Teachers' Perception on the Challenges of Continuous Assessment Implementation between 2017 and 2018 in Zimbabwean Primary and Secondary Schools

Abstract

Continuous assessment is an integral part of the instruction as it determines whether the goals of education are being met during or at the end of the instructional period. The updated curriculum (2015-2022) in the Zimbabwean Primary and Secondary Schools introduced the continuous assessment which was abandoned a few months after its inception. This study sought to evaluate from the teachers’ perspective the challenges which led to premature abandoning of the continuous assessment aspect.  Qualitative approach was employed and the case study design. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used as the data generation tools. A total of 55 in-service teacher education students at a University in Zimbabwe were conveniently sampled to participate in the study since they were the information rich cases. The study revealed that teachers were not prepared to implement the continuous assessment for various reasons. There was poor planning, preparation and implementation of the curriculum innovation. In the light of these findings, the study recommends that staff development programs for teachers as well as adequate consultations should be done before implementing new curriculum innovations.