A Meta-Analysis on Formative Assessment Practices in Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyse the methodology and results of previous studies (1990 to 2016) on formative assessment practices of teachers at all levels of education in Ghana. Due to limited documentation of formative assessment studies in Ghana, literature review covered 10 research articles, abstracts, books accessed electronically or printed materials. They were collected for reading purpose. Of these, 7 studies were finally selected for meta-analysis on the basis of formative assessment implementation through literature review. These include 5 qualitative case studies and 2 mixed studies. Results revealed that, formative assessment is well embraced and practiced among teachers at all levels of education in Ghana. Moreover, methodologies adopted by previous studies on formative assessment practices in Ghana were credible since they were all exploring various aspect of formative assessment practices. It is however, recommended that future educational researchers shift attention to quantitative dimensions of the phenomenon, this would allow for large sample size and inferential study.

Keywords: formative assessment, continuous assessment, school base assessment.