The Practice of Student Assessment: The Case of College of Natural Science, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study attempted to assess the practice of student assessment in the College of Natural Science of Addis Ababa University, specifically aimed at investigating whether or not science instructors are well aware of test blue-print, general principles of evaluation and rule of test construction as anticipated in the new education and training policy as well as examining assessment methods, criteria, techniques employed and challenges of science instructors in conducting assessment of their courses. Forty-five participants were drawn through multistage sampling techniques. A descriptive survey design was employed and data were gathered from participants through both close-ended and open-ended questionnaire. Quantitative data were interoperated as percentage and qualitative data were analyzed using verbal interpretation. The result of the study indicated that the majority of the science instructors do not have clear conception of test blue print, the general principles of evaluation, specific rules of test item construction and item analysis procedures. Finally, the study recommends that the college instructors need to be reoriented with why and how to apply various alternative assessments, the general principles of evaluation, the specific rules of test item construction, how and why to prepare a table of specification, why and how to conduct item-analysis, and the use to be made of evaluation results.

Key words: Assessment practice, test blue print, test item construction