Dimensiones Constituyentes de la Naturaleza de la ciencia:

Seeing that examinations are the standard way of measuring the amount of learning that has taken place in most countries, this section reviews the role of examinations and how Examiners’ reports that provide feedback on national examinations can inform future assessment and

examinations. Examinations test mastery of subject content. Assuming that Examiners’ reports – for Biology, in particular, in the context of this study – are disseminated and used in schools, to what extent does formative assessment in Namibia allow the use of examinations outcomes through feedback to drive learning and improve pass rates in general? (Weimer, n.d.).

Trying to establish Biology teachers’ perceptions and experiences about the dissemination and utilization of Examiners’ reports in the Khomas region will inform me as well as any other interested parties about the extent to which Examiners’ reports are received by teachers and used in teaching by teachers. Furthermore, teachers’ perceptions about whether the Examiners’ reports aid learning or not will also be established. It is my belief that the DNEA should be sensitized to the perceptions of teachers, an obvious potential driving force behind future planning and improvement.

Globally in educational settings, examinations are used for selection or promotion through testing individuals’ achievements as a way of measuring progress. They can also be used for diagnostic purposes, indicating to individuals how they performed in various fields. Furthermore, the outcomes from assessment can be used for the purpose of providing remedial classes and supplementing learning. Positive perceptions and attitudes on the part of teachers towards

Examiners’ reports or any other tool that can enhance teaching and learning in Biology are of the utmost importance.

27 According to an article published by Oxford Brookes University, the idea of a final examination as a method of assessment has been criticized (Types of assessment, n.d.). Among the criticisms is that pressure of time may lead to learners’ answers being superficial, and that not all learning outcomes can be assessed in this way. Further criticism is that it encourages rote learning of the previous year’s model answers. Despite the objections to summative examinations, in many countries’ educational systems, national examinations are an integral part of assessment. Garfield (1994) alerts us to the fact that there is currently a shift in the view of educational assessment. Assessment is currently viewed as a process that is dynamic and provides information on a continuous basis. Particularly in educational settings, assessment is seen as part and parcel of the teaching and learning process. But Moseley (n.d.) is of the opinion that National examinations can inform policy makers in government and all interested parties in education about the effectiveness of education programmes. Garfield (1994) concurs, maintaining that national examinations provide information that enables one to arrive at informed opinions about learners, teachers and schools and a country’s education system in general.

Assessment is a process that entails gathering appropriate and trustworthy data and information to make decisions and reason about evidence provided (Naylor & Keogh, 2007; Assessment for learning, n.d.). In educational settings assessment must be an integral part of teaching and learning, to inform and guide teachers in the instructional decisions they make (Garfield, 1994; Moseley, n.d.). It must happen before, during and after teaching. Educational assessment must aim to establish the degree of learning that took place and be geared towards improving

education. Kellough and Kellough (1999) are of the opinion that the main purpose of assessment is to help learners learn and at the same time improve their learning.

Kellough and Kellough (1999) in fact argue that learning should be driven by assessment. Thus the type of learning and its ultimate impact is driven by the feedback given to teachers/learners. In the light of these arguments, it is important that feedback given in the form of Examiners’ reports to Biology teachers be read and implemented by all Biology teachers to help and direct their own assessment in class, and also to support their own and their learners’ learning.

Assessment practices, whether summative or formative must direct learners’ self-regulation and development. According to Nicol (n.d.), assessment practices are inherently neither good nor bad: their purpose determines their worthiness, direction and appropriateness.

28 National examinations are summative assessments of learning and this type of testing

summarizes the effectiveness of teaching and educational programs as well as the learning that has taken place. Good assessment requires the alignment of assessment to a standard in all aspects such as difficulty levels, content and level of thinking. Examinations have value for any teachers’ individual teaching, but can also ensure that development and teaching in different departments are enhanced (CIE, 2013).

As the directorate responsible for National examinations, one key question we need to ask ourselves is: “What is the match between our goals and how we are assessing”? This leads to consideration of two very important principles, reliability and validity. To achieve reliability it is necessary that learning outcomes and assessment criteria be made explicit to learners and

teachers, so that the results produced are constant and repeatedly reproducible. Validity lies in ensuring that any task assessed actually assesses what the assessor intended and matches the syllabus competencies. Thus, as the body responsible for national examinations, the setting of valid, reliable, transparent and clear question papers necessarily requires that we provide teachers and learners with feedback that is useful, reliable and valid through Examiners’ reports.

Examiners’ reports often mention how the incorrect use of English negatively affects learners’ performance in Biology. A discussion therefore follows on the role of English as the medium of Biology instruction.