Improving Academic Achievement through Continuous Assessment Methods: In the Case of Year Two Students of Animal and Range Sciences Department in Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assessing and implementing of continuous assessment to enhance academic performance of 2^nd year Animal and Range Sciences department students in wolaita sodo university ; and to take action (train) to raise the academic performance to a desirable state. For the purpose of surveying the students’ level of performance towards continuous assessment, a 12-item questionnaire (The Initial Questionnaire) on a Likert scale was given to all the 40 Animal and Range Sciences year II students. Accordingly, the overall percentage of poor performance answers was 54.6%, which implies that more than half of the students are leveled poor in their performance and attitude (awareness) towards continuous assessment. After all the actions (training , focus group discussion and implementation of continuous assessments), for the purpose of surveying the changes on the students’ level of performance towards continuous assessment, a 12-item questionnaire (exactly the same as the Initial Questionnaire) on a Likert scale was given again to all the 40 Animal and Range Sciences year II students. Accordingly, the overall percentage of good performance answers was 85%, which implies that majority of the students (34 out of 40) are leveled high (preferably desirable) in their performance and attitude towards continuous assessment after the intervention.

Keywords: continuous assessments, Likert scale, academic Performance.