CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, IKERE EKITI



CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, IKERE EKITI

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The prominent method of assessing student’s progress formerly was through terminal examination. The assessment was based on knowledge acquired on various subjects of the school curriculum for the year. During those periods assessment related to affective and psychomotor domains were neglected while the various assessment carried out then were done on cognitive domain alone. However, with the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system of education which calls for continuous assessment as a means of measuring students’ performance was to make assessment of learners more reliable, valid, objective and comprehensive.
Understanding the concept of Continuous Assessment makes implementation easier. It means a summative “Mark” or score added to the final examination to certify students; some believe it to be a diagnostic and formulative evaluation of student’s learning (Ango, 2007). According to Nitko (2014) Assessment is the process of gathering information for the purpose of making decisions about education policy, curriculum programme and about individual students learning. It refers to the process of gathering relevant information F.M.E. (2014) pointed out that continuous Assessment is the mechanism whereby final grading of students in the cognitive affective and psychomotor domains of behaviors systematically take account of all performance during a given period of schooling. Such an assessment involves the use of a great variety of models of evaluation for the purpose of guiding and improving the performance of students.
Assessment is however, a means to an end not an end in itself as it equips the students with the required impetus to success. It serves several purposes particularly in decision making whether at primary, secondary or tertiary level (Ijaya, 2012). Assessment refers to the systematic collection of data and gives information about individual (Okwudire, 2005). Hassan (2005) reported that continuous assessment is a systematic collection of marks or grades over a period of time and its aggregation into a final grade. Hassan’s view gives the classroom lecturer the scope to make use of variety of assessment techniques appropriate to the subject being offered by the student. Such procedures includes practical’s, project and fieldwork. All these have their place in the scheme of continuous assessment as grades and marks will be awarded on the basis of achievement in each of the methods used for determine the student’s performance. Andrew (2000) viewed continuous assessments as a means of indicating the progress of maturation of the student but it is also used especially for detecting problems. It is therefore, in the interest of the lecturer to administer some form of assessment on a continuous basis on his students to evenly cover the material he is teaching. Danjuma (2014) in his study examined the extent of reliability of continuous assessment as a predictor of student performance in end of semester examination. The results revealed a significant relationship when the student scores from continuous assessment were correlated with their examination marks. Similarly, when continuous assessment scores of those with average scores were correlated with the examination scores, there was a significant relationship.
Continuous Assessment is therefore a way of obtaining the most value assessment of the capabilities of a student. This is because it is aggregate of all the achievement of a student from the beginning of the course to the end of it, which determines the final achievement.
A number of studies have been conducted on performance in the introductory business education course, for example, Eskew and Faley (2008) found five measures associated with performance in the first College Level Business education Course. A positive relationship to performance was found for SAT Scores, High School Math and English Grades, Collegiate GPA, The number of voluntary Quizzes taken (a measure of motivation) and Previous exposure to a course in book keeping or business education. Their model explained about 30 percent of the variation in course performance. They also reported that the number of semester hours of mathematics and statistics preceding the business education course was not significantly associated with course performance. Doran, Bouillon and Smith (2011) found a positive and significant relationship between course performance and the following variable (listed in order of highest variance expanded to lowest variance explained): Cumulative grade point average standardized academic text scores (SATs) declaration as an business education major male, and high school book-keeping course. Elaine and Musa (2005) carried out a study to determine students’ performance in intermediate business education at Perdue University Calumet, Indiana. The study examined the relationship of specific business education achievement in the recent past to performance in intermediate business education. Findings from the study revealed that Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and scores on Diagnostic Assessment are mostly correlated with the final grade in intermediate business education I.
Kenni (2011) opined that educational assessment has been identified to be an integral and inseparable part of a sound educational system. Assessment data forms the basis upon which vital educational decisions about teaching, learning, educational programme and learning environment are made. Kenni (2011) further affirms that Continuous Assessment is a mechanism whereby the final score of a student in the cognitive, effective and psychomotor domains of leaning systematically takes accounts of all his/her performance during a period of schooling. The penultimate examination at the end of semester at college level of education under the old educational programme of 6-3-2-3 system was named “semester Examination” because it was usually used to assess the likely performance of the students in the semester examination. However, it was not used as part of the overall assessment of the student at the college level. Adeyeye and Ilugbusi as cited by Kenni (2011) that since the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system, the Continuous Assessment, in particular has been integrated as part of the overall college results for each student. Ojerinde (2014) stressed the need to integrate the behaviour of school-based scores sent to examination bodies into the results of schools and also recalled that the Nigerian policy on Education (2014) stipulates the use of school-based scores as a component of certification.
Studies have shown that one of the variables affecting learning in general and science learning in particular is gender, it is necessary to investigate the interrelationship between gender and science learning. Researches have revealed that women are not only under-represented in business education, but their levels of academic achievement in business education are low compared to men (Ishaya, 2003 and National Science Foundation, 2008). In predicting academic performance, what a learner knows will play a large part in determining what sense they can make of new information. The extent of relevant previous knowledge is a major factor in determining the achievement of learners in a particular subject or course. Learners build their own knowledge in an idiosyncratic way, using past experience and existing knowledge to make sense of new information. Since no two learners have the same knowledge and experience, different learners deal with all new information in different ways (Adebayo, 2012). Peers and Johnston in Adeyemi (2003) argue that a prediction of a future examination result could be made on the bases of the results of an earlier examination. However, despite all these research efforts to solve this problem, there still little or no improvement in the students’ performance in business education. There is need to carry out a study with a view to determining the selected variable (Continuous Assessment) could be used to predict student academic performance in College.
Statement of the Problem
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Purpose of Study
The major purpose of the study is to investigate continuous assessment as a predictor of Business Education students’ performance in College of Education, Ikere Ekiti
Specifically the subject will seek to:
(1)        Find out the performance level of the students continuous assessment in business education courses.
(2)        Find out the performance level of students in final examination scores in business education courses.
(3)        Find out the relationship between continuous assessment and the performance of students in business education courses in department of business education, college of education, Ikere Ekiti.
Research Questions
The following questions directed the study:
(1)        What is the level of performance of student in continuous assessment business education?
(2)        What is the level of performance of student in final semester examination in business education courses?
(3)        What is the relationship between continuous assessment and the performance of students in business education courses in business education department in college of education, Ikere Ekiti?
Research Hypotheses
HO1: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of the responses of male and female business education student in continuous assessment.
HO2: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of the responses of male and female business education student in final semester examination scores.
HO3: There is no significant relationship between the performance of students in continuous assessment and final semester examination scores in business education courses.
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be of benefit to academic staff union, principals officer in college of education, Ekiti state, lecturer and students of business education as a course in Ekiti State. The study will provide information to the academic staff union of Ekiti State about the relationship between the Continuous assessment and student performance business education. The commission could use the information to organize a seminar for business education lecturers for re-training in areas where they are deficiency.
The findings of the study will provide information to the head of department in college of educations about area of teaching Business education where their lecturer needs more orientations and where student need motivation. This could help them to encourage their lecturer to attend seminars, workshop and long vacation courses for building their capacity. The deans could also organize a lecture time for students to encourage them for their performance in future.
The study will provide beneficial information to Business education lecturers in Ekiti State. This information will help them to seek for avenues to improve their knowledge in the subject by looking for study leave with pay approval sponsor in order to go for retraining.  The findings of the study will be of benefit to Business education students in Ekiti State. When they discover the areas of weakness they would be encourage to work and in order to have better grades in Business education and to maintain consistency in their Continuous Assessment and final semester examination scores.
Delimitation or Scope of the Study
The study is restricted to the relationship between continuous assessment and student performance in Business education courses. It covered the department of business education in college of education, Ikere – Ekiti. Also the study will look into the immediate past of continuous assessment and final semester examination in business education courses for comparison.  Information will be collected from the head of department in business education, college of education, Ikere Ekiti, school record officers and examiners and the business education lecturers in the department.




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