Classroom-Based Formative Assessment Mirroring 21stcentury Skills: Experiences from Secondary School Teachers in Dodoma, Tanzania

Abstract

Rapid changes in science and technological advancement have made it necessary for teachers to align their pedagogical approaches and  assessment activities to help the students master the required skills. However, there is limited proof from literatures suggesting teachers’  understanding and competence in fostering the 21st-century skills to their students. Against this rarity in knowledge, the  present study examined whether teachers have the requisite understanding of the 21st-century skills and whether they are skilled in  shaping teaching and assessment practices that inculcate students’ 21stcentury skills. Guided by a phenomenological research design,  this study was accomplished through classroom observation and focus group discussions with 28 secondary school teachers who were  purposively selected. Deductive Thematic Analysis of the generated data revealed that teachers had a limited understanding of the 21st-century skills and their objectives. It was also revealed that teachers’ formative assessment activities fall short of the 21stcentury skills. It  was observed that the majority of teachers’ assessment activities reflect a phased-out content-based curriculum that perpetuates memorization of facts rather than problem-solving and critical thinking; the assessment activities adopted by teachers did not foster  students’ mastery of the 21st-century skills. The study found that teachers were not well prepared to design assessments that foster  mastery of the 21st-century skills. It is therefore recommended that regular training for in-service teachers should be conducted in order  to enable them acquire up-to-date teaching and assessment skills as required by the changes introduced in the school curricula.