Classroom Assessment and Academic Performance in Ghanaian Junior High Schools Integrated Science

Abstract

The study took place in the Sunyani municipality, the capital of the Bono region of Ghana. The purpose of the study was to investigate public and private junior high school pupils’ perceptions of classroom assessment and academic performance in integrated science. The study employed the descriptive survey research design involving 200 second-year pupils. A questionnaire was used to collect data on their perceptions of classroom assessment while the national BECE examination results for three consecutive years were used to determine pupils’ performance in the subject based on school type. Mean scores, standard deviations and t-test were used to analyze the data. The study concludes that pupils had a positive perception on transparency of assessment, application and their capabilities. However, the pupils had a neutral perception towards congruence with planned learning. Private JHS pupils performed higher than public JHS pupils. To address the pupils’ neutral perceptions of congruence with planned learning, it is recommended that the teachers from the sampled schools be open to the pupils and inform them of the mode of assessment to be taken. Since the private JHS pupils performed better than the public JHS pupils, it is recommended that the district and municipal education directors and circuit supervisors keep close eyes on the work of the public integrated science teachers in the municipality to bridge the gap between the performance of public and private junior high school pupils in integrated science.