REFORM IN ASSESSMENT: TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that teachers’ beliefs on teaching and learning plays a part on the way they teach and assess learning. A new assessment system for schools was implemented in 2011 to set the stage for change of the Malaysian education system from centralised examination to a combination of centralised examination and school-based assessment. There is a growing concern with implementation issues pertaining to how teachers will transform their assessment practices in their school contexts. Thus, this study sought to gain insights into teachers’ beliefs about school based assessment, and examine the relationship between their beliefs and classroom practice. A survey measuring teachers’ beliefs and practices of school based assessment was administered to 174 teachers who are currently educating in Malaysian government funded schools. Findings from this study demonstrated that teachers appear to have good knowledge of assessment principles about School Based Assessment (SBA). They conducted their assessment using appropriate procedures by considering the context of teaching and assessment in which they operate. The result of Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between teachers’ beliefs about SBA and their classroom practices.