Discrepancies between teachers’ self-reported perceived skills and use of classroom assessment practices: The case of Botswana

Abstract

AbstractAs teachers implement a diverse repertoire of assessment methods to gather information about students’ progress, they may recognise shortfalls in their own assessment skills. These perceived growth areas may be productive targets for future professional learning. To quantify any discrepancies between teachers’ self-reported assessment use needs and their own skills, we surveyed 691 teachers from selected public schools in Botswana. Multivariate analysis of variance and descriptive discriminant analysis were used to relate discrepancies between classroom assessment skills and usage to certain teacher characteristics. We found teachers felt most skilled at criterion-referenced testing practices and used them the most often; however, their frequency of use significantly exceeded their reported skill level. Conversely, teachers’ perceived skill in constructing objective test items generally exceeded their use. Moving forward, planning of future professional learning experiences for teachers in Botswana can draw on this study’s findings and survey instrumentation.

Keywords

• classroom assessment practices
• assessment literacy
• criterion-referenced testing
• education in Botswana