Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to investigate primary school teachers’ experiences of implementing
assessment policy in the Social Studies learning area. After adopting the new learner-centred
schooling to replace the old teacher-centred education system in Namibian schools in 1990, the
Ministry of Education made it mandatory to implement assessment policy in the schools. During
the implementation of assessment policy teachers were forced to change their assessment
practices from traditional testing and evaluation to continuous assessment.
The study employed an interpretive research design to construct data during the exploration of
the teachers’ experiences in teaching. Document analysis, lesson observations and in-depth
interviews were used to collect the data. One of the main findings of the study is that teachers do
not use assessment to inform their own practices, but rather only to record marks. Despite a world
trend towards assessment for teaching, assessment, in this case, was only used as an instrument of
teaching.
It was also found that assessment policies did not take local contextual circumstances of schools
and communities into consideration. As a result, of the de-contextualization of these policies,
teachers are negatively positioned in the system because they have to adhere to departmental
demands and policy prescriptions on the one hand while, on the other, working in contexts that
are not conducive to effective teaching. Schools in such contexts therefore, need to be provided
with the necessary infrastructure, guidance and support to facilitate the effective implementation
of assessment policies. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om laerskoolonderwysers se ervarings van die implementering
van assesseringsbeleid in die Sosiale Studies leerarea te ondersoek. Na die goedkeuring van die
nuwe leerder-gesentreerde onderrig om die ou onderwyser-gesentreerde onderwysstelsel in
Namibiese skole in 1990 te vervang, het die Ministerie van Onderwys dit verpligtend gemaak om
ʼn nuwe assesseringsbeleid in die skole te implementeer. Onderwysers was dus genoodsaak om
hul assesseringspraktyke aan te pas vanaf tradisionele toetsing en evaluering na deurlopende
assessering.
Die studie het ’n interpretatiewe navorsingsontwerp gebruik om data tydens die verkenning van
die onderwysers se ervarings te konstrueer. Dokument-analise, les observasies en in diepteonderhoude
is gebruik om data te versamel. Die vernaamste bevindings van die studie is dat
opvoeders nie assessering gebruik om hul eie praktyke te informeer nie, maar eerder net op punte
op te teken. Ten spyte van ʼn teenoorgestelde wêreld-tendens, was assessering, in hierdie geval,
nie aangewend vir onderrig nie, maar slegs van onderrig.
Daar is ook bevind dat assesseringsbeleide nie plaaslike teenwerkende kontekstuele
omstandighede van skole en gemeenskappe in ag neem nie. As gevolg van die dekontekstualisasie
van hierdie beleide, word onderwysers negatief geposisioneer in die stelsel
omdat hulle moet uiting gee aan departementele voorskrifte binne kontekste wat nie bevorderlik
is vir effektiewe onderrig nie. Daarom moet skole in sodanige kontekste voorsien word van die
nodige infrastruktuur asook leiding en ondersteuning ten einde die implementering van
assesseringsbeleide meer effektief te maak.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/96958 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Nyambe, Thomas Nyambe |
| Contributors | Joorst, Jerome, Beets, Peter, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 81 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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