2025 IJRSE – Volume 14 Issue 1
Available Online: 1 February 2025
Author/s:
Mushi, Consolata Cosmas*
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania (mushiconsolata22@gmail.com)
Makwinya, Noel Mark
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania (noel.mark@sua.ac.tz)
Kalungwizi, Vituce
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania (vituce.kalungwizi@sua.ac.tz)
Abstract:
This qualitative descriptive study investigated secondary school teachers’ conception and levels of implementation of Competence-Based Assessment (CBA) in Morogoro Municipality. Guided by constructivist theory and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, the research involved interviews with 16 secondary school teachers as participants, purposively selected from 8 randomly chosen government schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions, enabling participants to freely express their perspectives, experiences, and behaviors related to CBA. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which involved identifying, organizing, and interpreting patterns within the interview transcripts to uncover recurring ideas, perceptions, and practices. The findings revealed varied perceptions of CBA among the teachers. While a few viewed CBA as an extended version of traditional assessment, the majority saw it as a comprehensive approach to assessment, and some considered it a performance-based or criterion-referenced method. The study also found that CBA implementation in schools was limited. Most teachers were at an early non-user stage, with a few making attempts to progress to the preparation stage, as described in the Levels of Use framework. The study recommends that the government strengthen teacher training, provide adequate resources, and offer ongoing support to improve the understanding and implementation of CBA.
Keywords: assessment of learning, assessment for learning, concern-based adoption model, levels of use framework, teachers’ understanding of assessment
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25005
Cite this article:
Mushi, C. C., Makwinya, N. M., & Kalungwizi, V. (2025). Secondary school teachers’ conception and levels of use of competence-based assessment in Tanzania. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 14(1), 89-104. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25005
* Corresponding Author