Computer Science Teachers' Knowledge And Application Of Formative Assessment In Secondary Schools In Benin City

Abstract

This study examined the knowledge and application of formative assessment in teaching Computer Science in Secondary Schools in Benin City. To achieve this, three research questions were raised. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of Computer Science teachers in public and private Secondary Schools in Benin City. The sample size for the study was 300 Computer Science teachers in some selected public and private Secondary Schools in Benin City.  The research instrument used for the collection of data was a questionnaire titled "Secondary School Teachers' Knowledge and Applications of Formative Assessment in Computer Science Questionnaire (SSTKAFACSQ)". The validity of the instrument was determined by three experts in Measurement and Evaluation, and two others from Computer Science Education, University of Benin, Nigeria.  The reliability of the research instrument was ascertained using the Cronbach alpha reliability statistics and yielded alpha values of 0.89 and 0.90. The data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and Chi-square statistics.  The findings showed that the teachers had a high knowledge of formative assessment and its application in the teaching of Computer Science, and the teachers in public schools had a better level of the applications than their counterparts in private schools. The study also revealed that qualification and school ownership of teachers were determining factors in Computer Science teachers' application of formative assessment. However, the application of formative assessment was not dependent on the sex and years of experience of teachers. It was therefore recommended that public and private Secondary School teachers should be trained on the use of formative assessment in Computer Science, as well as how to use the various tools and techniques. Government at the State and Federal levels should ensure that teachers without the prerequisite teaching qualification should desist from teaching.