Formative assessment a mirage in the Zimbabwean schools. A case of Gweru district

Formative assessment is an essential and integral part of the teaching/learning process that reflects the belief that all learners can improve. The study was an interpretive qualitative approach which sought to understand the participants’ perspectives in their own settings. Purposive sampling was used to sample teachers for individual interviews and focus groups. The researcher also visited some purposefully selected classrooms to observe how formative assessment was carried out. Observations served to triangulate data from individual interviews and focus groups. Transcribed data from interviews, observations and document analysis was thematically analyzed in line with the research questions and findings. The study revealed that formative assessment was peripheral to the teaching and learning situation due to reasons that included lack of teacher competences, lack of resources, teacher work overload, teacher perceptions and hot sitting in the schools. The study recommended that the Ministry of Secondary and Primary Education construct more schools, staff develops teachers, provide schools with the necessary resources, come up with assessment policies that emphasize both formative and summative assessments, provide subject specialist teachers to reduce teachers’ load and teacher/pupil ratio to 35–40.