PERCEIVED EFFECT OF CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT ON THE SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS IN OWERRI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF IMO STATE

PERCEIVED EFFECT OF CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT ON THE SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS IN OWERRI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF IMO STATE BY OKON HOSSANA BD/20/06/91683 A RESEARCH PROJECT (ED.451) SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, ALVAN IKOKU FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, OWERRI IN AFFILIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA (UNN) IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIRMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE (B.A Ed) IN EDUCATION/ ENGLISH. SUPERVISOR DR. QUEENTH ENEREMADU OCTOBER, 2024  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Foremost, the researcher is grateful to God Almighty for his grace and Divine Mercy upon myself and my family for being my shepherd and for their constant support and encouragement throughout this journey. Their belief in me and my work has been a source of inspiration. The researcher extend his heartfelt thanks to my project supervisor Dr. Queenth Eneremadu, for her invaluable guidance, support, and unwavering encouragement throughout the entire research process. Her expertise and insights played a pivotal role in shaping the direction and quality of this work. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the HOD, English Department Dr. H.C Oguamanam and all the lecturers in the department of English and Literary Studies, thanks for your scholarly advice and intellectual contribution throughout my academic pursuit in Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education Owerri. I want to appreciate the effort of my ever loving Late Father, Mr. Monday Njoku Ibeawuchi, for being an amazing father who value the need of education and supported me when he was alive. Thank you daddy you will forever be in my heart. To my mother, Mrs Ekaette Okon, who without odd gave me moral support that kept me going you're the best. I want to appreciate the support and love of my uncle and his beautiful wife Mr. and Mrs. Okon Calista, Prof. C.O. N. Okoro thank you so much I will always make you all proud. Lastly, my indebtedness to the authors and scholars whose work where referenced in this work. And to my amazing typist Paragon Concept, friends and well-wishers without whose effort this work wouldn't be completed. ABSTRACT This study examined perceived effect of continuous assessment on the second .anguage learning among junior secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. Continuous assessment is the systematic collection of marks or grades over a period of time and their aggregation into a final grade. Continuous assessment is no doubt a good innovation in Nigerian education system. However, its operation is not without some problems, thus one of the most important problem identified despite the effort of the government is that most of the serving teachers in Nigerian schools as at the time when continuous assessment was to be introduced were incompetent in the development and validation of measuring instrument such as tests, questionnaires, inventories, rating scales etc. It is as a result of these problem that this study will be carried out to examine continuous assessment as an effective means of evaluating students’ learning of verb among secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council. Four research questions guided the study and the theoretical compass of the study was anchored on The Classical Conditioning Theory. The descriptive survey design will be employed in the study. Four thousand one hundred and eighty two teachers and students formed the population of the study. Five raousand one hundred and fifty seven (5,157) students in (10) senior secondary schools from government owned secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. Using the simple random sampling techniques, five schools were randomly selected and ten percent of each of the five schools which was two rundred and twelve (212) was the sample size. The result showed that CA scores can be used to predict to a reasonable degree of accuracy, the SS examination performances in verb. The study recommended among others that workshops and seminar should be organized for teachers in the concept and application of continuous assessment. Well qualified guidance counsellors should be employed and posted to all secondary schools to help give students guidance and counselling services. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background to the Study One major innovation in our educational system is the introduction of ;ontinuous assessment as an important component for evaluation. Educational assessment and evaluation will be liberalized by basing them in whole or in part on continuous assessment of the progress of the individual. In all secondary schools, continuous assessment account for 40 percent of the pupils’ performance each subject. Higher institutions of learning allow between 20 and 30 percent in course assessment Alex (2010). One of the distinctive features of the new National Policy on Education is 25 emphasis on continuous assessment, and the method in which the teaching evaluation of second language in the junior secondary schools can be based on. The role and status of second language has changed vastly in the last few decades, 2 is increasingly being used for technical, scientific and business communication. English today is undoubtedly the most important and widely used world language. Being also the language of information technology, it serves as our window on the world; it also serves as the language in which the latest developments in different fields of knowledge are available. With the change in the role and function of English language in an average Nigerian student’s life, l the approach of teaching second language in junior secondary schools has also changed. Continuous assessment technique of evaluation and grading of students has come to stay as a cardinal pillar of our education system in Nigeria. Its emergence is sequel to the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 systems of education which continuous assessment is an integral part. Education assessment and evaluation will be liberalized by basing them in whole or in part on continuous assessment of the progress of the individual (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). However educational reforms have led to the introduction of continuous assessment with a corresponding move away from the expectations that students should merely rote learn and memorize information and towards an increased emphasis on the testing of all aspect of behaviour which include the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domain. Here, teachers are now expected to use a variety of continuous assessments instruments such as short written or oral tests, quizzes performance assessment tasks, projects and student’s self-assessment (Mohammed, 2012). Greaney (2011) defines assessment as any procedure or activity that is aesigned to collect information about the knowledge, attitude, or skills of the learner or group of learners. Assessment is therefore a process through which the quality of an individual’s work or performance is judged. When carried out as an on-going process, assessment is known a Continuous Assessment (CA). CA is a formative evaluation procedure concerned with finding out, in a systematic manner, the over-all gains that a student has made in terms of knowledge, attitude md skills after a given set of learning experience (Ogunnyi, 2014). According to Aggarwal (2010), Continuous assessment (CA) is not simply t continuous testing. Continuous assessment does not solely depend on formal rests. Continuous assessment is more than giving a test; it involves every decision made by the teacher in class to improve students’ achievement. Continuous issessment may take different forms such as formal questions given to students curing class, take-home assignments/exercises and recapitulation exercises. Assessment is either internal or external. Internal assessment refers to school- cased assessment, which includes class assignments, teacher-made tests, recap exercise, projects, and all these tools form part of the classroom continuous assessment strategies. A continuous assessment strategy refers to the different tools procedures used in the classroom to understand the academic achievement evels of learners in terms of their knowledge, attitudes and values. Also a strategy in assessment is a purposefully conceived and determined plan of action. It is a pattern of assessment that seems to attain certain outcomes and to guard against others (Aggarwal, 2009). External assessment refers to tests that are produced by examining bodies away from school. The effectiveness of continuous assessment in fostering second language learning among junior secondary school students is a topic for increasing interest and importance. Junior secondary school students represent a critical stage in their educational journey, where they are laying the foundation for further anguage development and academic success. Therefore, understanding how continuous assessment influences their second language acquisition is essential for educators, policymakers, and researchers alike. The addition of continuous assessment in the instructional and evaluating process of second language in junior secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State is intended to improve both the validity and reliability of the results of pupil’s performance on tests and exercises, and secondly to help the 'Cjdents to develop effective learning and work habits. The present continuous -isessment system is essentially based on frequent test taking and does not really 'Crve the two critical purposes of continuous assessment aforementioned. Classroom tests are based on assessment of lower level abilities and -emorization. Where assessments are based on low level thinking skills (i.e. knowledge and comprehension) pupils/students complete their education still _nable to analyze and apply their knowledge to solve problems. Education in erYect is unable to transform the pupil from the stage of knowledge recipient to ±e status of knowledge producer and problem solver. The central purpose of continuous assessment is evaluating students learning of second language and helping students to become better learner and producer by encouraging pupils/students to improve their knowledge and skills about their second language English) through learning, and test taking in the critical and important objectives of the school curriculum. is therefore against this background that the researcher deemed it necessary to investigate the perceived effect of continuous assessment on the second language beaming among junior secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. Statement of the Problem Continuous assessment is no doubt a good innovation in Nigerian junior education system. However, its operation is not without some problems, thus one : the most important problem identified despite the effort of the government is that most of the serving teachers in Nigerian schools as at the time when continuous assessment was to be introduced were incompetent in the development and validation of measuring instrument such as tests, questionnaires, inventories, rating scales etc. They were also incompetent in evaluating behaviours in the three domains of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor (Dimson, 2018). This constituted a serious setback to the effective implementation of continuous assessment. Also added to the above were the issues of storing the facilities which enhance continuous assessment and these facilities are the continuous assessment folders, file cabinets, shelves, computer etc. were a huge problem to the government as the teachers could not keep records of their students’ performance as a result of lack of storage facilities. Therefore, the questions that come to mind which have necessitated this investigation seek to find out if the teachers who are the implementers of the continuous assessment are well equipped in qualification, experience, and knowledge of the concept of continuous assessment and its guidelines to ensure effective learning second language among junior secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. Also, there is need to find the hindrances of its :mplementation and the way forward. Purpose of the Study The general aim of this study is to examine the perceived effect of ; cntinuous assessment on the second language learning among junior secondary > r-dents in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. But specifically it sought to find out the following objectives; 1. Examine the effect of continuous assessment on the second language learning. 2. Find out the teachers’ level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools. 3. Investigate the problems of implementing continuous assessment in learning second language in junior secondary schools. 4. Examine the ways of curbing the problems facing continuous assessment of second language in junior secondary schools. Significance of the Study The findings of this study will be of great important to the following groups, students, teachers, school, parents, government and society. Students The student are seen as those whom this technique is designed for. Continuous assessment helps to identify the areas where students are having difficulties concerning the lessons they have received. It is also carried out upon the students so as to ascertain the level of performance and how the knowledge the pupils acquired during the classroom lesson has been able to affect positively the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain of the learners. Teachers Teacher are the executors of this technique. The teacher’s classroom activities and duties include not only teachings and discipline in the class but also the execution of classroom continuous assessment to test the ability of the students m handling problems independently with the knowledge gained during the :caching activities in the classroom. Iketaku (2013), continuous assessment provides a more valid of the child’s overall ability and performance. School Authority The School Authority will gain a lot by creating awareness of the importance of continuous assessment to the pupils as such is a method of intellectual measurement of the students. The school authority has it as a duty to see that pupils are tested from time to time for the purpose of finding areas of difficulties and introducing workable solution for the students’ intellectual development. Parents The parents on the other hand do gain by asking for their children welfare thereby making sure that they checkmate the activities of their children both in the school md at home; also checkmate the action of school authority in respect to examination and other related matters. Government The government will know the necessary requisite for the implementation of : mtinuous assessments; for instance, record keeping machine, writing materials, xood environment etc. all these and more should be readily available if - xntinuous assessment should be valuable in the development of pupils’ intellects. Society The society is the beneficiary of the outcome of this technique if well applied to me training of the students. Finally, the society has an important duty in seeing mat destructions that could hinder the pupils from partaking in the continuous issessment techniques are avoided as continuous assessment prepares students ooth academically and otherwise to face societal problems. Researcher Question The following research question will guide the study: 1. To what extent does continuous assessment effects second language learning? 2. To what extent is the teachers’ level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools? 3. To what extent is implementation of continuous assessment problematic in junior secondary schools? 4. To what extent can continuous assessment problems be curbed down in junior secondary schools? Scope of the Study This study covers all the junior secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. It is delimited in examining the perceived effect of continuous assessment on the second language learning among junior secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. The study sought to address the level of understanding of English teachers on the basic concept of continuous assessment, the problems associated with continuous assessment and how these problems can be remedied. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter deals with the review of related literature. It is an inevitable aspect :: e ■ ery research study to review comments or literature by other scholars in 'r'ation to that particular research. The review of related literature will take the :: 'lowing headings: conceptual framework, theoretical framework, empirical --dies and summary of literature review. Conceptual Framework Continuous Assessment According to Dimson (2018), assessment is the process of gathering information and arranging them into interpretable form for decision making. Dnunkwo (2012) viewed continuous assessment as a method of evaluation in ■ Teh student’s achievements in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain from the moment they start schooling until the end of it are determined -sing scores obtained from various instruments and techniques such as test, rating scale, checklists, observation, projects, interviews etc. it is the process of eliciting ±e grades students obtained in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, inking into account, their scores in tests, quizzes, projects, assignments, interviews etc during a school term, session or programme. Oerview of Continuous Assessment and Second Language in Junior '^condary Schools Continuous assessment is a strategy used by teachers to support the anainment of goals and skills by learners over a period of time (Bolyard, 2013). r:-dents can be given task developing skills in communication, logical thinking d creativity. Feedback help^ students reflect on their own performances against -' >essment criteria and teachers can also tailor remedial tasks for those who have i fnculty (Bolyard, 2013). For continuous assessment to be successful, both teachers and learners : i’. e to understand that knowledge is not merely given but is discovered through rrreraction, discussion, reflection and effective feedback (Obinna, 2017). - eedback is central to continuous assessment, unlike with formal testing when a r*ide provides little indications on the skills students have mastered and which they have not processed from learning (Harris and Bell, 2010) encouraging self- ~e flection and peer and self-feedback as strategies to support effective learning duncie, 2010) so that students can measure their performances against as sessment .criteria. Students’ progress in this regard can provide teachers with re opportunity to assess the suitability of their teaching techniques and consider .ranges according to students’ needs. However, being asked to reflect on their : wn performances can be challenging for students and teachers, thus need to provide detailed feedback to support learning through the process of learning to reflect and self-assess. Sikes (2012) opines that if teachers are to adopt continuous assessment rrcscedures, they need to have a positive attitude towards this particular ^novation for imposed change in education is often unsuccessful. As Fullan 1 i 13) argues “you cannot make people change, you cannot force individuals to mink differently or compel them to develop new skills. There is a limited impact :: a new innovation unless a deeper change in thinking occurs. Results of r.posing change can include superficial claims that implementation has :ccurred, apparent but not actual replication and even implementation that may ■_n counter to the goals of the innovation concerned (Macdonald, 2016). second Language Makinde and Tom-Lawyer (2018) assert that there are so many languages m the world. The living languages number between 4,000 and 5,000 and the most dely used of these languages is English language. English language ranks >econd only to Chinese when it is considered a mother tongue. Most of the world’s radio programme and the world’s mails are in English. Hook (2009) in Kolawole (2014) opines that English began from being ,'poken by a relatively few thousand Anglo Saxon invaders in the fifth century. Some countries have English as a mother tongue while others use it as a second .anguage. According to Kolawole (2014), English is synonymous with western civilization. The language in its characteristic way of spreading across the globe got into Nigeria as early as the 15th century through the Europeans who came to trade, explore, Christianize and colonize Nigerians in particular and Africans in general. The language has also spread to other parts of the world and has gone ■.trough changes as a result of the contact with indigenous languages especially m Nigeria. English is studied mere extensively than any other second language in the :: ntinent of Europe; it is the national language of Australia and the leading econd language in the United States and United Nations. It is an active or -cc aired course of thousands of South American schools and it is mainly spoken ■ Canada where 31% of its population speaks French (Kolawole, 2014). There ire many varieties of English in England, these varieties which are called dialects nffer in pronunciation (accents), spelling, grammar, and vocabulary; there are nfferences between American and British English. The other varieties of English ire Australian English, Nigerian English, Malaysian English and Zambian mglish etc. none of the varieties is superior to the others. The administrators and riihers of English do not know which variety to teach. Kolawole (2014) opines ir.it what made English become a world language has in turn resulted in new English. Until recently, Standard English was the model for grammar and Received Pronunciation (RP) the mode for pronunciation. Today, we have indigenous iiachers who cannot mode Standard English and Received Pronunciation. The quality of English language acquired will determine the quality of education. The decline in the Standard English can be attributed to the quality of English :eachers and learning in schools. Educational failure is basically a linguistic feature. Proficiency in English is required for a person to be regarded as an educated Nigeria. Continuous Assessment Characteristics of Continuous Assessment in Schools Continuous assessments have four major characteristics namely: systematic, : omprehensive, cumulative, and guidance-oriented Continuous Assessment is Systematic: According to Onunkwo (2012), this ~eans that any programme of continuous assessment has an operational plan, a Aid down procedure or steps to be followed. Such plans include the following: The varieties and types of assessment to be used must be specified and published on time for the students. These are tests, assignments, projects, interviews, behavioral rating etc. How frequently each assessment should occur must be specified. It is important to indicate whether it is every week, two weeks, monthly etc. Who should conduct the assessment should be specified. It is the class teacher, subject teacher, peers, games master or house master? The domain to be assessed (i.e. cognitive, affective or psychomotor) should be specified. The results elicited must be recorded. . ■ ese imply that continuous assessment is not haphazardly done. The students, : irents and teachers must be aware of the above listed plans very properly. - : -. ever the systematic nature of continuous assessment is advantage because it exposes the assessment criteria, how they are to be applied, when each aspect will re applied, why each aspect is applied, and who will make the application to the ?tudents. These will obviously eliminate fear, anxiety and intimidation from assessment. Continuous Assessment is Comprehensive: The comprehensiveness of :ontinuous assessment inheres in its two component qualities: i. It is comprehensive because many evaluation instrument and techniques are utilized in determining the students’ performance. These include test, quizzes, checklist, projects observation, socio-grams, anecdotal record, projective techniques etc. Continuous assessment is comprehensive because it enable teachers evaluate the three domains of the students including cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. It is essential to evaluate students’ activities in these three domain since one of the functions of schools is to develop the students’ intellectual ability (cognitive), character (affective) and manipulative skills (psychomotor). Evaluation of these is possible only when various instruments and techniques to evaluate students’ behaviors in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. Some of the behaviors we can evaluate in the cognitive domain are critical thinking, intellectual ability and ability to communicate ideas, to solve problems, to analyze and synthesize data and to generalize. Behavior evaluated in the affective domain are adjustment in the class, anxiety, self-concept, study habits, punctuality, cooperation’s respect for others, truthfulness, ability to lead etc. in the psychomotor domain, we can evaluate sludents ability to draw and label, to handle tools to carry out projects, to create things, to invent, to jump, run, play some etc. Continuous Assessment is Cumulative: Continuous assessment is cumulative because any decision that should be taken on a student at any point in time is based on all the previous decision already taken on that student. In the word of Amaechi (2008) in Mpka (2012), “the cumulative nature of continuous assessment emphasizes the fact that final assessment of the learner is the sum total or aggregate of several formative evaluations taken on the students over a period of time”. Continuous Assessment is Guidance-Oriented: Continuous assessment is guidance-oriented because data elicited from it are utilized to advice students regarding their study habits, choice of friend, choice of careers and > -bjects/courses. Record Keeping in Continuous Assessment in Junior Schools The National Policy on Education (2014) recognize the fact that thorough and rieticulous record keeping and reporting are at the heart of continuous assessment ird that this must be supported by an efficient system of storage and retrieval of 're records kept. It is therefore recommended that three types of record should be ♦-rpt by the school: i. Teacher’s class/school record which contains detailed school activities and progress reports of the student. ii. Pupil cumulative record card which contains personal information of the students’ periodic report of academic achievement, report of social and physical development and yearly summary of progress. iii. The transcript which is a report prepared for and sent to other institutions to which a student may wish to transfer to another school. In order to facilitate effective monitoring and coordination of the operation of continuous assessment in Nigeria schools, a committee system is adopted. The monitoring and coordination is carried out at four different committee levels such as; i. School level ii. Local government level iii. State level, and iv. National level. The committee at each level is to ensure proper operation of continuous issessment at that level. Among other functions, the committee monitors and coordinates; the development of assessment instruments, proper use of the assessment instruments, assessment and record-keeping, identification of levels of ability, achievement and effective development for various individuals and groups. In order to ensure that valid records are kept for continuous assessment on cognitive and non-cognitive domains of the students, teachers are exposed to the use of some assessment techniques. Some of the common techniques being used in schools include; achievement and attitude testing, observation technique, questionnaire and rating scale. Many of these instruments are made available in established resource centres and higher institutions where the schools and teachers can go to seek expertise advice or assistance. Continuous Assessment’s Instruments Used for Evaluating Second Language in Junior Schools Continuous assessment instruments include test, assignment, project, observation etc. however, test as one of its instrument is used as a means of evaluating English language in junior secondary schools. It measures intangible traits like intelligence, skills, attitudes, values, abilities creativity etc. it also measures attributes in numerical and qualitative values. There are two main types of tests and they include; i. Standardized tests ii. Non-standardized or teacher-made tests Standardized Tests: Standardized test are constructed and commercialized by test experts. The standardized tests are norm-referenced test e.g. they compare each testee performance in a test with other testees’ performance which opposed criterion - referenced e.g. this determines how much of pre-determ ined objectives testees have mastered. Standard tests have standard contents timing, standard methods of scoring, and standard method of interpretation and standard rules. However, there should be standard instruction governing the behaviors of the testers and the testees and the psychokinetic properties such as validity, reliability, indices of difficulty, discrimination etc examples of standardized test in Nigeria are WAEC, Attitude tests, NECO, GCE, JAMB examination etc standardized tests consist of the following; • Intelligence Tests: Ogomaka (2012) sees intelligence as the general stock of an individual mental energy. As an ability, intelligence is manifested to the extent an individual learns to adapt to new environments or his group/society. Intelligence tests refer to test of mental ability possessed by an individual. • Attitude Tests: Nwana in Ajuonuma (2014) refers to aptitude tests as tests that are used to select those who are most likely to do well or most likely to fail. An aptitude test is therefore used to predict a person’s future performance. • Projective Tests: In projective test, the testee is presented with an ambiguous set of stimuli. His responses are then analyzed to determine what conduct and structure he has projected onto the ambiguous stimuli (Ajuonuma, 2018). • Achievement Tests: To Nworgu (2012), it is the measurement of achievement which involves the determination of the degree of attainment of individuals in tasks, courses or programmes to which the individuals were sufficiently exposed to. • Situation Tests: These are tests used to assess an individual’s personality by putting the testee in a fairly complex and demanding task situation (Onasanya, 2011). Non-Standardized or Teacher’s Made Tests: Teacher’s made tests are non- >:andardized tests constructed by teachers in the classroom. It is mainly for internal use examination. It measures ability of students in relation to the subject _reas. The teachers made tests are of two types such as; i. Essay tests ii. Objective tests Essay Tests: Essay tests are type of test where students have freedom styles of embellish ideas, facts and represent them in organize forms. The students are free :: select their own words. It allows factual information and establish criteria for -dging the appropriateness of his/her output, it also express ideas freely. Objective Tests: It is a highly structured test items which require the student to >dect or supply the correct answers from number of alternative. Objective test .: -Id be in any of the forms listed; completion items, true-false items, multiple : r.oice, checklist items, matching items, diagram items, and alternative items. Importance and Rationale of Continuous Assessment for Evaluating Second Language in Junior Schools Jne of the expected importance of continuous assessment lies in its being r -idance-oriented since it will involve data gathering over a long period of time, :: will yield more accurate data reaching the teachers early enough to modify instruction. This could play a vital role in diagnosing and remediating areas of -earners’ weaknesses if properly anchored in what occurs during English language classes. Continuous assessment is an approach that would capture the full range of learners’ performance. Teachers and administrators would thus be able to assess learners’ progress and would have time to correct the problems - Alausa, 2012). Continuous assessment places teachers at the centre of all performance assessment activities. It encourages more teacher participation in the overall assessment or grading of his/her learners. As suggested by Paris and Lawton 2011), teachers must be given opportunities to select and review assessments so mat they become involved and knowledgeable in the process. Through this -rproach, teachers would be able to integrate English language assessment and :> assessment results into instructions practice. Teachers will be expected to a corporate assessment into the large learning framework and possibly to provide r. idence regarding how assessment information is used to inform and guide instruction for the learning of English language. According to Lewis (2017), with .: ntinuous assessment, teachers must embed the assessment in their instructions, 'Core the assessments and discuss standards for good learner’s work with .: ‘leagues, parent and learners. The introduction of continuous assessment to replace the one-short examination approach was justified by several reasons. Therefore, Onunkwo 2/12) discussed them below: Continuous assessment allows teachers the opportunity of evaluating their students in all examination. Since the teachers taught the students, it is necessary that they be allowed to examine these students because they know the contents covered and those untreated. One-short examination did not provide this opportunity since students were examined by some external agencies at the end of their programmes Continuous assessment provides a more valid overall ability and achievement of students than the one-shot examination. This because it is emulative by way of taking into consideration the results students obtained ±roughout their schooling period. ni. Continuous assessment gives teachers enough room to advise their students is oppose to the one-short examination. Base on the information elicited with :: ntinuous assessment on the students’ cognitive, affective and psychomotor :: mains, teachers and counsellors are bound to adequately advice students ‘rgarding their life decisions. It enables teachers to improve on their teaching method and techniques. ^~er teaching and conducting the continuous assessment, if most of the students ruled, the teacher may decide to adopt more effective teaching methods and rchniques so as to improve his teaching as well as the students’ learning. This • as not the case in the one-shot examination since students were evaluated at the rad of terms and sessions when teachers had ended their instruction. finding of Onuka and Oludipe (2015) that there was a significant remediation for poor performance as a result of the application of the feedback mechanism resulting from formative evaluation of learners. Furthermore, Etienne (2017) contended that the protest against final examinations by students in France in May 1968 was the perfect opportunity for students to point at the unfair and risky final assessment of English language in their schools. They made it clear that such examinations merely represented the performance of the moment and not efforts made throughout the year. Students insisted on the risk that even the best prepared students in English language could have a problem on the day of the examination and came out in favour of continuous assessment in order to reduce the risks through some difficulties are likely to occur during implementation to the recap exercises as well. Problems of Continuous Assessment Implementation in Junior Secondary School There has been research work to find out the problems of continuous assessment implementation and (Asoegwu, 2019) has come up with the following: i. Unqualified teachers: Incompetence on the part of the teacher, some teacher cannot handle continuous assessment because they are not equipped to do so. ii. Inappropriate record-keeping: Some teachers have negative attitude towards continuous assessment because it involves a lot of work, therefore they neglect keeping accurate records of students’ assessment. m. Large class size: Too many student in class and teachers are expected to evaluate these students for about 3 times before the terminal examination in a bid to do so, tests which are not comprehensive are administered to the students sometimes students are evaluated on what they have not been taught, v. Lack of capital: Continuous assessment which is supposed to cover the ihree behavioral domains emphasize on the cognitive behavior due to lack of capital to provide the necessary equipment to use in evaluating the three domains which are cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. Lack of materials: Lack of materials for continuous assessment another major problem associated with continuous assessment thus, these materials are reeded by the teachers to enhance continuous assessment. At times they are not applied schools and so become a handicap to continuous assessment. Measures to Curb the Problems of Continuous Assessment in Junior Schools Dbioma (2012) is of the opinion that a course on continuous assessment should :e integrated into the pre-service teacher education. This implies that the rate of rachers’ incompetence in administering continuous assessment in school will ■educe as they now have the opportunity to be enlightened about the usage and -sefulness of continuous assessment in schools. Also, regular capital ::engthening workshops and in-service course should be mounted for serving rachers. A medium term (3-5 years) initiative of computerizing the operations of ::~tinuous assessment should be put infused into the medium term sector ?rategy. School inspectors should be empowered to monitor the continuous assessment programme in schools. A nationwide sensitization and advocacy on the usefulness of continuous assessment should be carried out on parents and other significant stake holders (Obioma, 2012). According to Nwaogazie (2012), the measure which should be adopted in order to curb the problems associated with continuous assessment are listed below; i. Workshops and seminar should be organized for teachers in the concept and application of continuous assessment. ii. School administrations should be given proper orientation on the need to safeguard and properly store continuous assessment records. :ii. Continuous assessment format should be centrally prepared and coordinated by psychometricians from state ministries of education. -v. Adequate and well qualified guidance counsellors should be employed and posted to all secondary schools to help give students guidance and counselling services. Theoretical Framework The Classical Conditioning Theory The classical conditioning theory by Ivan Pavlov (1929-1936) guided thja study. Pavlov performed an experiment on dogs and discovered that dogs learnt to salivate in response to a bell. Many trials had been given in each of which the bell -as sounded and food was simultaneously (slightly later) presented. It was '_aought therefore that students in junior secondary schools would get good grades whenever the teacher taught and students were exposed to many trials of continuous assessment activities. According to Pavlov, Conditioned Response (CR) was the response developed during training and Conditioned Stimulus (CS) was the stimulus which included training/teaching activities intended to evoke the CR (i.e. good grades in the final examination). Unconditional Response (UR) was the same or almost the same response as the CR but it existed prior to training, normally being given whenever a certain stimulus (the unconditional stimulus) was presented. In this study, the Conditioned Response (CR) was the attainment of good grades which was evoked by the Conditioned Stimulus (CS) which was continuous assessment and Unconditional Stimulus was the teaching. To Pavlov, pairing food and the sound of the bell made the dog salivate and in this study, the activities of continuous assessment could make students perform better in terms of good grades in final examinations. The theory of Pavlov that suggested Conditioned Stimulus and Conditioned Response was an important aspect to this study in helping us to understand the relationship between continuous assessment strategies being used (i.e. assignment, teacher-make test, reap exercises and projects) and the stimuli and academic performance of students. Empirical Studies A study carried out by Dimson (2018) investigated proper assessment for the success of the UBE Programme. The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether the assessors (teachers) assessing secondary schools learning has the required skills for proper assessment in the operation of continuous assessment. One research question and two null hypotheses guided the study. The sample was 281 secondary school teachers. The instrument was a questionnaire named skills for proper assessment of students’ learning in secondary schools (SPASL). Means, t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were the statistical tools used. The findings include, teachers do not have enough skills for proper assessment. That sex does not affect the amount of skills teachers have. Teachers who are exposed more to workshops, seminars and conferences on assessment have more skills for proper assessment than those who attended those seminars, workshops etc. only once or none. Some recommendations were made. In the study of Adeoye (2010) which examined empirically the impact of systematic and unsystematic continuous assessment of instruction* cognitive style and gender on knowledge of physics concepts among Senior Secondary Schools Two (SSII) students in Lagos Island Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. It made use of 120 Senior Secondary School Two (SSII) students (72 males and 48 females) in a pre-test, post-test, non-randomized control group design in which treatment systematic continuous assessment at two levels was crossed with two levels of cognitive style and gender data analysis involved analysis of covariance and graphical illustration as post-hoc measure. The result indicated that allowing systematic attributes of continuous assessment to come into play in physics teaching has significant effect on remembering of physics concepts across all the students’ cognitive style-gender grouping. Also in the study of Nwogazie (2012) which investigated the relationship between continuous assessment scores and Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSCE) final scores in Imo State. A sample of four hundred students was purposively selected from thirty eight thousand students who took the 1997 JSCE in Imo State. The data used were collected from the cumulative records of students’ scores in continuous assessment and JSCE grade and analyzed using Pearson Product Moment formula for research questions, while all the hypotheses were tested using z-ratio at 0.05 level of significance. Three out of the four null hypotheses tested were rejected, while one was accepted. Finally, Obioma (2012), carried out a study on continuous assessment practices of primary and junior secondary school teachers in Nigeria. A large scale survey was conducted on a random sample of 3,325 teachers (2,185) primary school teachers and 1,140 junior secondary school teachers across the six (6) geo-political zone of the country. The survey sought information from the school teachers on their understanding of the continuous assessment as well as the appropriate application of the continuous assessment instrument whether there are uniform continuous assessment guidelines across the country and how school teachers engage in continuous assessment practices. Results showed that in general, school teachers demonstrated poor knowledge of the elementary concept of continuous assessment. Many teachers misapplied the continuous assessment instruments leading to more continuous testing of learners instead of continuous assessment and finally continuous guidelines not only varied across elates and schools but were also different from the guidelines stipulated in the national continuous handbook. >ummary of Related Literature All the literatures reviewed in this work are very relevant to the study. The .oncept of continuous assessment was exhaustively treated in the literature reviewed, works by some scholars were empirically stated and an overview of rontinuous assessment and English Language was buttressed. There are several ;.pes of continuous assessment instrument used by teachers to effectively evaluate the students’ performance. Although there are several problems facing re implementation of continuous assessment, but this literature tried to point out rre way forward to curb these problems to ensure effective utilization of :rntinuous assessment instruments in teaching English Language in Junior econdary schools. The theoretical framework dealt with the Classical Conditioning Theory that -ould be involved with continuous assessment. The empirical studies are :oncemed with the researches which have been conducted by other researchers :n topics, that relate this research topic; perceived effect of continuous assessment on the second language learning among junior secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODS This chapter described the methods and procedures used in the study which was organized under the following sub-heading: Research Design, Area of the Study, Sample and Sampling Techniques, Population of the Study, Instrument, for Data Collection, Administration of the Instrument and Method of Data Analysis. Design of the Study A descriptive survey was used for this study, this is because according to Otuka (2004) descriptive survey is referred to as one which is used to describe the incidence, frequency and distribution of certain characteristics of a population. A group of people or items were studied by collecting and analyzing data only from a few people considered to be representative of the entire group. Area of the Study This study was carried out in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. It has an area of 58 km 2 and a population of 127, 213 at the 2006 census (Wedia.org). Owerri municipal is surrounded byUratta North, East, on the Egbu, on the south by Nekede and North West by Irete, comprises of people works of life. It is also regarded as an urban area where occupation such as farming and trading, engineers, civil service, etc are found. The Owerri municipalis are made up of five villages namely Amawom, Umuoronjo, Umuonyeche and Umuodu. Owerii municipal has its headquarters at along Douglas road. It is one of the nine Local Government Area that made up Owerri Zonal Board of Imo state. The Owerri people are environs and are referred to as literate population as the entire habitats are desirous of education. Population of the Study The population of the study comprised ten (10) public junior secondary schools in Owerri Municipal of Imo State. The population is four thousand two hundred and sixty eight (4,268) junior secondary school students in the schools as presented below: Table 1. Population of students in all Junior Secondary schools in Owerri Municipal. SN Names of Schools No. of Students Boys Secondary School New Owerri 424 •«% City College Owerri 433 Comprehensive Development Secondary School Douglas 496 4 Emmanuel College Owerri 522 Government Secondary School Owerri 555 Government Technical College Owerri 288 Ikenegbu Girls Secondary School 538 Imo Girls Secondary school 447 Urban Development Secondary School 404 10 Young Scientists College Owerri 171 1 Total 4,268 Source: Secondary Education Management Board (2022) Sample and Sampling Techniques The sample for this study comprised two hundred and forty four (244) JSS students that will be drawn from the study area. Simple random sampling involving balloting without replacement was used to select five (5) schools from ten (10) public secondary school in Owerri Municipal. This was done by assigning numbers to the schools and picks it one by one with replacement until the desired number is taken. The researcher used 10% of each of the sample schools for the study. This will be presented in the table below: Names of Schools No. of Students 10% Sample Selected L Boys Secondary School New Owerri 424 42 - Emmanuel College Owerri 522 52 3. Government Secondary School Owerri 555 55 4. Ikenegbu Girls Secondary School 538 54 5- Urban Development Secondary School 404 40 Total 2443 244 Instrument for Data Collections The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. It was constructed by the researcher. The questionnaire was constructed to elicit ^formation relating to the impact of children’s literature on the moral :evelopment of junior secondary school in Owerri Municipal, of Imo State. The questionnaire which is the instrument used for this study consisted of statement which will be structured using four point likert type scale. VHE - Very High Extent 4points, HE - High Extent 3 points, LE- Low Extent 2 points, VLE- ery Low Extent 1 point. Validation for Instrument In order to ensure the validation of the instrument, it was given to my project supervisor and experts in measurement and evaluation. Their corrections helped draft the final questionnaire. Administration of the Instrument The researcher administer instrument to the respondents by self - delivery of questionnaire. It was collected at the end of the administration to ensure maximum return of the distributed data. Method of Data Analysis The data generated with the research question was analyze using mean statistics, thus: Very High Extent (VHE) 4points High Extent (HE) 3 points Low Extent (LE) 2 points Very Low Extent (VLE) 1 point The formula used for mean is presented as x = ?*x_ . . N Where, X =Mean E = Summation Sign X = Score N = Total number of respondents Therefore, mean = 4+3+2+1 = 10 = 2.5 4 4 Any response receiving a mean score rating 2.5 and above was regarded as accepted and below 2.5 was rejected. CHAPTER FOUR DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS This chapter deals with presentation and analysis of data collected. The results obtained are presented in tables in line with research questions. Research Question One: To what extent does continuous assessment affects second language learning? Table 4.1. Responses on the extent continuous assessment affects second language learning. >N ITEMS VHE HE LE VLE N X Decisi Continuous assessment helps 120 94 30 - 244 3.4 Accepi identify specific areas where learners struggle, allowing for personalized learning 480 282 60 - 822 experiences. Continuous assessment provides 113 100 31 - 244 3.3 Accepi ongoing formative feedback, helping learners understand their 452 300 62 814 strengths and weaknesses. Learners develop self-assessment 104 100 35 5 244 3.2 Accep> and self-regulation skills. 416 300 70 5 791 Regular assessments encourage 125 90 20 - 244 3.3 Accepi learners to stay consistent in their study habits and practice, which is essential for language 500 270 40 - 810 acquisition. Continuous assessment involves 101 85 50 8 244 3.1 Accepi evaluating different language skills. 404 255 100 8 767 Average Mean f§#m 3.3 The average cluster mean = 3.4+3.3+3.2+3.3+3.1 = 16.3 5 5 The result in table 4.1 was analyzed using average mean scores of question item 1 - 5 in table 4.1 which showed the extent continuous assessment affects second language learning. From the table, it is obvious that the respondents agreed with the question items based on the following mean scores; 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.1. The grand mean 3.3 is greater than reference mean of 2.5, accepted that continuous assessment affects second language learning. To this end, research question 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10 are respectively answered in affirmative. Research Question Two: To what extent is the teachers’ level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools? Table 4.2: Responses on the extent is the teachers’ level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools. f \ ITEMS SA A D SD N X Decisi« Continuous assessment is a system which is carried out at a pre-determined time interval. 103 412 81 243 39 78 21 21 244 754 3.1 Accepi Continuous assessment is guidance-oriented. 109 436 90 270 27 54 18 18 244 778 3.2 Accept Continuous assessment encourages more teachers’ participation in the overall assessment of the students 109 436 90 270 31 62 14 14 244 782 3.2 Accept 1 Continuous assessment enables the teachers to assess the progress of the students. 114 456 100 300 20 40 10 10 244 806 3.3 Accep Continuous assessment involves looking at student’s intellectual development. 70 280 74 222 80 160 20 20 244 682 2.8 Accept Average Mean 3.2 The average cluster mean = 3.1+3.2+3.2+3.3+2.8 - 15.6 5 5 Table 4.2 showed that respondents agreed with the five questionnaire items dealing on the extent is the teachers’ level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools. Each item was responded by 244 respondents, Question items 6-10 proved acceptable with mean of 3.1, 3.2, 3.2, 3.3 and 2.8 respectively. The grand mean of 3.1 is greater than reference of 2.5 accepted that teachers has a level of understanding of basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools. Research question 3: To what extent is implementation of continuous assessment problematic in junior secondary schools? Table 4.3. Responses on the extent the implementation of continuous assessment is problematic in junior secondary schools. SD Decisi Items SA D N X There is incompetence on the part of the teacher. 20 20 244 748 3.1 Accej 96 384 88 264 40 80 Large number of students poses a challenge in implementation of continuous assessment. 3.2 112 448 88 264 34 68 10 10 244 790 Acccj There is inappropriate record keeping. 3.1 100 400 12 12 244 753 77 231 55 110 Accci Lack of capital to provide the necessary equipment. 244 806 3.3 108 432 107 321 24 48 5 5 Acce| There is problems inadequate materials for continuous assessment. 80 84 25 244 707 2.9 Accci 55 320 252 110 25 3.1 Average Mean Table 4.3 indicated that the respondents agreed with the five questionnaire items dealing the extent the implementation of continuous assessment is problematic in junior secondary schools. Question items 11-15 proved acceptable based on the following mean scores 3.1, 3.2, 3.1, 3.3 and 2.9 respectively. To this end, the research question had been sustained on all the questionnaire items. The average mean of 3.1 is greater than the reference mean of 2.5 accepted the aforementioned problems facing the implementation of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools. Research Question 4: To what extent can continuous assessment problems be curbed down in junior secondary schools? Table 4.4: Responses on extent continuous assessment problems can be curbed down in junior secondary schools. 1 \ T Items SA A D SD N X Decisii 1 * Teachers should be enlightened about the usage and usefulness 130 84 30 - 244 3.41 Accep of continuous assessment in 520 252 60 - 832 schools. I ~ Regular capacity strengthening workshops and in-service courses should be mounted for serving teachers. 100 400 86 258 40 80 18 18 244 756 3.10 Accepi 1 Continuous assessment course 80 80 59 25 244 2.98 Accepi should be integrated into the pre-service teacher education 320 240 118 25 703 programme. p. Continuous assessment format 79 96 42 27 244 2.88 Accepi should be centrally prepared and coordinated by psychometricians from State Ministry of Education 316 288 84 27 715 Board. 124 100 20 244 3.43 Accepted 496 300 40 836 Orientation on how to safeguard and keep CA records properly should be given to school administrators. Average Mean The average cluster mean = 3.4+3.1+3.0+2.9+3.4 - 15.8 5 5 Table 4.4 indicated that the respondents agreed with the five questionnaire items dealing with various ways teachers could attain high quality level of classroom management in secondary schools. Question items 16-20 proved acceptable based on the following mean scores 3.4, 3.1, 3.0, 2.9 and 3.4 respectively. To this end, the research question had been sustained on all the questionnaire items. The average mean of 3.1 is greater than the reference mean of 2.5 accepted the aforementioned ways to curb the factors that hinder continuous assessment of in junior secondary schools. Summary of Findings From the analysis above the following findings were made; 1. Continuous assessment affects second language learning. Research question one showed that Continuous assessment helps identify specific areas where learners struggle, allowing for personalized learning experiences. 2. The English Language teachers’ level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools includes: continuous assessment is a system which is carried out at a pre-determined time interval; continuous assessment is guidance-oriented; continuous assessment encourages more teachers’ participation in the overall assessment of the students; continuous assessment enables the teachers to assess the progress of the students; and continuous assessment involves looking at student’s intellectual development only. 3. The problems facing the implementation of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools are incompetence on the part of the teacher; large number of students; inappropriate record keeping; lack of capital to provide the necessary equipment; and inadequate materials for continuous assessment. 4. The ways to curb the factors that hinder continuous assessment in English language in junior secondary schools include that: teachers should be enlightened about the usage and usefulness of continuous assessment in schools; regular capacity that strengthens workshops and in-service courses should be mounted for serving teachers; continuous assessment course should be integrated into the pre-service teacher education programme and continuous assessment format should be centrally prepared and coordinated by psychometricians from State Ministry of Education Board CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION OF THE STUDY, RECOMMENDATIONS, SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY, LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY AND SUMMARY OF THE STUDY This chapter was on the discussion of the findings, educational implication of the study, limitation of the study, recommendations, suggestions for further studies and conclusion. Discussion of Findings Research Question One: To what extent does continuous assessment affects second language learning? From the findings of question one, on the extent continuous assessment affects second language learning, the data gathered yielded positive result that continuous assessment affects second language learning. The cumulative mean showed that Continuous assessment helps identify specific areas where learners struggle, allowing for personalized learning experiences. Continuous assessment provides ongoing formative feedback, helping learners understand their strengths and weaknesses. Learners develop self-assessment and self-regulation skills. Continuous assessment involves evaluating different language skills. This however corroborates with Kolawole (2014) who opines that English began from being spoken by a relatively few thousand Anglo Saxon invaders in the fifth century. Some countries have English as a mother tongue while others use it as a second language. Research Question Two: To what extent is the teachers’ level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools? In table 4.2, the respondents accepted the item statements as the English Language teachers’ level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools. They include: continuous assessment is a system which is carried out at a pre-determined time interval; continuous assessment is guidance-oriented; continuous assessment encourages more teachers’ participation in the overall assessment of the students; continuous assessment enables the teachers to assess the progress of the students; and continuous assessment involves looking at student’s intellectual development only. The above is in line with Bolyard, (2003) who asserts that continuous assessment is a strategy used by teachers to support the attainment of goals and skills by learners over a period of time. Research Question Three: To what extent is implementation of continuous assessment problematic in junior secondary schools? The result from table 4.3 showed that all the mean scores for the item statement were greater than the expected mean of 2.5. Also the cluster mean of 3.1 showed a strong assertion for the support of the respondents which indicated significance of the item statement to the research question. The result indicated that the following are the problems facing the implementation of continuous assessment in English language in junior secondary schools: incompetence on the part of the teacher; large number of students; inappropriate record keeping; lack of capital to provide the necessary equipment; and inadequate materials for continuous assessment. This is in consonance with the view of Asoegwu (2009) which states that some teachers have negative attitude towards continuous assessment because it involves a lot of work, therefore they neglect keeping accurate records of students’ assessment. Research Question Four: To what extent can continuous assessment problems be curbed down in junior secondary schools? In table 4.1 the respondents accepted the item statements as the ways to curb the factors that hinder continuous assessment in English language in junior secondary schools which include: teachers should be enlightened about the usage and usefulness of continuous assessment in schools; regular capacity that strengthens workshops and in-service courses should be mounted for serving teachers; continuous assessment course should be integrated into the pre-service teacher education programme; continuous assessment format should be centrally prepared and coordinated by psychometricians from State Ministry of Education Board; and orientation on how to safeguard and keep CA records properly should be given to school administrators. This implies that if all these ways put together are properly considered, the factors that hinder continuous assessment usage in junior secondary schools in Owerri Education Zone will be eradicated. This is supported by Obioma (2012) who is of the opinion that a course on continuous assessment should be integrated into the pre-service teacher education. This implies that the rate of teachers’ incompetence in administering continuous assessment in school will reduce as they now have the opportunity to be enlightened about the usage and usefulness of continuous assessment in schools. Conclusion Generally, results here have shown that CA scores can be used to predict to a reasonable degree of accuracy, the JS examination performances in English Language. Assessment of cognitive and psychomotor objectives should be more valid in English Language, but results here have shown insignificant contribution of the CA scores in predicting JS performance in the subject. It looks incredible! However, it has been recognized earlier that the reliability of record kept by the teachers depends greatly on the ability and expertise of the teacher to construct and use valid assessment instruments. Apart from this, the records could be subjective with scores from personality development added. Educational Implication of the Study Continuous assessment as a classroom strategy used by teachers to ascertain the academic performance of their students is very importance in our Nigerian educational system. It implies monitoring the progress of the students on a continuous basis, the students are monitored as new ideas and knowledge are introduced to them. It also implies a grading system which requires the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains as the change in the cognitive domain reflect the ability of the students to perceive a relationship between objects and to understand information through the utilization of what has been learned. Limitations of the Study During the course of this study, the researcher observed certain limitations. One of which was the small sample size. This may not have reliably represented the overall population. Another limitation was the area of the study which was 9 Owerri Municipal Council. This was because what is obtainable in the L.G.A may not be generalized on the other zones, thereby inhibiting the generalization of the result. There may also be some deficiencies or inappropriateness of data analysis. Perhaps a better statistical method could have been used. Again, the use of questionnaire was a major limitation in the study. The questionnaire was centered on opinions and views of various respondents. These views or opinions might have been influenced by individual feelings and may be based in favour of respondents constitutes. Recommendations Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made; i. Workshops and seminar should be organized for teachers in the concept and application of continuous assessment. ii. School administrator should be given proper orientation on the need to safeguard and properly store continuous assessment records. iii. Continuous assessment format should be centrally prepared and coordinated by psychometricians from State Ministry of Education. iv. The State Ministry of Education should put in place regulations, checks and balances to ensure that different continuous assessment strategies are used in secondary schools and a uniform policy should be emphasized so that all schools will benefit from it. v. Well qualified guidance counselors should be employed and posted to all secondary schools to help give students guidance and counseling services. 9 Suggestions for Further Studies This study could be replicated in other L.G.A in Imo State as a matter of generalization. The researcher also suggests that the study should be extended to the senior secondary level of education in Imo State and other neighbouring States. Also more conclusive studies should be done on: i. The roles of students, administrators and parents in continuous assessment. ii. Teachers’ attitudes towards continuous assessment and its effect on their work. Summary of the Study The study investigated the perceived effect of continuous assessment on the second language learning among junior secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. The concept of continuous assessment was exhaustively treated in the literature reviewed, works by some scholars were empirically stated and an overview of continuous assessment and second Language was buttressed. There are several types of continuous assessment instrument used by teachers to effectively evaluate the students’ performance. Four research questions was formulated from the purpose of the study. The population of the study was four thousand two hundred and seventy eight (4,278) senior Secondary School Students while the sample size was two hundred and forty four (244) respondents which were selected through stratified sampling techniques. The researcher through an elimination of research objective used a four likert scale type of questionnaire as instrument of data collection and also mean statistics in analyzing the data collected. The researcher made some conclusion based on analysis of data collected, educational implication of the 9 study, suggestion for further studies, recommendation, and limitation of the study were made. REFERENCES Adejare, O. (2015). Communicative competence in English as a second language in Bamgbose, A.A. Banjo and A. Thomas (Eds.) New English: A West African Perspective, Ibadan: The British Council, Pp. 153-177. Adeoye, F.A. (2010). Impact of systematic assessment of instruction on secondary school students’ Physics achievement at cognitive level of knowledge: Eurasian Journal Physics, Chem. Edu. 2(l):44-52. Aggarwal, F (2010). 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Onuka, A., & Oludipe, B., (2015): Feedback as a Poor Performance Remediation: A Report Submitted for Publication in Journal of education, University of Calabar, Nigeria. Onunkwo, G.I.N. (2012). Fundamentals of educational measurement and evaluation, Owerri: Cape Publishers Int’l Ltd Oyedeji, O.A. (2012). Validity of continuous assessment scores as predictors of students' performance in junior secondary examinations in Nigeria Paris, S.G., and Lawton, T.A. (2011). A developmental perspective on standardized achievement testing: Educational Researcher, 20(4), Pp. 40. Sikes, P. (2012). Imposed change and the experienced teacher. In Fullan, M. & Hargreaves, A. (Eds.). Teacher development and educational change. London: Falmer. APPENDIX A Department of English language, Alvan Ikoku Federal College Of Education, PMB 1033, Owerri. 10/07/2024 Dear Respondent. I am a final year degree students of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri, carrying out a research on the perceived effect of continuous assessment on the second language learning among junior secondary students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State”. Kindly and honestly respond to these question items in the questionnaire. All information will be treated confidentially as they are meant for the research purpose only. Count on your cooperation in anticipation. Yours faithfully Okon Hossana (Researcher) The average cluster mean = 3.1+3.2+3.1+3.3+2.9 = 15.6