Botswana teachers' experiences of formative assessment in Standard 4 Mathematics

Abstract

In 21st century education, assessment is considered a crucial role as it bridges the gap between teaching and learning. This study aimed to determine the possible effects of an intervention for Botswana Standard 4 mathematics use of formative assessment (FA) strategies in the classroom to enhance pupils’ higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). There is a recurrent educational debate in Botswana centred on pupils’ poor achievement in basic numeracy, literacy, and life skills. Specifically, Standard 4 pupils who progress to Standard 5 and 6 were perceived to be unable to handle mathematical HOTS tasks. They were considered to be weak when measured on the common achievement in large-scale assessments such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015.

With this backdrop in mind, the current study took a sequential embedded mixed, single-group, pre-test, intervention (training) and post-test design as a methodological strategy to investigate assessment practices related to higher-order thinking skills. The findings from the baseline survey (Phase I) revealed that teachers had some challenges in FA practices, including integration of HOTS tasks. The lesson from this phase’s research data is how to assist the teacher in implementing FA effectively to enhance mathematics teaching. Post-intervention classroom observation showed that teachers practised the integration and implementation of some FA strategies (Phase II). The findings in Phase III also revealed that the pupils’ post-interventional results in HOTS tasks significantly improved compared to their pre-assessment results. Additionally, the teachers’ experience and reflections were found to be favourably inclined to support formative assessment higher-order thinking skills as a strategy to enhance mathematics teaching. Throughout the phases of the study, Kivunja’s assessment feedback loop (AFL) model was underpinned as a theoretical point of departure to determine the classroom FA practice and integration of teaching HOTS in mathematics. The current study provides evidence of strategies to improve achievement levels in mathematics higher-order thinking skills in primary education in Botswana.