Situation Analysis of Formative Assessment Strategies Used in B.Ed. Honors Programs in Public Teaching Universities of Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

The international and national reforms in education have placed a focus on shifting from a transmission-based approach teacher education to competency-based teacher education that is attained through formative assessment. However, only a few empirical studies have delved into conceptualization and identification of formative assessment strategies in the context of Pakistan for prospective teachers' training. The current study is based on situational analysis of identifying formative assessment strategies used by the teacher educators of B.Ed. (Honors) in public teaching universities in Punjab, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect quantitative data from twenty teacher educators from public and private teacher education institutions using a validated questionnaire. Current practice was assessed using a descriptive statistics analysis, mean rankings and situational gap analysis for four Formative Assessment Strategies namely: Scenario Based Assessment, Justification Based Assessment, Peer Assessment and Self-Reflection. The results show that less structured innovative practices such as written assignments are being employed, although the global teacher educators are already shifted from conventional assessments. National policy and frameworks along with class teachers believe that four practices are not only highly effective in the student engagement component but also have been facing with systemic issues like large class size, less instructional time and more workload. The results offer an empirical foundation for the implementation of structured models of formative intervention in teacher training programs to bridge between the policy requirements and classroom assessment practice.