A strategy to improve formative assessment practice of financial literacy in economic and management sciences in a Grade 9 class

Abstract

Classroom-based assessment has a major role to play in the education of learners. Learners spend the best part of their young lives at school with their teachers, and it is through classroom assessments that their capabilities can be understood better. The study aimed to design a strategy to improve formative assessment practices of financial literacy of economic and management sciences in a Grade 9 class. Participatory action research was the research approach used to generate data. The data of the study was solicited from subject advisors, Grade 9 economic and management sciences teachers, student teachers, a district school-based assessment coordinator and a deputy principal responsible for curriculum, and economic and management sciences learners from different schools around Mangaung. Data generated through discussions during meetings and on WhatsApp groups was analysed using Van Dijk’s critical discourse analysis, by means of three levels of data analysis: textual, social and discursive. It was deduced from the findings that the success of the strategy is reliant on internal support, and the capabilities of the teachers. The study, therefore, recommends that careful teacher training is provided, and that teacher support is prioritised, so that they can implement correct formative assessment practices.