An investigation of teacher educators' perceptions and implementation of formative assessment at a college of education in Namibia : a case study

• Main Author: Iileka, Ottilie
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Rhodes University 2011
• Subjects: Teacher educators > Namibia; Educational evaluation > Namibia; Educational tests and measurements > Namibia; Academic achievement > Testing > Namibia; Teachers > Training of > Namibia; Universities and colleges > Namibia
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003527

Changes in assessment practice in education are a global issue. Colleges of Education in Namibia also need to accommodate these changes in their training programs for student teachers, to model their practice of all modes of assessment in teaching and learning. Emphasis should be placed on assessment for learning, which is formative in nature. This qualitative case study investigated the following questions: How do teacher educators understand the principles and strategies of formative assessment and how do teacher educators implement formative assessment in their own teaching, which in turn serves as an example to their student teachers. I used three methods of collecting data: interviews, observation and document analysis. The data identify a range of findings in the teacher educators' professed understanding of formative assessment and how it is implemented in their own practice. The data also identify challenges facing the teacher educators in terms of setting a good example to their student teachers in the area of formative assessment. This study also offers suggestions for further studies on formative assessment. These include a suggestion for teacher educators to look at their own practice of formative assessment principles and strategies. A major cross department study could be conducted that includes teacher educators from different subject areas to see to how the implementation of formative assessment in the college varies from one department to another. A third possibility suggests a study involving student teachers from various areas of specialization in the college to see to what extent the implementation of formative assessment in the college affects their future assessment practices.