Developing a strategic pedagogy in primary teacher education for effective continuous assessment implementation in Malawi

Abstract

The Primary Curriculum Assessment Reform (PCAR) introduced in Malawi in 2007, positions continuous assessment, the integration of teaching, learning and assessment, at the core of the curriculum. However, most teachers in Malawi have had no dedicated training in effective continuous assessment pedagogy, and this limitation, among other reasons, makes it particularly difficult to implement continuous assessment. While teachers may not implement continuous assessment effectively due to contextual factors such as school leadership, lack of resources, pressure from high stakes examinations, large classes, and a too demanding teacher workload, effective teacher preparation that uses appropriate instructional pedagogy can enable teachers to effectively implement continuous assessment in the schools. Improving the competence of pre-service primary school teachers during training is very critical for effective continuous assessment implementation. Research on teacher competence in the area of learner assessment indicates that teachers face many challenges. World over, there is an outcry that alludes to the fact that teachers are not properly trained in the area of assessment during their pre-service training. In Malawi, teachers who were oriented in the new curriculum and recent graduates from the Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) who are taught using a reformed teacher training curriculum that was aligned with the new national primary curriculum (NPC) referred to as primary curriculum and assessment reform (PCAR) face difficulties in implementing it. This study was conceptualised and implemented using education design research, in a purposefully and conveniently sampled pre-service primary teacher training college, to design, develop and try out a pedagogy that lecturers in teacher training colleges in Malawi could use when preparing primary school teachers so that they are able to implement CA effectively. The overall aim of this study was to investigate, understand and develop the features needed for the design and development of an effective continuous assessment pedagogy that lecturers in pre-service primary teacher education programmes in Malawi could use when preparing primary school teachers for the implementation of continuous assessment. The main research question that guided the study was: What are the characteristics of a strategic pedagogy that lecturers in primary teacher training colleges (TTCs) in Malawi could use for pre-service primary teacher preparation for effective continuous assessment (CA) implementation? Data collection during the baseline phase included the administration of a questionnaire to both the lecturers and the pre-service teachers; lecturer room observation of twenty-twolectures; document analysis, and focus group discussion with some lecturers and college administration. Presentations and oral interviews were carried out with subject matter experts aimed at understanding their perspectives on what a primary school teacher should know, and be able to do when implementing CA. Formative and summative evaluation of the prototypes were implemented to determine the relevance, consistency, practicality and effectiveness of the intervention. The iterative cycles of the prototypes led to a strategic pedagogy that emerged as feasible. Design guidelines for the strategic pedagogy and recommendations have been suggested