Relationship between Mathematics Teacher Educators' Conceptions of Assessment and their Implementation of Alternative Assessment Techniques

This study investigated the relationship between mathematics teacher educators' conceptions of assessment and their implementation of alternative assessment practices in Ghanaian Colleges of Education. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted, involving 126 questionnaire respondents and eight interview participants. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings showed that most teacher educators viewed assessment as a means of improving teaching and learning (56%). Overall implementation of alternative assessment practices was moderate (M = 2.94, SD = 1.17). Observation and oral presentation were the most frequently used techniques, whereas journal assessment was the least implemented. ANOVA revealed no significant differences across conception categories for most alternative assessment practices. However, significant differences were found in the implementation of project work and observation. Qualitative findings confirmed that teacher educators largely held formative conceptions of assessment but faced contextual challenges in implementing learner-centred assessment. The study concludes that assessment conceptions exert a limited but selective influence on practice. It recommends continuous professional development and institutional support to enhance the effective implementation of diverse alternative assessment techniques.