Teachers’ Perception on the Feasibility of Formative Assessment in Bhutan

Abstract

In Bhutan, there was a lot of misunderstanding about formative assessment. As a result, even when it came to practice in the form of Continuous Formative Assessment, many teachers found it difficult. Several years later, the Ministry of Education has again rolled out the Continuous Formative Assessment in primary schools. The present study was conducted to explore the perceptions of teachers on the feasibility of formative assessment in Bhutan, and the research questions focused on teachers’ perceptions on the feasibility of formative assessment. Seven primary school teachers with at least a bachelor degree in education and relevant training in formative assessment were selected using snowballing sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed manually through a thematic analysis. Results showed that formative assessment is not feasible in Bhutanese schools because of teachers’ heavy workloads and large class size. This study may provide some insights to the Ministry of Education, Royal Education Council and other relevant agencies to take a deeper look at the assessment policies and gradually, in the long run, uplift the quality of education in Bhutan.