School based assessment practices: how students and teachers perceived

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the students’ and teachers’ perception on School Based Assessment process in the schools of Minuwangoda Education Zone in Sri Lanka. The study was conducted with the aim of examining how the views of students and teachers prevail in the current operational situation of the School Based Assessment system, to find whether teachers follow the procedures of assessments given in the government circulars and to investigate the problems emerging during the implementation of the School Based Assessment programme at school level. The study captured students and teachers voices through a survey of 6 teachers and 60 students in 3 schools of 1C category from Minuwangoda educational zone in Gampaha district following the method of convenient sampling techniques. Data were collected using a questionnaire and data were analyzed through percentage and descriptive statistics. Results suggest a wide range of students’ and teachers’ perceptions of, and responses to SBA and related feedback. In general, students indicated that they did not appreciate SBA. Students have put forward that they have excessive work due to SBA process. From teachers’ perspective they viewed that assessment process has an impact on the way that students follow their learning process. But teachers should take some actions to remove the negative thoughts of the students. The researcher suggests that the complexity of the prevailing assessment process should be changed, and the highly exam-oriented nature of assessment also should be made little bit flexible to the students.