AN EVALUATION OF TEACHERS' ATTITUDE AND COMPETENCE TOWARDS CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT IMPLEMENTATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN DELTA SOUTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT OF DELTA STATE

The research work was designed to evaluate the attitude and competence of teachers towards continuous assessment implementation in secondary schools in Delta South Senatorial District of Delta State. The purpose of the study wss to investigate whether teachers show favourable attitude and are competent enough in the operation of continuous assessment and to examine certain problems that may act as hindrance towards its full implementation in the study area. Five (5) research questions and three (3) null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Teachers’ attitude and competence towards continuous assessment implementation questionnaire titled “TACCAIQ” was used to collect data from eighty (80) teachers in sixteen (16) secondary schools that were sampled randomly from the schools in Delta South Senatorial District of Delta State. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design in carrying out the investigation. Both percentage and Chi-square (x2) test were used as method of statistical analysis. Analysis of data collected through the administration of TACTCAIQ revealed that: teachers in the study area show negative attitude towards the effective implementation of continuous assessment in secondary schools; there was a significant effect of teachers’ attitude on the implementation of continuous assessment in secondary schools; there was a significant effect of teachers’ competence on the implementation of continuous assessment in secondary schools; teachers do not use all the assessment tools available for carrying out continuous assessment and that only tests and examinations are frequently used; there was no significant sex difference in the attitudes of teachers towards continuous assessment implementation; and that, a number of challenges are facing teachers in the -effective implementation of continuous assessment in the study area. Based on these findings, it was recommended among others that teachers should be given adequate orientation in the form of in-service training on the need and importance of continuous assessment and how to effectively operate it through the combination of various assessment techniques and instruments.