Assessment practices among early childhood education teachers in the Tema West Metropolis, Ghana

Abstract

The study examined the assessment practices among Early Childhood Education teachers in the Tema West Metropolis within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study was guided by four specific research objectives which were to assess the training of ECE teachers, examine teachers’ perception about assessment during early years’ education, investigate the assessment practices deployed by teachers in assessing children as well as the gender and professional qualification differences in the assessment practices of teachers and the challenges Early Childhood Education teachers encounter in the use of assessment practices in the Tema West Metropolis, Ghana. Two hypotheses were also formulated to guide the study. The study employed a descriptive survey design within a quantitative enquiry. Data were collected through the use of a self-constructed questionnaire. The study covered 200 ECE teachers within 40 public basic schools in the Tema West metropolis. Census sampling technique was used to obtain the sample for the study. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the quantitative data collected. Independent sample T-test and One Way ANOVA were also used to test hypothesis 1 and 2 respectively. The findings of the study revealed that; the teachers in the Tema West Metropolis have some level of training and also have positive perception of early grade education assessment. Though ECE teachers in the municipality engage in the use of formative assessment practices, most of them still engage in the use of pencil and paper test. The study concluded that ECE teachers in the Tema West Metropolis have been trained and possess positive perceptions about the need for assessing children during their early years’ education. The assessment practices of teachers were building of portfolio, the use of observation, informal conversation, self and peer assessment, performance-based assessment among others. The teachers also engage in traditional assessment practices such as pencil and paper test on regular basis. Lack of indoor and outdoor resources for assessing children, lack of understanding of children’s assessment outcomes, overcrowding or large number of children among others were some of the challenges teachers face in assessing children in the municipality. It was recommended among others that there should be periodic in-service training for teachers on current assessment practices and the provision of resources for teaching and assessment of children.