Assessment for Learning Knowledge, Skills, and Practices of Mathematics Teachers in Ethiopian Primary Schools
Date
2022-06
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Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine second cycle primary school mathematics teachers’ AfL knowledge, skills, and practices, as well as the contextual factors that facilitate and hinder their AfL practices in the Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. A mixed methods research design, in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected concurrently, analyzed separately, and then combined and interpreted to produce different but complementary data on the same topic, was used. Pragmatism was used as a philosophical paradigm to guide this study and combine quantitative and qualitative data in the investigation. A total of 176 mathematics teachers were recruited using a multistage sampling technique from 53 schools spread across nine districts and three administrative zones. Quantitative data were collected from these teachers using questionnaires: the AfL knowledge and skills inventory (AfLKSi) and the AfL measurement inventory (AfLMi) to assess teachers’ overall AfL knowledge and skills, and their AfL practices, respectively. Furthermore, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 teachers from 18 schools in nine districts, as well as classroom observations of eight teachers from eight schools in five districts. The quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS V. 27.0, Mplus 8.6, and Microsoft Excel 2016. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics methods such as frequency counts, percentages, means, and standard deviations, as well as inferential statistics methods such as one-sample and independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and confirmatory factor analysis. The qualitative data, on the other hand, were manually analyzed using a combination of descriptive and process coding and analysis methodologies. The quantitative and qualitative data analysis results were interpreted, combined, and discussed to gain a broader and deeper understanding of the problem than the quantitative or qualitative results alone could provide. The findings revealed that second cycle primary school mathematics teachers in the study area had working knowledge and skills in AfL but were still emerging in their AfL practices. This is understandable given the study’s findings of a wide range of factors preventing teachers from using AfL effectively. The findings have implications for both preservice teacher preparation and inservice teacher professional development programs.
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assessment for learning, formative assessment, assessment for learning knowledge and skills, assessment for learning practices, assessment literacy
Citation
Yeworiew, L. B. (2022). Assessment for learning knowledge, skills, and practices of mathematics teachers in Ethiopian primary schools (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.