Questioning assessment : Policy and Classroom practices in Bahrain Primary Schools

Abstract

Abstract : This thesis is about the assessment practices in Bahrain primary schools. It is built upon a small scale observation study of six primary teachers. Teachers' practices are viewed within the theory of assessment, within the context of classrooms and within national assessment policy. The first chapter sets out the general grounds of the research. It explores the rescarch approach used in this thesis; it gives the background to the choice of the topic; and it reports the strategy and methods adopted in the research. Chapters two and three review assessment in theory. Chapter two places assessment within historical perspectives. It shows how assessment has been developed, as a concept and in practice, over this century. Assessment within the context of classrooms is reviewed in chapter three. It explores classroom assessment as interpersonal judgement, as an interaction process, as an information gathering process and as an intentional activity. Chapter 4 traces the development of Bahrain primary schools since their establishment in the carly years of this century. Four phases are discussed, the initiative period (1919 - 1939), the configuration period (1940 - 1970), the transitional period (1971 - 1981) and the progressive period (1982 - 1996). Chapter five is concerned with classroom life. It reviews the professional status of primary school teachers, their background, their qualifications and their classroom context. The observed four classes are then described, together with further information about their teachers and classroom relationships. Chapters six, seven and eight consider the context of classroom assessment. Chapter six traces the ideas of teachers' judgement and expectation in the context of four primary classrooms. Chapter seven is concerned with teacher-pupil interaction. Chapter 8 is devoted to pencil and paper testing since it still dominates teachers' assessment practices in Bahrain classrooms. Finally, chapter 9 is concerned with broader implications of the research reported in the previous chapters. The findings are related to official policy and the future of assessment in Bahrain primary schools.