Exploring the current classroom assessment practices of early childhood education teachers in public and private schools of Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan: A study from teacher\u27s perspectives

This study sought to explore the current classroom assessment practices of early childhood education (ECE) teachers in the public and private schools of Hunza-Gilgit-Baltistan. A total of 125 ECE teachers responded to the cross sectional survey questionnaire, 28 from public, and 97 from private with the use of cluster-convenient sampling in three regions of Hunza. The pertinent themes covered in this include purpose of using current classroom assessment, the methods\approaches used in ECE classrooms, and the alignment of assessment with National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education 2007. The tool was adapted from a study conducted in New Zealand and was further modified in this study to meet the contextual relevancy. Document analysis was also carried out along with the questionnaire. SPSS-20 was used to analyze data by computing the percentages, mean scores, and pair sample t-test for comparison between perceptions of ECE teachers of public and private school systems. The results were tabulated additionally by using MS-EXCEL. The finding of the study reveal that for the sample ECE teachers, the purpose of doing the assessment was to know children’s strength and weaknesses, to know the levels of children’s learning, and to modify/adjust teaching. However, they were less likely to consider providing information to parents about their children as a purpose of doing an assessment. The sample teachers used a variety of assessment methods, including samples of children’s work, Checklists, and observations to assess children. The least popular method among ECE teachers for assessing children in the classroom was worksheets and paper pencil test. The Significant differences between teachers from the private and public sector were found on the level of confidence in assessing children. Teachers from the private sector felt more confident in assessing children’s day-to-day learning, providing feedback to parents, and getting information from parents as compared to teachers from the public sector. However, the results of the document analysis show that the most frequent used assessment methods were tests, worksheets, report card and samples of children’s work, while observations and portfolios were less frequent. It is recommended that a qualitative research aspect can be added to obtain in-depth insights to the current assessment practices through observations and detailed interviews with the teachers. Furthermore, a training assessment should be provided to ECE teachers to learn the skills of linking assessment, planning and teaching together, using daily routines to gather observational data on children’s achievement/needs and matching the purpose of assessment with the assessment tools designed