Curriculum and Instructional Studies

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Browsing Curriculum and Instructional Studies by Subject "annual national assessment (ANA) --efficacy --South Africa"

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    Implementation of annual national assessment in the intermediate phase at King Cetshwayo district schools
    (University of Zululand, 2018) Ntuli, Nombali Lucratia Rose
    The purpose of this study was to understand the efficacy of the implementation of Annual National Assessment (ANA). In this study, the researcher chose King Cetshwayo District and Mthunzini circuit as a field of investigation. The investigation was conducted using a mixed method approach which was driven by both qualititave and quantitative approach. In this case, the Intermediate Phase schools were the main target to select a sample of 75 participants. All these randomly selected educators answered a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions while five Heads of Departments (HoDs) and five educators were purposively selected to participate in the in-depth interview session. The main objectives of the investigation were to: (a) explore teachers’ views about the implementation of ANA in the Intermediate Phase; (b) find out teachers’ perspectives of on the use of ANA as diagnostic assessment tool; and (c) find out about the impact of ANA on learner performance in English First Additional Language. The findings revealed that the majority of educators complained about lack of training, administration including time in which ANA is written, exposure of underperforming schools and methods of teaching which encourage rote learning. Most educators were unhappy that their district officials were not supportive during the administration phase. Educators raised concerns that Grade 4 learners have difficulty in understanding the questions since it is their first year of using English as Language of Learning and Teaching. Some educators indicated that they have not been sent to ANA workshops yet they are expected to administer the assessment. Based on the findings, the researcher realised that the objectives of the implementation of ANA were not achieved in some schools due to the negative attitude displayed by educators towards ANA. The inconsistency of the test questions makes it difficult for the Department of Basic Education to ascertain whether or not there is any improvement in ANA results. The researcher recommends that in order for ANA to be successfully implemented, the school management teams and the subject advisors have to work closely with Intermediate Phase educators and provide necessary resources and support.