to finding time while working but they agreed that those assignments were more helpful to understand the reality. Majority said that they are happy with the questions in the assignments, however seriously concern about the delay in sending feedback and they are not happy with the delayed feedback. It could be revealed that THA used to inspire learners to study contents by searching knowledge from multiple sources and prove that they have studied the course by completing assigned work Trivedi (2010) to certain extent and enable to screen the level of attainment of a learner about the course contents Murugan (1998). Moreover with regard to providing constructive feedback of assignments, however, majority of respondents didn’t identify the feedback provided to them as a valuable tool in the learning process, which enable them to assess their own progress and understanding and remedy any error
indicated by the assessment (Macdonald et al., 1999 and Zakrzewqki & Bull, 1999). Further many researches well appreciate the importance of timely feedback in assignments (Ashby. 2004; Fozdar et. al, 2006 and Higgins et. al, 2002) but it was not identified in the DECPE Programme continuous assessment. These findings were similar to the studies conducted by Tripathi & Fozdar (2007) and Lekamge and Jayathilake (2002).
Students Perception of Activity Based Day school Assignments (ABDA) The following Table 3 indicates the students’ views on ABDA of the DECPE Programme. Item Strongly agree
Agree
Activity Based Assignments are better than THA
14
28
No. of Respondents Neither Disagree agree or disagree 17 19
Activity Based Assignments are interesting Activity Based Assignments foster social interaction and self learning
15 16
39 44
13 16
10 3
5 2
18 18
It is easy earn marks in Activity Based Assignments
9
31
29
9
3
18
Activity Based Assignments improve motivation than THA
14
32
25
10
3
16
Strongly disagree
Didn’t respond
7
15
As the above Table 3 shows majority agrees have positive views on ABDA than THA. More than half of respondents perceive that ABDA are interesting (54), foster social interaction and self learning (60). Nearly half of respondent also perceive ABDS improve their motivation (46), better than THA (42) and easily earn marks (40). During the interview and focus group discussion also majority of students responded that they like to participate in ABDA since they can engage in learning also as it discuss the sessions at the same time. Therefore they viewed that through ABDA assignments they can earn marks as well as learn the concept through discussion. It revealed that assignments were helpful for learners to receive advice of their tutors about their learning deficiencies (Pandey & Parveez , 2006). Moreover at the focus group discussion it was further revealed that the ABDA were helpful for them to receive constructive feedback on their presentations and ABDASs have the ability to encourage student teachers to read modules and improve their active participation in day schools (Lekamge et al, 2015).
Problems faced by the students in completing the Continuous Assessment components of DECPE Programme As revealed in the previous sections delay in receiving feedback for the THA was the major problem that majority of students faced. In addition insufficient time period allocated to submit assignments, too many assignments to be submitted per day, difficulties of answering questions due to its complexity, lack of time to write assignments, language errors in assignments and lack of constructive feedback given in assignments were problems the majority faced particularly in completing THA. Feedback helps the learner in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their understanding of course concepts, which in turn might indicate ' the need for some remedial actions. Another important issue is not getting satisfactory comments from the counselors, evaluators (Tripathi & Fozdar, 2007). Feedback in the form of a simple mark or a grade is not very useful to the distance learners (Stone & Armstrong, 1981). Hence,
majority of respondents were unsatisfied about the process of providing feedback to them. In relation to the ABDAs as Lekamge et al (2015) reported, similar problems were identified such as limited space in the lecture room, insufficient time, inaccessibility of marks obtained and insufficient observations during active participation of students. Moreover they suggested continuing ABDAs in every course and using multimedia facilities during the assignment. Further they suggested introducing a mechanism to allocate marks for late comers during the ABDAs since those students do not contribute for the discussion but earn marks. As well as taking remedial action as soon as possible to provide timely constructive feedback on the THA.
Conclusion According to the findings of the study, continuous assessment components play a vital role in the DECPE Programme. Students have strong views about the continuous assessment components particularly the Activity Based Assignments component. Both components are helpful for students’ learning and enable their improvement in theory and practice. Yet for further improvements of the learners, the Department has to be dealt with certain issues which have identified in this study. There is a need for the Department to introduce a proper monitoring mechanism to handling the continuous assessment components and providing timely constructive feedback. As recommended by Lekamge et al (2015), the Department should take measures to select a pool of dedicated marking examiners for each subject, introducing innovative and challenging strategies in the training workshops to enhance the enthusiasm, motivation and participation of marking examiners, providing detailed and comprehensive marking schemes, using strategies such as controlled marking and panel marking to reduce variations among marking examiners, encouraging marking examiners to write comprehensive comments on assignments which should correspond with their grades, random checking of assignments, streamlining collecting and sending assignments with the help of centre coordinators and providing clear guidelines on writing assignments to students.
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