Chew, Pour, Pass, and Forget: Students’ perception of authentic assessment in universities in Ghana

In recent times, stakeholders in education have questioned the training of students in universities. This is due to the fact that students find it difficult to apply what is learnt in school in the world of work. This study examines students’ perception of authentic assessment in universities in Ghana. A cross-sectional survey was, thus, conducted in five universities in Ghana. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 1,891 students were selected to participate in the study. Questionnaire, which was adapted from Fisher and colleagues, was adapted and validated using confirmatory factor analysis with 5,000 bootstrap samples and thereby establishing the construct validity of the instrument. Mean and standard deviation as well as one-sample t-test was used to analyse the data. The results revealed that assessments in universities in Ghana, according to the students, were not authentic (t(629)=-6.536, p<.001). The students argued that assessment in their institution did not help them to apply their learning to real life. The respondents opined that assessment in their universities failed to examine their ability to answer practical questions even in their field of study. It is recommended that various departments within the university should have assessment officers who would be tasked with reviewing test items constructed by lecturers, supervise the assessment practices of the lecturers and as well organise frequent training on assessment for lecturers.