Enhancing Secondary School Performance through Effective Utilization of Examination Feedback Reports

Abstract

In order to help secondary schools improve their performance, the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA) provides reports called Candidates Items Response Analysis (CIRA). The endeavour is still not enough to improve the performance, which is crucial. Under the rubric of "Assessment bodies as stirrers for effective learning," this study examined the reports in question and was presented at the NECTA 50th anniversary conference. In particular, the study looked at how well secondary school students knew about candidates' items response analysis reports, how helpful those reports were, how easy it was to get your hands on those reports, and how much of an impact they had on students' maths achievement. A multiple regression model, feedback intervention theory, and sequential exploratory mixed techniques were the study's guiding principles. Interviews and semi-structured questionnaires were used to gather data from secondary school students and instructors. The majority of secondary school pupils in Tanzania are unaware of the National Examination Council of Tanzania's feedback reports on examiners' performance in mathematics, and as a consequence, they do not use them, according to the research. The study's findings highlight the critical need of mandating the efficient use of such reports to boost efficiency. Consequently, the research suggests that Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) and the Agency for the Development of Education Management (ADEM), which are professional training institutes for teachers, include feedback reports in their training programmes. Research on the efficacy of feedback reports as an intervention plan to raise academic achievement in secondary schools is warranted.