Teacher preparedness and utilization of pedagogical practices in formative assessment for developing students' writing skills in selected secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The current study was motivated by the perpetual student underachievement in English writing skills in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) as indicated by the Kenya National Examinations Council yearly feedback reports. Focused on this, the purpose of the study was to explore the practices used by teachers of English in formative assessment for the development of students‘ writing skills, and to assess teachers‘ preparedness for assessing students‘ writing skills. The specific study objectives were to: assess teachers‘ preparedness for formative assessment of the writing skill, explore the procedures teachers used for evaluating the quality of student writing, investigate the types and modes of providing feedback that teachers used, analyse the type of written feedback that teachers provided on students‘ written texts and to examine how teachers ensured that feedback obtained from students‘ writing was used to inform learning in writing. The study adopted the pragmatic philosophical paradigm and was undergirded by Vygotsky‘s Social Cultural Theory. The theory posits that while mediation is central to learning, social interaction is the basis of learning. Conducted in 11 out of the 110 public secondary schools that sat KCSE in Nairobi County in 2021, the study involved 22 Form Four teachers, and their 198 Form Four learners selected using purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling procedures. The study adopted a convergent mixed methods design. Data was collected using questionnaires, teacher focus group discussions, student written task and document analysis. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis procedures. The findings revealed that teachers were inadequately prepared in some crucial aspects of formative assessment of learners‘ writing during their initial training yet opportunities for retooling were limited. According to the findings, the procedures used for evaluating and reporting on the quality of learners‘ writing did not adequately serve a diagnostic purpose as per the demands of formative assessment. Teacher feedback was prevalently used while peer and self-assessment, face-to face discussions and use of digital devices as a means of feedback provision were underutilised. Further, to a considerable degree teachers‘ written feedback did not include adequate detail to prompt sufficient learner engagement and remediation. Also, teachers admitted that it was difficult to provide learners with comprehensive feedback due to high curriculum demands and shortage of teachers. The findings also revealed that learners were scarcely given individualised support and that teachers did not sufficiently utilise systematic ways of using feedback to inform subsequent learning. The findings, therefore, reveal deficiencies that could hinder learners‘ development of writing skills. The study recommends a review of pre-service and in- service teacher training programmes to equip teachers with the necessary formative assessment competencies to align their practices to evidence- based ways and thence improve their students‘ writing. Further, policy makers, schools and teachers should consider the purpose of formative assessment and re-energise efforts to limit the barriers to realising its potential benefits in learning writing skills