STAKEHOLDERS’ PERCEPTION OF THE USE OF COMPUTER BASED TEST (CBT) IN UNIFIED TERTIARY MATRICULATION EXAMINATION (UTME)

ABSTRACT

The study examined the perception of stakeholders on the use of CBT in UTME in Nsukka  Education  zone  of  Enugu  state.  Six  research  questions  and  four hypotheses  guided  the  study.  Descriptive  survey  design  was  adopted  for  the study. Six hundred and eighty respondents, consisting of 22 parents (represented by PTA chairpersons and secretaries), 199 teachers and 459 SS3 students were drawn from 11 schools in Nsukka education zone. Simple random sampling was used to draw the schools, the intact classes, and teachers used for the study. All the PTA chairpersons and secretaries from the sampled schools were used for the study. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while 3-way Analysis of Variance was used to test the hypotheses. The results of the study showed that: stakeholders have positive perception of the use of CBT in UTME; gender and location have no influence on stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT in UTME. The implications of the above findings as well as recommendations were highlighted.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

The importance of assessment in education cannot be over emphasized. It is essential not only to guide the development of individual students but also to monitor and continuously improve the quality of programs,  inform  prospective  students  and  their  parents  and  provide evidence of accountability to sponsors of education. According to Nworgu (2014), “assessment refers to a systematic process of gathering data from a variety of sources in order to understand, describe and improve learning”. Nworgu   further   stated   that   assessment   can   either   be   formative   or summative; it is formative when it is used to improve and support learning during the learning process and summative when it is used to understand and describe learning. Formative assessment is used to check for understanding during instruction and guide teacher’s decision making about future instruction. It also provides feedback to students so they can improve their performance. On the other hand, summative assessment is used among others to measure what students have learnt at the end of a unit, promote

students and select students for entry into higher institution (Organization

1

for   Economic   Cooperation   and   Development/Centre   for   Education

Research and Innovation, as cited in Nworgu, 2014).

Assessment, either formative or summative utilizes variety of tools such as tests, questionnaire, rating scales, observation etc. Thus, assessment goes beyond mere testing. However, for selecting students for entry into higher institutions (such as the one conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB), test may be used. A test is a set of standard questions presented to an individual or group of individuals to answer or respond to (Osegbuo & Ifeakor, 2008). Those questions contain some desirable characteristics which the examiner or tester is expecting from the examinee(s). The responses made by the examinee(s) are indications of the extent of the desired characteristics possessed. Nworgu (2003) sees a test as a structured situation comprising a set of questions to which an individual or test taker is expected to respond in which there are preferred answers to the questions. A test may be administered orally, on paper, on a computer or in a confined area that requires a test taker to physically perform a set of tasks.  Nearly  every  aspect  of   assessment/test  can  be  supported  by technology in one way or another, from the administration of individual tests and assignment, to the management of assessment across a faculty or

institution, from automatically marked on-screen test to tools to support human marking and feedback.

In  the  past  few  years,  technology has  significantly  reshaped  the method of assessment. Technologies in teaching and learning shifted the paradigm from paper-pencil based to computer – based systems of assessment which are usually termed as e-assessment, Computer- Aided/Assisted  Assessment, (CAA),  Computer  –Based  Assessment/Test, (CBA or CBT) and Web-Based Assessment (Joint Information System Committee, JISC, 2007). Although, these terms may be used interchangeably, there are some differences among them.

The term e-assessment is a broad–based one, covering a range of activities  in  which  digital  technologies  are  used  in  assessment.  Such activities  include the designing and delivery of assessment, marking by computer, or humans assisted by scanners and online tools and all processes of reporting, storing and transferring of data associated with public and internal assessments (JISC, 2007). JISC refers to modes of e-assessment as falling into two main categories: CAA and CBA. They see CAA as the practice that relies in part on computers – for example, use of online discussion forums for peer-assessment, completion and submission of work electronically. Within this definition, the computer often plays no part in the

actual  assessment  of  responses  but  merely  facilitates  the  capture  and transfer of responses between candidate and human assessor. On the other hand, they refer to CBA as assessment delivered and marked by computer. Web-based assessment involves the use of assessment materials stored on a server and then available to students through web browser. The materials are completed online and marked immediately by the server software, the marks being stored for later use. However, the interest here is on Computer Based Test/Assessment.

The British Psychological Society, BPS, (2002) refers to CBA or CBT as any psychological test or assessment that involves the use of digital technology to collect, process, and report the result of that assessment. Sorana – Daniela and Lorentz (2007) see Computer-Based Test as test or assessment that  is  administered by computer  in either  stand – alone or dedicated network, or by other technology devices linked to the internet or world wide web, most of them using multiple choice questions. The computer provides an assessment interface for examinee and they input their answers and receive feedback via a computer.

Computer Based Test offers several benefits over traditional paper- and-pencil or paper-based test. Some of these advantages, among others are:

   Lower long-term costs

   Instant feedback to student,

     Precision  measurement  through  the  adaptation  of  test  content  to individual student competency

     Greater   flexibility   with   respect   to   location   and   timing   of examinations

     Improved reliability (machine marking is much more reliable than human marking)

   Greater storage efficiency

     Enhanced   question   styles   which   incorporate   interactivity   and multimedia (Obioma, Junaidu & Ajagun, 2013).

Despite the benefits of CBT, there are some limitations of this mode of testing. Some of these limitations among others are:

     CBT is limited in the item types that are allowed. Essay questions are difficult to administer on CBT.

     A  degree  of  computer  literacy is  required  if  users  are  not  to  be disadvantaged by CBTs.

   CBT requires enormous fund for its initial set up

     CBT is susceptible to hacking of the database of the question items, a risk of total loss of examination data or a lower security of sensitive personal data (Alderson, 2000).

Despite the above listed limitations of CBT, in Nigeria, parastatals such  as  the  Nigeria  Immigration  Service,  Nigerian  Armed  Forces  and tertiary institutions such as University of Uyo, University of Illorin, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, National Open University of Nigeria etc, are registering  and  conducting  electronic  examinations  for  their  students through the internet and other electronic networking gadgets (Abubakar & Adebayo, 2014). Recently, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) conducted the 2013 and 2014 edition of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation   Examination   (UTME)   with   three   tests   options   –   the traditional paper pencil test (PPT), Dual Based Test (DBT) and Computer Based Test (CBT). The Minister of Education under Dr Goodluck Ebere Jonathan’s administration, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, asserted that the CBT which is a novel introduction was relatively successful in spite of some challenges  especially  in  the  area  of  infrastructure  (Okoronkwo,  2015). JAMB in 2015 adopted completely the CBT mode in the conduct of its examinations. The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde noted that the  CBT  mode  will  improve  the  Board’s  service  delivery;  reduce  the

incidence of breaches of examination security and help  Nigeria operate global best practices (Aboderin, 2012).

Despite the benefits of the use of CBT for UTME, as stated by the Registrar of JAMB, mixed reactions have continued to trail its adoption by JAMB. In a report by Aboderin (2012), Mr. Femi, a teacher at Iju Grammar School, Iju – Ishaga, Lagos, said:

We’ve not had electricity for a long time. I wonder how CBT can work in this school. I feel JAMB needs to put a lot of facilities in place before going ahead with CBT. However, I’m aware that candidates would have  the  option  to  choose  between  PPT  and  CBT which is good. But that doesn’t change my opinion that JAMB should put the right measure in place before kick starting the CBT.

In the same report, the Principal, Diary Farm Senior Secondary School, Mrs. Oyedokun Arike said that the pupils had started receiving seminars on how to take CBT. According to her

change is constant. I’m a strong believer in CBT. It is high time we broke away from the norm. Information and Communications Technology is now what is reigning,   we   have   to   keep   up   with   the   trend (Aboderin, 2012).

The Parent Teachers Association Chairman, King’s College, Lagos, Mr. Emman Oriakhni, said that the move to start online UTME would go well if JAMB will plan it well. He was quoted as saying:

JAMB should experiment and thread softly. We can’t dispute the fact that the percentage of pupils who are computer literate is more than the percentage  of  pupils  who  are  not.  I  feel  they should first make computer studies compulsory in schools. This would boost the level of computer literacy in the country and facilitate the move to start online UTME. (Aboderin, 2012)

Odeyinka (2015) noted that JAMB’s  CBT has thrown up several inadequacies and challenges that have made it imperative for an urgent rethink of  the  model that has  been  adopted for  the  exercise. Odeyinka further stated that CBT pose security risk on the lives of students. It was reported that candidates who took the UTME (using the CBT mode) at West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) center, for instance, because they finished late were parked like sardine in a hall to pass the night like refugees; not minding their age and sex (Odeyinka, 2015). Odeyinka therefore recommend that JAMB should allow for  more time to enable government and other stakeholders in education to equip schools with computers and increase training in computer literacy as well as teachers for the subject. Similarly, Osakue (2015) reports that parents advocate the scrapping  of  CBT.  According  to  the  report,  the  angered  and  panicked parents made the statement when they besieged the National Open University, Ekenwan Road, Benin city; one of the JAMB designated CBT centers in Benin city, in search of their children who had left home in the

early hours of the day to sit for the UTME. The parents expressed dismay over what they regard as nonchalant attitude of JAMB for inadequate preparations and thus request that JAMB revert to the normal pencil and paper style until the private and public higher institutions in Nigeria are computerized (Osakue,2015). Based on the above views, it then becomes pertinent to assess stakeholders’ perception on the use of CBT in UTME by JAMB as perception is seen as an important determinant of human behaviour.

Perception is the process by which organisms interpret and organize sensation to produce a meaningful experience of the world (Lindsay & Norman, 1977). In other words, a person interprets stimuli into something meaningful based on prior experiences. However, what an individual interprets or perceives may be substantially different from reality.

Rao and Narayan (1998) noted that perception ranks among the important cognitive factors of human behavior or psychological mechanism that enable people to understand their environment. In their own words, perception  is  the process  whereby  people  select, organize  and  interpret sensory stimulations into meaningful information about their work environment. Rao and Narayan argue that perception is the single most important determinant of human behavior, stating further that there can be

no behavior without perception. The authors maintain that since there is no specific  strategy  for  understanding  the  perception  of  others,  everyone appears   to   be   left   with   his   own   inventiveness,   innovative   ability, sensitiveness and introspective skills to deal with perception. In other words different individuals may perceive the same situation in different ways.

People attribute success and/or failure in a task to something and whatever success/failure is attributed to, depends on perception of the task or situation. The use of CBT in UTME is a new innovation in Nigeria. Its acceptability and thus success will largely depend on stakeholders’ views of this mode of testing.

Stakeholders involved in UTME includes; teachers, parents, students, JAMB, the Government etc. However, in this study, teachers, parents and students were sampled to represent stakeholders involved in UTME. The choice of teachers as stakeholder in UTME is because teachers prepare students for UTME. Parents on the other hand, pay for the examination while the students sit for the examination.

Stakeholders in UTME may be classified either based on gender or location. Gender is a form of social differentiation which refers to a socio- cultural  distinction  between  males  and  females  (Hughes,  Kroehler  &

Zanden,  1999).  This  definition  suggests  that  gender  is  a  socially  or culturally constructed characteristics and  role  which are associated with males  and  females.  Gender  is  different  from sex  which  is  a  biological distinction in appearance (morphology) and function (physiology) as well as reproductive contributions of men and women. According to Lee (2001), gender  is  ascribed attribute that differentiates feminine from masculine. Stakeholders involved in the use of CBT may be male or female. It is noted that females perform better in typing which is related to the use of computer (Obodo, 2000). Gefen and Straub (2005) opined that female and male differ in their perceptions technology. Shashaani (1999) also noted that female were less interested in computers and less confident than males and that males were more experienced.      In a related study by Ashong and Commander (2012), it was revealed that females have more positive perceptions of online learning than males. Ong and Lai (2006), also assert that   males’   rating   of   computer   self-efficacy,   perceived   usefulness, perceived ease of use and behavioral intention to use e-learning were higher than those of females. Could male and female stakeholders perceive CBT differently? This question necessitated the inclusion of gender as a variable in this study.  In this study also, the influence of stakeholders’ location on perception of CBT is of interest.

Location according to Ezeudu (2003) means urban-rural setting. In Nigeria, there are urban and rural settings. In developing countries, most of the technological facilities are concentrated in urban areas. There is inadequate infrastructure such as communication centers, internet facilities, and electricity in rural areas (Sarfo, Amartei, Adentwi &  Brefo, 2011). Children brought up in the urban areas are exposed to computer knowledge as computers are seen in schools, banks etc while those in the rural areas may only have a faint idea of the computer coupled with the fact that there is no electricity to attract such technology to rural villages (Oladunjoye & Benwari, 2014). With regards to the use of CBT in UTME, an SS3 student in Enugu state, Benjamin Ekwere (as cited in Adelaja, 2014) stated:

I do not like the system because I am not computer literate. In my  school,  there  is  no  functional  computer  system.  In  the village where I live, you cannot have access to any computer. The only time I see computer is when I travel to visit my uncle in the city. The policy is a good idea for students that are good on computer but not for those of us who do not have access to it…

In the same vein, a UTME candidate, Daniel Badru, noted that CBT examination is more friendly and flexible and “if internet facilities are provided in the rural areas and people there can have access to computers then it is recommendable that JAMB adopt only CBT”(NAN, 2014). The differences in the availability of computer

and related facilities in rural and urban areas may influence stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT in UTME thus the reason for including location as a variable in this study.

Statement of Problem

UTME,   an   examination   conducted   by   JAMB,   is   a   crucial examination aimed at selecting candidates for higher education in Nigeria. For over three decades, JAMB has conducted the examination using the paper-and-pencil mode. The Board introduced the CBT mode to replace the traditional paper-and-pencil mode of testing in 2013. CBT is a relatively new innovation  in  Nigeria  which came  with  some  advantages  some  of which are  instant  feedback to  students, and improved  reliability among others. Despite the successful adoption of CBT by JAMB in conduct of

2013, 2014 and 2015 UTME, it is still faced with some challenges some of which are mostly poor power supplies, among others. This therefore affects the way different individuals see this mode of testing. The success or otherwise of a laudable innovation like CBT depend in part on stakeholders disposition towards it. Disposition of individuals generally depend on perception. In the case of CBT, the perception of the stakeholders is yet not well understood. Further, how stakeholders’ perception of  CBT  will be influenced by such factors as gender and location is not certain. Hence, the

problem of this study is: what is the stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT  in  UTME?  What  is  the  influence  of  gender  and  location  of stakeholders on perception of the use of CBT in UTME?

Purpose of the Study

The  main  purpose  of  this  study  was  to  ascertain  stakeholders’

perception on the use of CBT in UTME by JAMB. Specifically, this study aims at:

(1)Ascertaining stakeholders’ perceptions of the use of CBT in UTME.

(2)Determining stakeholders’ perceptions of the infrastructural requirement of CBT in UTME.

(3)Finding out stakeholders’ perceptions of the competencies required by students for the use of CBT in UTME.

(4)Ascertaining stakeholders’ perceptions of the security issues related to the use of CBT in UTME.

(5)Finding out the influence of gender on stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT in UTME.

(6)Finding out the influence of location on stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT in UTME.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be of theoretical significance because it will provide insight into the current constructivist theory of perception which is based on the assumption that individuals have some sort of choice to be made between alternative interpretations of a stimulus. The findings of the study will reveal whether different individuals will perceive the same stimulus in the same way or otherwise.

The findings  of this study will also be of great practical benefit to the following: government and policy makers, JAMB, students and parents.

The government and policy makers may from the result of this study make policies and provide necessary support for improvement and proper incorporation of CBT. As JAMB has adopted the CBT as the only mode of conducting UTME in Nigeria, the result of this study will help the government and policy makers to either uphold this innovation or scrap it.

The result of the study will also be of immense benefit to JAMB. It will help JAMB to know how stakeholders see the activities of the board as regards CBT. The result will help JAMB in organizing more training and sensitization program on the use and benefits of CBT. The result of this

study  will  also  help  the  Board  to  know  their  areas  of  strengths  and weaknesses.

When JAMB improves in their activities, parents and students will be served better. Through more training and enlightenment program that may be organized by the board, students and parent will get to understand better this mode of examination and its benefit and thus develop positive attitude towards it. This may also make the students perform better using this mode of examination.

Scope of the Study

This  study  was  delimited  to  Nsukka  education  zone’s  teachers, parents and students’ perception of the use of CBT in UTME by JAMB as it concerns  the  following  variables: use  of  CBT,  the  infrastructural  need, competencies required for the use of CBT, security issues related to the use of   CBT   in   UTME,  and   the   influence   of   gender   and   location   on stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT in UTME.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided this study

(1) What is the mean score of stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT in

UTME?

(2) What   is   the   mean   score   of   stakeholders’   perception   of   the infrastructural requirement of CBT in UTME?

(3) What is the mean score of stakeholders’ perception of the competencies required by students for the use of CBT in UTME?

(4) What  is  the  mean  score  of  stakeholders’  perception  of  the security issues related to the use of CBT in UTME?

(5) What is the influence of gender on stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT in UTME?

(6) What is the influence of location on stakeholders’ perception of the use of CBT in UTME?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and tested at 5% level of significance:

(1)There is no statistically significant difference in the mean perception scores of stakeholders (parents, students and teachers) on the use of CBT in UTME.

(2)There is no statistically significant difference in the mean scores of male and female stakeholders’ perception on the use of CBT in UTME.

(3)There is no statistically significant difference in the mean scores of urban  and  rural  stakeholders’  perception  on  the  use  of  CBT  in UTME. (4) There is no statistically significant interaction influence of gender and  location  on  stakeholders’  perception  of  the  use  of  CBT  in UTME.

₦5,000.00 – DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT Added to cart

---

---

---

---

---

Related Project Topics :