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CurrentResearchJournalofSocialSciences3(4):364-373,2011ISSN:2041-3246MaxwellScientificOrganization,2011Received:December08,2011Accepted:May30,2011Published:July30,2011CorrespondingAuthor:JacintaA.
Opara,InternationalAssociationforTeachingandLearning,Spain364EvaluationandMeasurementinHighSchoolEducation1NkasiobiSilasOguzorand2JacintaA.
Opara1FederalCollegeofEducation(Technical),Omoku-RiversState,Nigeria2InternationalAssociationforTeachingandLearning,SpainAbstract:ThestudywasaimedtofindoutfromtheteachersinNigeria,theirperceptionofthefunctionalismandtheirparticipationintheinternaltestingprogrammeofSecondarySchoolsspecialreferencetoaStateinSouthernNigeria.
Asampleof1,000teacherswasrandomlystratifiedfromtheentireteachers'populationof6,000inGovernment-ownSecondarySchools.
Thepercentagesandchi-square(P2)statisticaltoolswereused.
Thethreehypothesesofthestudywereacceptedatanalphalevelof0.
05.
Therewasnostatisticallysignificantrelationshipsfoundbetweentheteachers'perceptionoftheinternaltestingprogrammeintheirschoolsandtheirparticipationinthewholeexercisesviz:theirclassroominstructionalmanagementfunctions;theguidanceandcounsellingoftheirschoolsandtheadministrationoftheirschoolsrespectively.
Asuggestionforthetrainingandre-trainingprogrammesoftheteachersinmeasurementandevaluation,principlespracticemethodsandcapabilitieswerepreferredinthestudy.
Keywords:Evaluation,Nigeria,participation,teachers,testingINTRODUCTIONThemostimportantorgreatestregardsoftenaccordedtheschoolsystemisoftenderivedfromthequalityofthetestingprogrammeputinplace.
Itgivesthequalityofcertificatestheproductsofsuchschoolsystemcameoutwithintothelabourmarket.
ThorndikeandHagen(1977),AyrerandMcNamara(1973),FergusonandMaxey(1976)andTyler(1973)areallinsupportofthefactthatanygivenschooltestingprogrammemustmeetsomebasicfunctionalqualitiessoastobecomeuseful.
Thedirectfunctionsofthesecondaryschooltestingprogrammeareexpectedtobeinatleastthreemainareasthatisviz:Classroom,GuidanceandAdministration,(ThorndikeandHagen1977).
TherearevarioustestingtypesthatoperateinNigeriansecondaryschoolsystem.
Theoperationof(3-3)systemofeducationcreatesroomforentranceexaminationinpublicandprivateschools.
Thereisalsothestate-wideconductedJuniorWestAfricanExamination,andtheSeniorSecondaryCertificateExaminationsapprovedbyNationalPolicyonEducation(FGN,2004).
Thesebrandsofexaminationsarealwaysexternaltothesecondaryschoolsystem.
Therefore,theteacherswhoteachthestudentshaveveryminimalinputsintothesetting,administration,gradingandproductionofresultsfortheuseofschools,parentsandgovernmentindecisionmakingasitrelatestothestudents.
Thetestingprogrammewithinthesecondaryschoolswheretheteachers-madetestitemsareadministeredonstudentsisthebasicconcernofthisstudy.
Theperiodicallyadministeredexaminationsareusuallyconstructedbyexpertsintest,measurementandevaluation.
Psychometricianswhoarehardlyfoundatthesecondaryschoolsystemknowtheexpectedqualitiesdesiredofanymeasuringinstrument,viz:validity,reliabilityandpracticality.
Thesearethemainqualitiesthattheteachersinsecondaryschoolswhoarenotquitegoodintheprocessofeducationalassessment,donothave(Anastasi,1988).
Theteacher-madetestswhichareusedtoassessdifferentsub-groupofstudentsinternallycanbesaidtobebiasedandnotappropriateforarrivingatthescoresforproperconductoftheseneededactivitiesoftheschoolsystem(ThorndikeandHagen,1977).
Theschoolteachersthatareusedtogivingtestsfromtimetotimetodifferentclassroomgroupsareexpectedtousetheavailablestandardisedtestsfortheassessmentoftheseclassesingroups,dependingonwhatinformationissought,(AustinandPanos,1971).
Whiletherearemanypossiblefunctionsforsuchinformation,itisgenerallyassumedthatthefundamentalpurposeofanytestingistoCurr.
Res.
J.
Soc.
Sci.
,3(4):364-373,2011365Table1:FunctionsofatestingprogrammeClassroomfunctionsGuidancefunctionsAdministrativefunctionsDiagnosinglearningdifficultiesPreparingevidencetoguidediscussionswithAssigningstudentstoclassroomgroupsparentsabouttheirchildrenEvaluatingdiscrepanciesbetweenHelpingthestudentsmakeimmediatechoicesPlacingnewstudentspotentialsandachievementAppraisinggainsorgrowthinachievementHelpingthestudentstoseteducationalandHelpingtodetermineeligibilityforspecialvocationalgoalsgroupsGroupingstudentsforinstructionwithinaclassImprovingcounsellorteacher,andparentunder-EvaluatingcurriculaemphasisandcurricularstandingofproblemcasesexperimentsPlanninginstructionalactivitiesforanImprovingpublicrelationsindividualIdentifyingstudentswhoneedspecialProvidinginformationforoutsideagenciesdiagnosticstudyandremedialinstructionDeterminingreasonableachievementlevelsforeachstudentsThorndikeandHagen(1977)producethatrelevantinformation,whichcanbe,usedineducationaldecisionmaking,ThorndikeandHagen(1977)andAustinandPanos(1969).
Thedecisionsthatmaybeneededcouldbeconcernedwiththecontinuation,terminationormodificationofanexistingtestingprogrammeorwiththedevelopmentandpossibleadoptionofsomenewprogramme(AustinandPanos,1971).
TheinternaltestingprogrammeinNigerianSecondarySchoolsoutsidethegovernmentadministeredtestsareverygermanetothestudentsperformanceintheexternalexamination,Umoinyang(1996)andGreen(1972).
Theinternaltestingprogrammethatiscarriedoutbyteachers,tryveryhardtoachieveoneormoreofthesepurposesateachgiventime.
Whenthesearenottakingplaceverywellwithintheschooltestingprogramme,theteachersarethemostqualifiedpeopletotellthestory(i.
e.
,thewayitis).
Hence,theteachersinthesecondaryschoolarethebestqualifiedpeopletogivetheexactpositionofinternaltestingprogrammenowinNigerianschools.
Theirbeliefinthefunctionalismofthetestingarrangementwillmakethemtoparticipateinitadequately.
ThorndikeandHagen(1977)hadgivenavividgraphicrepresentationofwhatcanberegardedasappropriateofthethreepurposesareaswheretheteachersinternaltestingactivitiescanbeidentifiedasmeetingtheneedsorotherwiseoftheStateSchooltestingprogrammesinNigeria.
Table1showsthefunctionsofatestingprogramme.
ThisnodoubtwillformthebasicfoundationforidentifyingthefunctioningofthetestingprogrammeofNigerianSecondarySchoolsinthisstudy.
Theproblem:ThetestingprogrammesinNigeriasecondaryschoolsystemisthreatenedeverydaybyamyriadofproblemsofunqualifiedteacherswhoshouldteachstudentswell.
Thedearthofmeasurementandevaluationexpertsisyetanotherone(Ward,1980)andSchulman(1980).
Theteachersmayteachwell,sincetheylacktheexpertiseintestingwhattakesplaceintheclassroom,withtestingisadifferentthingaltogether(Tittle,1989).
Itisacceptedinpsychometricsthatthelevelofvalidity,reliabilityandpracticalityofsomegivenclasstestsdeterminehowstudentsperformandtheabilityofthetesttodiscriminatebetweenthegoodandbadstudents.
Thelevelofconsistency,ofthediscriminationbetweenthestudentsalsoshowstheexaminer/examineecoverageofcontent,curriculumrichnessandtheextentofteachingdoneinternally.
Thestudentsreadinessforfutureperformanceinexternalexaminationiseasilyascertained(LinnandHarnisch,1981;Nenty,1986).
InRiversStateforexample,alltheever-identifiedformsofexaminationmalpracticeandcheatingareinvogue.
Okoh(1996)identifiedsometwelveareasasformsofexaminationmalpracticethus:CBringinginofprohibitedmaterials(e.
g.
,summarynotebooks,textbooks,atlases,dictionariescalculators/computers,etc)bycandidatesintotheexaminationhalls.
CCandidatesbringingintotheexaminationroomanswerswrittenonobjectslikeapieceofpaperrolledintoballpointpen,aruler,handkerchief,papermoney,eraser,uniform,evenonthethighandotherpartsoftheirbody(called'dubbing'ortattoo)CIllegalexchangeofinformation,writtenorverbal(e.
g.
,copyingor'giraffing')amongcandidatesinsidetheexaminationhall(e.
g.
,throughuseofWalkie-talkie,drums,flutesandbio-codes'suchascoughing,Curr.
Res.
J.
Soc.
Sci.
,3(4):364-373,2011366sneezingandwhistling)tohelpcandidatesanswerobjective-typepapers.
CLeakagesofquestionstostudents,intentionallyorcarelesslybyavarietyofpersonsuchasteachers,examinationbodypersonneltypists,etc.
beforeexaminationCSmugglinginof,orreplacementbyalreadyworkedanswerscriptsinsideoroutsidetheexaminationhall,bycandidates,supervisors,touts/contractors.
CTurningablindeyeonobviousmalpracticeduringexaminationsbysupervisorsandinvigilatorsalreadybribedorcompromised.
CSubjectteachersenteringexaminationhallillegallyandrenderingassistancetotheirstudents,withtheactiveconnivanceofschoolauthorities,supervisorsandinvigilators.
CSupervisors,startingbeforeorlaterthanschedulestart-times.
CHooliganismordeliberatelygeneratingpandemoniuminexaminationhallsinordertocreateachaoticatmosphereforcheating-somefrighteningcasesofcandidatesbeingfoundwithdaggers,shortguns,acidorotherlethalweaponsinexaminationhallshavebeenreported.
CInsults,threatandassaultsbycandidates(ortheirhirelings)ofsupervisorsandinvigilatorswhoareperceivedas"unco-operative"i.
e.
tryingtoobstructcheating.
CImpersonationofexamineeby"mercenary"candidates(whomaybefellowstudents,friends,hiredassistantsorcontractors"evenparents,etc.
)CCertificateracketeeringintheformofchangesin,and/orissuanceoffalsecertificateorstatementofresults.
ThesearenottheonlywaysthatcheatingandexaminationmalpracticeiscarriedoutinNigeria.
NewdevicesliketheuseofGSMcellphonesisyetanotherdevicenowusedwidelyinpublicexaminations.
ThesituationbecamesoseriousthattheGovernmentofRiversStatehadtointervenesince2001toprotectthenameofthegovernmentfrombeingdraggedtothemud.
Variouspseudoinvigilatorsandmonitorsarenowonsteadystandbyeatanygivenpublicexaminationcentres.
Thewarhasnotbeenwonyet.
Theseandotherfactorswhichconcerntheproperconductandadministrationofpublicandprivateexaminationhaspropelledthisresearchertoinvestigatetheteacher'sperceptionofthefunctionalismoftheinternalexaminationsystemandtheirparticipationinoursecondaryschoolsinNigeria.
Giventhisscenariojustpresented,itisabundantlyclearthatonlythesecondaryschoolteacherswhoareinthedailyrunningoftheschoolsystemarethebestpeopleinthesystemtogiveaclearerinsightintotheinternalfunctioningofthetestingprogrammeintheschools.
Purposeofthestudy:Thisisasurveyoftheteachers'perceptionofthefunctionalismofthesecondaryschoolsinternaltestingprogrammeandtheirparticipationinitinalltheclasses.
Anappropriatelyfunctionalinternalexaminationprogrammehasdefiniteusefulnessintheearlierstatedareas.
Specifically,thestudyshouldshowthefunctionalusesoftheinternaltestingprogrammeinthedailymanagementofclassroomactivities.
Again,thewaysinwhichtheinternallyconductedsecondaryschooltestingprogrammeshouldbefunctionallyusefulintheguidanceandcounsellingactivitiesoftheschoolsystem.
Theteachersshouldbeabletoseeclearlyiftheinternaltestingprogrammedoesfindsomerelevanceintheadministrativeoperationsoftheschools.
ThesethreeareasmeettheThorndikeandHagen(1977)choicesinthefunctionalusesofexternalandinternaltestingprogrammeoftheschools.
Hypotheses:Thefollowinghypothesesareconsideredtobeveryrelevanttofindpossiblesolutionstotheproblemsofthisstudy.
CThereisnosignificantrelationshipbetweentheteachers'perceptionoftheclassroommanagementfunctioningofthesecondaryschoolinternaltestingandtheirparticipationintheoperationsofthetestingprogrammeofthesesecondaryschools.
CThereisnosignificantrelationshipbetweentheteacher'sperceptionoftheusefulnessoftheinternaltestingprogrammeintheguidanceandcounsellingactivitiesofthestudentsandtheirparticipationintheoperationofthetestingsystemofthesecondaryschools.
CThereisnosignificantrelationshipbetweentheperceptionoftheteachersonthefunctionalusesofthetestingprogrammeontheadministrationneedsoftheschoolsandtheirparticipationintheoperationsoftheschooltestingprogrammeinthesecondaryschools.
METHODOLOGYTheresearchofthisnaturethatisState-wideisexpectedtoinvolvemanyrespondents(i.
e.
teachers).
ThesurveyresearchmethodisveryappropriatetodothistypeCurr.
Res.
J.
Soc.
Sci.
,3(4):364-373,2011367ofstudy.
Thecross-sectionalsurveywillinvolvethemaleandfemaleteachersinRiversStateemployment.
TheRiversstateSecondaryschoolteachers'populationisabout6,000strong.
Thesearethosewithinthepublicservice.
Thestratifiedrandomsamplingmethodisadoptedtoarriveatasamplesizeof1,000teachersmadeupofmale500andfemale500innumber.
Thesearetrainedteachersthathavespentnothinglessthansixtotenyearsintheteachingprofession.
Thesepeoplehaveanagerangeofbetween(30-55)years.
Experienceinplaceofworkusuallyaccountsforawholesomedecision-makingandimplementationofprofessionalpoliciesandadherencetoworkethics.
(Meskouskas,1976).
Thesearethereforethecalibreofteacherswhocaneasilyplaceinperspectivetheactualfunctioningoftheinternaltestingprogrammeinthesecondaryschools.
Theyarefullypartofthesystemthatpeoplearecomplainingabout.
Jatto(1996),Hassan(1987a)notesthatinvestigationcarriedoutshowthat"classroomteacherslackthetechnicalknowledgeofhowtodesignvalidassessmentinstruments".
Also,Hassan(1987a)remarkedthat"aclassroomteachersgenerallywritepoortestitems,andthatatypicalclassroomteacherinthesecondaryschoolcannotconstructgoodmultiplechoiceitems".
TheseteachersdefinitelyknowabouttruefunctioningoftheinternaltestingprogrammesfordecisionmakinginourdifferentcommunitiesinRiversState.
Theappropriateinstrumentinthisstudyisaratingscalenamed-Teachers'PerceptionoftheTestingProgrammeFunctioningRatingScale(TPTPFRS).
Theinstrumentismadeupoffivesections.
Section1ismadeupofpersonaldemographicvariablesoftheteachers.
Theotherfoursectionsdealswithvariousfunctionalusesoftheinternaltestingprogrammetoclassroominstructiondecisionmaking,guidance,andadministrativeactivities.
ThelastpartistofindoutthetypeoftestingprogrammebeingemployedbytheteachersaswassuggestedbyThorndikeandHagen(1977).
RESULTSTheTable(2-8)givethedescriptiveandinferentialdataanalysisoftheteachers'perceptionoftheinternaltestingprogrammesofSecondarySchoolsandtheirparticipationinthewholeexercise.
ThepercentageandrankingareusedforTable(2-5)whilethechi-squarewasusedforTable(6-8),respectively.
Table2,examinestheteachersperceptionoftheclassroomfunctioningoftheinternaltestingprogrammeTable2:Teachers'perceptionoftheclassroomfunctionsofthesecondaryschooltestingprogrammesinRiversStateAgreeUndecidedDisagreeRankingthepositiveClassroomfunctionsRes.
%Res.
%Res.
%responsesDiagnosinglearningdifficulties64764.
714214.
221121.
14thEvaluatingdiscrepanciesbetweenpotentialsandachievement71071.
0989.
819219.
22ndAppraisinggainsorgrowthinachievement82582.
5434.
313213.
21stGroupingstudentsforinstruction41641.
612512.
546046.
05thwithinaclassPlanninginstructionalactivitiesfor20020.
015015.
065065.
07thanindividualIdentifyingstudentswhoneedspecial23023.
017517.
559559.
56thdiagnosticstudyandremedialinstructionDeterminingreasonableachievement70070.
014014.
016016.
03rdlevelsforeachstudentsTable3:Teachers'perceptionofguidancefunctionsoftheinternaltestingprogrammeofsecondaryschoolsinRiversStateAgreeUndecidedDisagreeRankingthepositiveGuidanceandcounsellingfunctionsRes.
%Res.
%Res.
%responsesPreparingevidencetoguidediscussions47047.
021021.
032032.
01stwithparentsabouttheirchildrenHelpingthestudentsmakeimmediate24224.
220220.
253653.
63rdchoicesHelpingthestudentstoseteducational30030.
021121.
148948.
92ndandvocationalgoalsImprovingcounselor,teacherand21421.
4666.
673073.
04thparentsunderstandingofproblemcasesCurr.
Res.
J.
Soc.
Sci.
,3(4):364-373,2011368Table4:Teachers'perceptionoftheadministrativefunctionsoftheinternaltestingprogrammesofthesecondaryschoolinRiversStateAgreeUndecidedDisagreeRankingthepositiveAdministrativefunctionsRes.
%Res.
%Res.
%responsesAssigningstudentstoclassroomgroups61861.
811811.
826426.
43rdPlacingnewstudents71671.
6454.
523923.
91stHelpingtodetermineeligibilityforspecialgroup21621.
611211.
267267.
25thEvaluatingcurricula,curricular,11911.
914514.
573573.
56themphasis,andcurricularexperimentImprovingpublicrelations22022.
010610.
667467.
44thProvidinginformationforoutsideagencies71471.
0696.
921.
721.
72ndTable5:Teachers'perceptionofavailablesecondaryschoolinternaltestingprogrammeforstudentsastheyprogresstocollegesandcollegesofeducationAgreeUndecidedDisagreeRankingthepositiveTestedareasRes.
%Res.
%Res.
%responsesScholasticAptitudeTesting(Testof11611.
621121673677thverbalandnonverbalabilitiestonurturethestudentsforCollegeorVocationallearnerReadingtest(Availabilityofadevelopment12012.
020020680685thorremedialreadingprogramdevelopsstudentsreadingskills)Testofspecialaptitude(theStudentsare11811.
814014742746thusuallycounselledwhengivenappraisalwithspecialisedaptitudesaswellasgeneralscholasticsaptitudeAchievementtestincontentareas:The81181.
020216916.
91stuseofstandardisedachievementtestsincontentareashelpsstudentsmakedecisionsaboutfutureeducationplansInterests:Someinterestofstudents21321.
090969769.
74thabouttheirfuturecareercanbereachedinthesecondaryschoolswhenthesetestsareinvolvedPrognostictests;theseareteststhat71571.
5444241242ndareconcentratedonchosensubjectslikeMathsandLanguagewhicharetestedrepeatedlyPersonalityandadjustmentinventories31131.
0707619623rd(Trainedcoun-sellors/psychologistscanusetheseinventoriestostudystudentsandplacetheminchoiceareasinuniversityeducation.
ThisisstartedinthesecondaryschoolsbeforethehighschooleducationofthepublicschoolsinRiversState.
Itisshownthattheappraisinggainsorgrowthinachievementcomesfirstinrankingamongtheteacherswith82.
5%responses.
Evaluatingdiscrepanciesbetweenpotentialsandachievementcomessecondintherankingoftheteachers'responseswith71%responsesfromteachers.
Thedeterminationofareasonableachievementlevelforeachstudentcomesthirdintherankingoftheteachers.
Thishada70%oftheteachers'responsestotheinternalclassroomfunctionsoftheinternaltestingprogrammesofthepublicsecondaryschoolsinRiversState.
Occupyingthefourthposition,theteachersagreewith67.
4%thatdiagnosinglearningdifficultiesisoneofthefunctionsoftheinternaltestingprogrammeoftheState.
Unfortunately,theuseofinternaltestingprogrammeforplanninginstructionalactivitiesforindividualsandidentifyingstudentswhoneedspecialdiagnosticstudyandremedialinstructionsareatthelastrankingpositionswith65and60%disagreement,respectively.
ThisisleastexpectedfromtheteachersofthisState.
ThesituationtellssomuchonwhattheteachersaredoingwiththeinternaltestingprogrammeoftheState.
Table3givestheexactperceptionoftheteachersoftheguidancefunctionsoftheinternaltestingprogrammeofsecondaryschoolsinRiversState.
Thefirstpositivepositionshownonthetableisthatof47%whoagreedthattheyusethetestingprogrammeforpreparingevidencetoguidediscussionswithparentsabouttheirCurr.
Res.
J.
Soc.
Sci.
,3(4):364-373,2011369Table6:Chi-square(X2)testofteachers'perceptionofclassroomfunctionsofsecondaryschooltestingprogrammeinRiversStateAgreeUn-decidedDis-agreedColumn(O)–E)2ClassroomfunctionsN=1000OEOEOEtotalEDiagnosinglearningdifficulties0647(0.
46)142(0.
018)211(0.
148)10000.
59E533125343Evaluatingdiscrepanciesbetween0710(0.
110)98(-0.
098)192(0.
194)10000.
257potentialsandachievementE533125343Appraisinggainsorgrowthin0825(0.
300)43(0.
430)132(0.
378)10001.
108achievementE533125343Groupingstudentsforinstruction0416(0.
048)125(0)459(0.
114)10000.
162withinaclassE533125343Planninginstructionalactivities0200(0.
390)150(0.
4)650(0.
801)10001.
231foranindividualE533125343Identifyingstudentswhoneed0230(0.
323)175(0.
16)595(0.
51)10000.
993specialdiagnosticstudyandE533125343remedialinstructionDeterminingreasonable0700(0.
098)140(0.
114)160(.
285)10000.
527achievementlevelsforeachE533125343studentsRowtotal372887323997000Grandtotal(x2=4.
868)df.
=(r–1)(c–1)=(7–1)(3–1)=6x2=12Table7:Chi-square(X2)testofteachers'perceptionofguidancefunctionsoftheinternaltestingprogrammeofsecondaryschoolinRiversStateAgreeUn-decidedDis-agreedColumn(O)–E)2GuidancefunctionsN=1000OEOEOEtotalEPreparingevidencetoguide0470(0.
281)210(0.
49)320(0.
148)10000.
4780discussionswithparentsaboutE307172520theirchildrenHelpingthestudentsmake0242(0.
045)202(0.
0304)536(0.
0009)10000.
0763immediatechoicesE307172520Helpingthestudentstoset0300(0.
00052)211(.
051)489(0.
0036)10000.
0551educationalandvocationalgoalsE307172520Improvingcounselor,teacherand0214(0.
092)66(0.
93)730(0.
163)10001.
1850parentsunderstandingofproblemE307172520casesRowtotal122668920794000Grandtotal(P2=1.
7949)df.
=(r–1)(c–1)=(4–1)(3–1)=3x2=6;Criticalx2-value-12.
592Table8:Chi-square(X2)testofteachers'perceptionoftheadministrativefunctionsoftheinternaltestingprogrammesofthesecondaryschooltestingprogrammeinRiversStateAgreeUn-decidedDis-agreedColumn(O)–E)2AdministrativefunctionsN=1000OEOEOEtotalEAssigningstudentstoclassroom0618(0.
179)118(0.
037)64(0.
0189)10000.
408groupsE434992467Placingnewstudents0716(0.
422)45(0.
298)239(0.
238)10000.
958E43499467Helpingtodetermineeligibility0216(0.
252)112(0.
0172)672(0.
193)10000.
462forspecialgroupE43499467Evaluatingcurricula,curricular,0119(0.
527)145(0.
216)735(0.
329)10001.
072emphasis,andcurricularE43499467experimentImprovingpublicrelations0220(0.
243)106(0.
0049)674(0.
196)10000.
444E43499467Providinginformationfor0714(0.
416)69(0.
0918)217(0.
287)10000.
799outsideagenciesE43499467Rowtotal260359528016000Grandtotal(P2=4.
143)df=(r–1)(c–1)=(6–1)(3–1)=5x2=10;Thex2=4.
143,Criticaltablevalue18.
307Curr.
Res.
J.
Soc.
Sci.
,3(4):364-373,2011370children.
Thisisratheralowpercentagetobehold.
Thesecondpositivepositionwaswhereonly30%agreedtousingtheinternaltestingtohelpthestudentstoseteducationalandvocationalgoals.
Inthisparticularcase,some21and49%areundecidedanddisagreedrespectively.
Thethirditemonthissametableshowsthatonly24%agreedtousetheinternaltestingprogrammesforhelpingthestudentstomakeimmediatechoices.
Forthissameitem,20%areundecidedwhile54%disagreed.
Thefourthpositionoftherankingiswhereonly21%oftheteachersagreedtousingtheinternaltestingprogrammesforimprovingcounsellors,teacherandparentsunderstandingofproblemcases.
Forthisfourthpositivelyrateditemonthetable,73%disagreedeverusingtheinternaltestingprogrammetoimprovingthecounsellor,teachersandparentsunderstandingoftheproblemcases.
Again,thepicturepaintedbytheperceptionoftheteacherisequallyveryunfortunateforthefuturedevelopmentofthetestingprogrammesoftheState.
Table4dealswiththeteachers'perceptionoftheadministrativefunctionsofthestateschoolsinternaltestingprogramme.
Thefirstpositiononthetableiswhere72%amongtheteachersagreedtousingtheinternaltestingprogrammeforplacingnewstudents.
Thesecondpositionisthatwhere71%agreedtousingtheinternaltestingprogrammeforprovidinginformationforoutsideagencies.
Thethirdpositionswhere62%amongtheteachersagreedtousetheinternaltestingarrangementtoassigningstudentstoclassroomgroups.
Atthefourthpositiononthetable,only22%agreedtotheuseofinternaltestingprogrammesforimprovingpublicrelationsoftheirschools.
Atthisfourthpositionoftheranking67%disagreedeverusingtheinternaltestingoftheirschooltoimprovepublicrelationsoftheirschools.
Thefifthandsixthpositionsshowthatonly22and12%respectivelyagreedthattheyusetheirinternaltestingprogrammesforhelpingtodetermineeligibilitytospecialgroupsandevaluatingcurriculaandcurricularexperiments.
Atthesamefifthandsixthpositions,67and74%disagreedtousingtheinternaltestingprogrammeforsuchpurposesintheirschools.
Thisisquiterevealingapositiontonoteinthistypeofresearchendeavour.
Table5presentssometestingprogrammesfromwhichthestudentscanbenefitfrommaximallywhenavailable.
Thefirstpositionisthatwhere81percentoftheteachersagreedthatachievementtestincontentareasareavailabletotheirstudentsinternally.
Atthesecondposition,72%oftheteachersagreedthatprognostictestsareavailablefortheuseofthestudentsintheirschools.
Atthethirdpositioniswhereonly31%oftheteachersagreedtotheavailabilityofpersonalityandadjustmentinventoriesintheirschools.
Atthisthirdposition,some62%disagreed.
Thefourthandfifthpositiononly21and12%agreedtotheavailabilityof"interest"and"Readingtest"batteriesintheirschool.
Atthesefourthandfifthpositions70and68%disagreed.
Theresponsesatsixthandseventhpositionsshowthatonly11.
8and11.
6agreedtotheavailabilityoftestofspecialaptitudeandscholasticaptitudetestintheirschoolsforuse.
Attheselastpositions74and67%disagreed,respectively.
Thedisagreementwiththeavailabilityoftheseinternaltestingarrangementshasshownthehollownessintheinternaltestingarrangementofthepublicschools.
Testingofhypotheses:Thethreehypothesesofthestudyareanalysedasfollows,usingthechi-square(P2)statisticaltools.
ThecalculatedP2is4.
868whilethecriticalvalueatdf,12is21.
026.
SincethecriticalvalueishigherthanthecalculatedP2of4.
868,thenthehypothesisoneisaccepted.
Thehypothesis-Thereisnosignificantrelationshipbetweentheteachers'perceptionoftheclassroommanagementfunctionsofthesecondaryschoolsinternaltestingandtheirparticipationintheoperationsofthetestingprogrammeofthesesystemsisaccepted.
Thealternativetothishypothesisisthusrejected.
Thisissayingthattheteachersknewlittleornothingabouttheimportanceoftheinternaltestingprogrammeofthesecondaryschooltothemanagementoftheteachingandlearningprogrammeofthesystem.
Thechi-square(P2)of1.
794@alevelof0.
05andatdf.
of6isgrosslysmallerthanthecriticaltablevalueof12.
592.
Thenullhypothesisisthereforeaccepted,becauseitisnotstatisicallysignificant.
Thenullhypothesisthatstates-Thereisnosignificantrelationshipbetweentheteachers'perceptionoftheusefulnessoftheinternaltestingprogrammeintheguidanceandcounsellingactivitiesofthestudentsandtheirparticipationintheoperationofthetestingsystemofthesecondaryschoolisaccepted.
Thisactuallyportraystheteachersintheseschoolsasthosewhoknowverylittletonothingabouttheimportanceoftheschoolinternaltestingprogramme.
Thechi-squareof4.
143@0.
05alphalevelsatdegreeoffreedomof10issmallerthanthetablevalueof18.
307.
Therefore,thenullhypothesisthreethatstates-thereisnosignificantrelationshipbetweentheperceptionoftheteachersonthefunctionalusesoftheinternaltestingprogrammesontheadministrativeneedsoftheschoolsandtheirparticipationintheoperationsoftheschoolCurr.
Res.
J.
Soc.
Sci.
,3(4):364-373,2011371testingprogrammeinsecondaryschoolisaccepted.
Thisisbecausethex2of4.
143wasnotsignificant.
Again,thisexposestheteachersintheschoolsysteminRiversStatethatseemnottoactuallyappreciatetheimportanceoftheschooltestingprogrammetothestudentsundertheirtutelage.
DISCUSSIONOneoftheprescriptionsofThorndikeandHagen(1977)wasthatanyusefulandfunctionalinternaltestingprogrammemustprovide-classroomfunctions.
Theanalysisofresearchquestiononeshowsthattherearemoreintheareasofappraisinggainsorgrowthinachievement,andevaluatingdiscrepanciesbetweenpotentialsachievement,whichrankedfirstandsecondonthetable.
Theuseofinternaltestingprogrammefor"groupingstudentsforinstructionwithinaclass","identifyingstudentswhoneedspecialdiagnosticstudyandremedialinstruction"and"planninginstructionalactivitiesforanindividual",cameupintherankingas5th,6thand7th,respectively.
Herethehypothesisonewasacceptedastherewasnostatisticallysignificantrelationshipfoundbetweentheirperceptionandtheiractualparticipationinthepracticeoftheinternaltestingprogrammeoftheschools.
Thisfindingconfirmsthefindingsof(Ward,1980)and(Schulman,1980)whostressedonthedearthofmeasurementandevaluationexpertsintheschoolsnowadays.
Tittle(1989)assertionalsosupportedtheseteachers'dismalperceptionoftheclassroomfunctionalismoftheinternalschooltestingprogrammes.
Thispositionoftheteachers'perceptionandparticipationmayhaveaccountedforthecountlessincidencesofcheatingandexaminationmalpracticesinRiversState.
TheStatewasatastagerankinghigherthananyotherStateintheFederationincheatingandmalpracticesinpublicexaminations.
Anexaminationoftheteachersperceptionoftheguidanceandcounsellingfunctionsoftheschoolinternaltestingprogrammeoftheschoolsandtheirparticipationintheentireprogrammeshowsthattheteachersweremoreconcernedwith(1)"preparingevidencetoguidediscussionswithparentsabouttheirchildren",withaverysmallpercentageassmallas47.
Thesecondpositionrankingwas"helpingthestudentstogeteducationalandvocationalgoals".
Unfortunately,theteachersdonotperceivethattheinternaltestingprogrammecouldbeusedfor"helpingthestudenttomakeimmediatechoices"by54%ofthem.
ThisisatvariancewithwhatThorndikeandHagen(1977)recommended.
Also,73%oftheteacherdisagreedthattheinternaltestingprogrammeisnecessaryforimprovingcounsellor,teachersandparentsunderstandingofproblemcases".
Thesecondhypothesiswasalsoaccepted.
Thisshowsthattheteachersknowverylittletonothingonthefunctionalismoftheinternaltestingprogramme.
Thismusthaveaccountedforwhytheseteachersdonotparticipateeffectivelyintheinternaltestingprogramme.
TheremarkofHassan(1987b)thatsomeclassroomteachersaregenerallypoortestitemwriterisfullyindicatedinthispart.
Theresponsesoftheclassroomteachertotheadministrativefunctionalismoftheinternaltestingprogrammewerenotcompletelybetter.
Theyperceivethatitcouldbeusedforplacingnewstudents,andprovidinginformationforoutsideagenciesandassigningstudentstoclassroomgroups.
Unfortunately,67%oftheteachersdisagreethatinternaltestingprogrammecouldbeusedfor"improvingpublicrelation"and"helpingtodetermineeligibilityforspecialgroups"respectively.
Again,74%disagreethattheinternaltestingprogrammecanbeusedfor"evaluatingcurricula,curricularemphasisandcurricularexperiments.
Thehypothesesinthisareawerealsoaccepted.
Thisisaclearindicationthattheteachersgrosslylacktheknowledgeoftheinternaltestingprogrammeandthatofmeasurementandevaluationingeneral.
ThereisnowonderwhytheissueofexaminationmalpracticeandcheatingissorampartintheStateexaminationsystematthesecondaryschoollevels.
Theprovisionofprofessionaltestinginstrumentsandprogrammetomeasurestudents'progressandgrowtharegrosslyinadequate.
Insomeschoolsthereisnothinginplacetohelpthegrowthanddevelopmentofthestudentsfromtheteachers,astheyprogressfromoneleveltoanother.
RECOMMENDATIONThisstudyhasclearlyrevealedthattheclassroomteachersinRiversStatehaveapartialknowledgeofthefunctionalityoftheinternaltestingprogrammeoftheschoolsystem.
Ithasalsoaccountedfortheirpoorinvolvementintheproperdevelopmentoftheinternaltestingprogrmme.
Itistherefore,recommendedthattheStateshouldstartatrainingorre-trainingprogrammeforallcadresofteachersinthesecondaryschools.
Thisistoenabletheteacherstohavefullfledgeknowledgeofmeasurementandevaluationinschools,particularlyinternaltestingarrangementwithintheschool(s).
Curr.
Res.
J.
Soc.
Sci.
,3(4):364-373,2011372Someperiodicvisitationofschoolbymeasurementandevaluationexpertstocarryoutsupervisionofinstructionishighlyrecommendedfortheschools.
Somuchcanbeattainedintheseschoolssystemwhenthesetypeofsuggestedprogrammesaremountedtoteachteachersontheclassroomfunctionsoftheinternaltestingprogrammeoftheschool(s),theirneedtoadequatelyparticipateinsuchprogrammeswillassistinthedevelopmentoftheentireschoolsystem.
Theimportanceoftheinternaltestingprogrammestotheproperguidanceandcounsellingofthestudentscannotbeover-stressed.
Someguidanceandcounsellingexpertsaswellaspsychometriciansofnoteareneededtodemonstratetotheteacherstheimportanceofgettinginvolvedintheguidanceandcounsellingfunctionsoftheschoolsusinginternalevaluationoutcomesofexpertsinthefieldsinquestion.
AccordingtotherecommendationsofThorndikeandHagen(1977)theinternaltestingprogrammemustbemadetoprovidefortheadministrativefunctionsoftheschool.
Teachersnodoubtwillalsoneedspecialtrainingintheseareas.
Whentheserecommendationsareadequatelyimplemented,thecheatingandexaminationmalpracticenowprevalentinoureducationalsystemmusthavebeenadequatelyminimisedtoagreatextent.
SUMMARYANDCONCLUSIONTheteachersinRiversStatedonothaveahighperceptionoftheinternaltestingprogrammeofthesecondaryschoolsystem.
Tosome,theyhardlybelieveinthefunctionalityofthearrangement.
Thissituationhaspartlyaccountedwhytheyhardlyparticipateseriouslyintheinternaltestingarrangementintheschools.
Itwasalsoconcludedthattheirlackofexpertiseintheproductionofvalidandreliabletestitemsintheirschoolsmayhaveaccountedforthelukewarmattitudestotheinternal-testingprogrammeoftheschools.
Theobservationofearlyresearchersthattheincidencesofmalpracticesandcheatinginpublicexaminationinthestatemayhaveresultedduetotheirpoorperceptionoftheinternaltestingprogrammeoftheirschoolsystem,cannowbeeasilyconfirmedfromthisstudy.
Finally,thestudyisofthestrongconvictionthattheinvolvementoftheteachersinthetrainingandre-trainingprogrammesinthedevelopmentofmeasurementandevaluationcapabilitieswillsolvetheseproblemsoccasionedbythepoorperceptionsoftheteachersoftheinternaltestingprogrammesoftheNigeriansecondaryschoolsystemintheglobalage.
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