Since the introduction of the sequential system of assessment (SSA) in Cameroon’s secondary schools, students’ academic performances have unfortunately witnessed significant drops in both school and public examinations. Besides assessing learning through the use of various assessment tools, the SSA recommends the use of remedial testing for students who have failed during the normal sequential test. Apart from that, the sequential system as a tool for improving instruction and students’ ongoing learning in Cameroon’s secondary schools lacks proper organization. Specifically, they exist no guidelines that impose the nature of sequential tools and types of tool elements to be selected in the assessment for learning in various subjects. This makes the implementation of the sequential system nonuniform and unproductive. The present intervention study explores the effect that the harmonization of the sequential test format has on students’ academic performances, and the effect that gender and class levels equally have on students’ academic performances under the sequential system of testing. The study utilized the one group pretest-posttest research design and sampled from school records over 460 first and second cycle students’ academic averages from a public secondary school. The treatment involved the use of a common test format for all subjects during the final sequence test of the academic year. The findings revealed that the intervention significantly improved students’ academic performances by 4.6%, and that gender and class levels also significantly influenced students’ academic performances. Specifically, academic performances were higher for junior classes but dropped steadily across class levels, and female students’ academic performances improved by 6.8% compared to an improvement of 2.8% for males. Form 2, form 3 and form 4 students compared to form 1 students witnessed drops of .424, 1.495, and 1.332 units respectively in academic averages after the introduction of the treatment. The findings emphasize the need for a common format of testing, the beneficial role of interventions and use of multiple tools in testing. The use of gender-based pedagogy in bridging the gender gap in the mastery of instruction under the SSA is recommended.
Sequential Test, Harmonization, Intervention, Linear Regression, Academic Performance
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development - IJTSRD having
online ISSN 2456-6470. IJTSRD is a leading Open Access, Peer-Reviewed International
Journal which provides rapid publication of your research articles and aims to promote
the theory and practice along with knowledge sharing between researchers, developers,
engineers, students, and practitioners working in and around the world in many areas
like Sciences, Technology, Innovation, Engineering, Agriculture, Management and
many more and it is recommended by all Universities, review articles and short communications
in all subjects. IJTSRD running an International Journal who are proving quality
publication of peer reviewed and refereed international journals from diverse fields
that emphasizes new research, development and their applications. IJTSRD provides
an online access to exchange your research work, technical notes & surveying results
among professionals throughout the world in e-journals. IJTSRD is a fastest growing
and dynamic professional organization. The aim of this organization is to provide
access not only to world class research resources, but through its professionals
aim to bring in a significant transformation in the real of open access journals
and online publishing.