Educational Assessment
Educational Assessment
Educational Assessment
Introduction
Thank you Mr. Vice Chancellor. Today is another important
day in the history of this University as we listen to the 83rd
edition of the Inaugural Lecture Series. It is an honour and
privilege for me to deliver this lecture because this is the first
from the Department of Educational Psychology, Guidance
and Counseling and the 11th from the Faculty of Education.
Vice Chancellor Sir, before I commence this lecture let me
seek your permission to recognize four important persons who
have made profound impact in my career since I joined the
University of Port Harcourt in 1982. They are Professor Otonti
Nduka who found me, and Late Professors B. Ukeje, E.E.
Ezewu and J.M. Kosemani who nourished me. These
gentlemen were former Deans of Faculty of Education. May
the souls of these departed rest in the bosom of the Lord. I
shall eternally remain grateful to them.
The topic of todays lecture is Educational Assessment: A Sine
Qua Non for Quality Education. This topic falls within the
discipline of Educational Evaluation often referred to as
Measurement and Evaluation (M&E), or Test and
Measurement (T&M), or Differential Psychology or
Psychometrics. The course Test and Measurement, and
Continuous Assessment (CA) is housed in the Department of
Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counseling in the
Faculty of Education in the University of Port Harcourt and
may be housed in other units in other universities. The
National Universities Commission (NUC) in its benchmark
and minimum academic standards made the course (M & E,
and CA) compulsory for all Teacher Education Programmes
because of its importance in the educative process. This course
also includes educational statistics, psychological tests,
2
Specify
Objectives
Test
Information
Non-test
(Observation,
rating scales,
Projective
techniques etc.)
Analysis
Judgment
Decision
Figure 1: Assessment Model Procedure
5.
Pre-published Examination
7.
Project work
12
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
NAME
SIMILARITIES
VERBAL ANALOGIES
LOW
VERBAL ANOLOGIES
HIGH
READING
COMPREHENSION
LOW
MEMORY
MECHANICAL
INFORMATION
READING
COMPREHENSION
HIGH
CHECKING
BOX
FIGURES
GRAPHS
CODING
NAMES
ARITHMETIC
TABLES
SPOKEN ENGLISH
SCIENCE
INFORMATION
WORLD
INFORMATION
MANUAL DEXTERITY
FINGER DEXTERITY
MARKING
ABBREVIATION
SIM
VAL
VAH
RDL
MEM
MEC
RDH
CHK
BOX
FIG
GPH
COD
NAM
RTH
TAB
SPK
SCI
WLD
MAN
FIN
MRK
tells the group of tests that will actually predict ones success.
Some professions, level of education required and the relevant
I-D test batteries are shown in table 3.
Table 3: Test Combinations for prediction.
ARE
A
Semi-Skilled
Skilled
Trades
Technical
Scientific
Junior Clerical
Senior Clerical
Commercial
Academic I
Academic II
Academic III
I-D COMBINATION
PREDICTION
FOR
SIM+CHK+SPK+MRK
SIM+MEC+BOX+FIH+MAN+FI
N
VAH+BOX+FIG+GPH
RDH+GPH+RTH+SCI
VAL+COD+NAM+RTH+TAB
VAH+COD+NAM+RTH+TAB
RDH+GPH+NAM+RTH
VAL+RDL+MEM+RTH
VAL +RDH+GPH+RTH
RDH+GPH+RTH+SCI+WLD
EDUCATIO
N
REQUIRED
None
6yrs or more
9yrs or more
11yrs or more
6-8YRS
9Yrs or More
11Yrs
or
More
6 to 8Yrs
9 to 10 Yrs
11 Yrs or
More
Type
Uneducable idiots
Mentally retarded
Dull and backward
Normal
Bright
Exceptionally
bright
(genius)
Appropriate Schooling
No schooling
Special primary school only
Special secondary school only
Normal secondary school only
Tertiary institutions
Tertiary institutions
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Adam and Eve disobeyed God when they ate the fruit
of knowledge, implying that they failed the test of
obedience (Genesis 3 vs. 1-7).
By Abrahams action of willing acceptance to sacrifice
his son Isaac, he passed Gods test of
obedience.(Genesis 22 vs. 1-4)
There was a test of power between Moses and
Pharaoh.(Exodus 7).
Peter denied Christ thrice before the cock crowed, so
he failed the test of faith (Luke 22, vs 26).
As an oral test, Jephthah used the term Shibboleth to
identify the Ephraimites who could not pronounce the
Sh from his own Gileadites. Those who failed the test
were killed.(Judges 12 vs 6.)
16
17
b)
20
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
ii.
iii.
2.
3.
2.
3.
Test/Examination
Continuous Assessment
First School Leaving Certificate
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
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Examination Body
Teachers, Lecturers
Ministry of Ed. (Exams Devp
Centres)
Ministry of Ed. (Exams Devp
Centres)
NBEM (NECO)
Ministry of Ed. (Exams Devp
Centres
NBEM (NECO)
NABTEB
NABTEB
Teachers Training Colleges
NTI
WAEC
NECO
JAMB
Higher Institutions
IJMB
Polytechnics and Monotechnics
Polytechnics and Monotechnics
Colleges of Education and NTI
Universities
ASCON
29
Knowledge
of Terms
2
Comprehension
Application
Total
2
2
1
1
4
3
2
1
4
3
3
4
10
10
6
6
2
10(20%)
3
15 (30%)
5
25 (50%)
10
50
(100%)
35
SSCE MAY/JUNE
1,540,250
81,573
5.3
1,351,557
77,168
5.7
1,184,907
32,423
1,369,142
74,956
5.47
1,252,570
74,754
5.97
1,156,265
82,941
7.2
1,064,587
73,050
6.56
1,033,265
114,014
11.3
JAMB
1,493,604
15,160
1.014
1,276,795
20780
1.60
1,145,961
23,819
2.07
998,114
35,000
2.74
854,439
22,286
2.62
806,089
20,797
2.58
908,548
95,985
10.56
62,584
5.93
YEAR
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
36
12
10
8
WASSCE
6
JAMB
Column1
2
0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Examination Malpractice
Figure 3: Incidence of Examination Malpractice from 2004
2011 for May/June WASSCE and JAMB.
In higher institutions the statistics of examination
cheaters might not be different because proper records are not
kept. When you hold an informal chat with students whom one
could assume knows more of what is happening in the
examination rooms, you are told that the cases reported are
negligible compared to what is on ground. We are aware that
many teachers/examiners fail to report cases of cheats in
examination to avoid the trouble and hassle of being invited to
write reports and testify before panels of investigation.
The annual Examination Ethics Project Report for 2007
indicated an increase in examination malpractice. According to
the Examination Ethics Project, (EEP), the National
Examination Malpractice Index (EMI), a measure of
examination breeches has increased. It went further to
categorize the involvement of various states. The report said
that for the second year running, the South East was first in
37
State
Benue State
Borno State
Kaduna State
Abia State
Bayelsa
Lagos
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
EMI
8.22%
17.26%
05.21%
15.11%
12.10%
11.95%
South West
South South
South East
North West
North East
North Centrral
The report further stated that the North West is the most ethics
friendly zone with examination ethics index (EEI) of 96.95
percent, and the Federal Capital Territory 99.30 percent as the
most ethnic friendly state. It is possible that the rate of
examination malpractice is related to the number of candidates
for the examinations.
Factors Influencing examination Malprpactice
Many researchers such as Maduabum (2001) Audu (2001), and
Ukwuije (1988) have suggested various factors contributing to
examination malpractice. Below are some of the factors as
discussed.
Personal Factors: Some people are prone to cheating no
matter the circumstance; they have cheating in the blood
(genetic) and are product of cheaters.
Emphasis on certificates: Success on examination has
profound immediate and long term impact on candidates.
Possession of good certificate is a passport for brighter
tomorrow; hence candidates do whatever it takes to obtain
it.
School Status: Schools compete for excellence, to be
ranked first position, with 100% success in all subjects and
students. Schools go out of their way to ensure they retain
on top through unethical practices during examination.
Teachers Status: Linking promotion of teachers/lecturers
to success of candidate/students to public examinations.
Poor teaching methods and lack of completion of the
required syllabus.
Inadequate School Facilities and Teachers: Shortage of
textbooks, working equipment, crowded examination
classrooms, unqualified teachers, teachers absence from duty,
Strike and frequent closure (not applicable to private school) of
schools.
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5.
6.
5.
Accountability Functions: Institutions are usually
required to account for any money given to them and such
reports do include evidence of academic performance and
achievements. Students performance in examinations can be
used to determine investment priorities in education. It might
be found in performance in public examination that a segment
of the society is lagging behind others in a particular aspect.
This might inform governments decision to allocate more
resources to education or the development of facilities in the
area of weaknesses so as to improve performance in it. An
example of such is the introduction of quota system of
admission in the higher institutions of learning and the
establishment of remedial programmes of various forms.
Examination can be used for what is called National
Assessment. Its purpose is to find out what students in
particular classes have learned as a result of their exposure to
school. Falayajor, Okebukola, Onugha & Olubodu (1997)
defined national assessment as a national governments
systematic effort to collect, report and use information about
status and progress of its educational system, including
students achievement. These national assessments have been
undertaken under different names like National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP), and Monitoring of Learning
Achievement (MLA). The aim is neither certification nor
selection but to inform policy for the whole education system
and for quality assurance.
Challenges of Educational Assessment
There are some factors that pose threat to effective
implementation of educational assessment. For the purpose of
this lecture these factors will be segmented into four groups
namely the learner, teacher, society and government.
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1.
The Learner: The challenges posed by the learner in
effective implementation of educational assessment can be
decomposed into two dimensions; physical and psychological.
The physical dimensions are those relating to the health of the
individual, like injury, deformities-blindness, hard of hearing
etc. some psychological factors include but not limited to poor
study habit skills, anxiety, depression, feeling of
worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, student cultism, and
cyber fraud etc. There is also the issue of low cognitive skills
ranging from knowledge through analysis to evaluation. Poor
performance can also be attributed to students not keeping to
instructions during tests or examinations. Ukwuije (1993)
investigated if students read and keep to instructions during
examinations. In the study the students were required to read
the instructions written in bold letters.
READ ALL THE QUESTIONS BEFORE ANSWERING.
Time 5 minutes
1.
Who is the governor of Rivers State?
2.
10 x 10 =
3.
4.
10. Now that you have read all the questions, write only
your name and submit your paper.
The result showed that of 120 students who were involved in
the study, surprisingly only six students representing five
percent (5%) of the total respondents got it right. This confirms
the assertion that students do not read and keep to instructions
in an examination.
Where a paper contains a choice of questions, the ones a
candidate chooses to answer can have an impact. The wordings
used in the questions will affect candidate performance. These
words can be either technical, i.e. the language of the
52
vi.
higher learning are not left out in this case as they are plethora
of cases in court involving cancellation of results, deregistration, and improper assessments.
The school has a big role to play as far as assessment is
concerned. Therefore, for optimal performance there must be
adequate and available instructional inputs and equipment,
adequacy in curriculum delivery and coverage, availability of
text books or and necessary fund to buy the required text books
and payment of teachers as at when due.
(iv)
The Government
The government both State and Federal compound assessment
issues, by students in the fact that they respond to agitations or
request from staff and students by shutting down the
institutions and truncating their academic calendars. The just
concluded FG vs ASUU, FG Vs Medical Doctors, FG vs News
reporters are some immediate examples. They do not fund
adequately the institutions. This is also coupled with frequent
structural shifts in the educational system and policies (6-6-23;6-5-2-3; 6-5-4; 6-3-3-4; & now 9-3-4) since independence
(primary, secondary and tertiary) and in the past twelve years
since the present democracy education has witnessed various
political thoughts with about eight to ten ministers of
education. The government determines the quality of education
derived in any particular state or country. Therefore,
government must provide basic infrastructure for students to
learn. Teachers must be adequately and professionally
remunerated to dissuade them from the inducement of
candidates during examination.
Government inadequate funding of education and
consequently examinations both internal and external (public
examinations) in Nigeria pose a major challenge, occasioned
by Federal Governments budget of less than eight percent of
60
iv)
v)
vi)
vii)
i)
ii)
iii)
Mr. Vice Chancellor Sir, my concern over the years has been
the application of my research findings to improve the quality
of teaching and assessment in the school system. In terms of
teaching in the university, I have done it with great passion and
vigor. I have taught various courses at the undergraduate,
masters and doctorate degree levels and produced many PhD
students. Mr Vice Chancellor, permit me to single out two of
such students. Dr. P. Kpolovie who won the Nigerian
Universities Doctoral Theses Award Scheme in 2003 and Dr.
(Mrs.) G. W. Orluwene who won the Association of African
Universities Small Grant Theses and Dissertations 2006/2007
academic year. Two of them are currently employed in our
department. These and others I hope to hand over the baton on
my exit, I have also been an external examiner to many
Nigerian Universities and assessed many lecturers for
promotion to different academic positions.
Vice Chancellor Sir, Ladies and gentlemen, I have in this
lecture looked at the meaning, history, functions and
implications of educational assessment in the Nigerian school
system which, in my own opinion a task that must be done- A
sine qua non for quality education. This lecture has given us
the opportunity to know more about educational assessment
and to enable those who are directly involved in their
implementation (students, teachers, parents, government and
employers) and the end users to be aware of their strengths and
blemishes/weaknesses.
65
66
References
Abbas. Z.S. (2006) Effects of examination malpractice in
Nigeria educational Institutions: Which way forward.
Nigerian Journal of Professional Teachers 1 (3).
Audu, O.A. (2001). Mass failure and examination malpractice.
Journal of Counseling and Human Development
Asuoha, E.U. (2008). A comparative study of students
performance in the senior school certificate
Examination of WAEC and NECO in selected states in
Nigeria
(2001-2004)
An
unpublished
Ph.D.
Dissertation in Measurement and Evaluation Faculty
of Education, Imo State University
Badmus, G.A. (2001). Issues in the
administration of education
examinations in Nigeria. Paper
Congress of the Nigerian Academy
in Jos, Nigeria 12th 16th November
organization and
assessment
and
presented at the
of Education held
(2002),
universities and
Nigerian, Abuja.
other
awarding
institutions
in
of
73
CITATION ON
PROFESSOR REGINALD P. I. UKWUIJE
Introduction
It is indeed my pleasure to present a citation on an
accomplished scholar and a dedicated teacher who happens to
be one of my colleagues in the Faculty of Education, here in
the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Reginald Priscilla
Ihebuzajuwunwa Ukwuije. The journey to the peak is never an
easy one, but requires a well defined vision and mission, total
dedication, patience, hard work and above all, prayers to the
Almighty God for His will to be done. One is happy that with
dedication and fear of God, Professor Ukwuije was able to go
through the journey successfully.
Education
Professor Ukwuije was born in Umunjam, a rural village in
Mbieri, Mbaitoli LGA, Imo State, where he had his primary
education. He attended Methodist Boys High School, Oron
(now in Akwa Ibom) and obtained the West African School
Certificate. His excellent performance gained him an
appointment as an untrained teacher in Mathematics at ZION
Methodist College, Obazu, Mbieri. Professor Ukwuijes thirst
74