Teacher attitudes to school based evaluation programs: a case study from a few schools in the Kandy district

Abstract

The school based evaluation system was implemented in 1999 based on the recommendations of the National Education Commission (NEC). It was an innovative change which aimed at assessing students in schools at regular intervals. The primary objective of this new scheme was to evaluate cognitive abilities, affective traits and psycho motor skills as well as personality traits of the students, thus eradicating the drawbacks of the existing system which focused heavily on evaluating cognitive skills only. This new program also included a follow up remedial action package aimed at improving any weaknesses identified by the assessment procedure. It focused further on improving the quality of teaching The research was conducted using a number of research sites which comprised three national schools, four 1 AB schools , four 1C schools and four type 2 schools. The sample consisted of 100 teachers drawn from the above 15 schools in the Kandy District. The subject areas which came under observation were Mathematics, Social Studies, Sinhala and Science. Primary data was collected using the Lickert Attitude Scale. This was followed by several interviews conducted with the chosen sample. Data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative research methods and techniques adopted in the Social Sciences. The findings from the study indicate several positive and negative aspects of the new scheme. The teachers were quite critical of the training provided to them before the scheme was implemented. They indicated that they need more guidance from the officers of the Department of Education to implement the change more meaningfully. This proved that the targeted outcome could not be reached due to the limited knowledge the teachers possessed about the implementation process. However, the teachers were of the opinion that the new scheme is more beneficial to the students provided it is implemented properly. They further added that more training and time is needed for the teachers to get acquainted with the system properly.