EXAMINATION A LEARNING PROCESS THAT SHOULD BE FORTIFIED

For any educational system to improve its student learning - an appropriate examination system is necessary. Because, examination is a learning process that must be done according to the instructions given, at any level. Notwithstanding that “teachers might assume that it is their teaching that directs the students' learning, but students adjust themselves as learners in relation to what will be assessed,” says Anton Havnes of Oslo University College, Centre for Staff and Learning Development.

Havnes says that the underlying idea that an examination is expected to test what students have learned during a course of study is not always true, it tends to define what is worth learning. This view, basically says that examination drives learning, and that examination "overrules" teaching.

The educational developer says that the fact that students adjust their learning practice according to the demands of examinations might be wished a way as trivial; but, that is not the reality.“The impact of examination on how teachers teach might be even more significant than its impact on how students learn, particularly taking into account the impact of teaching on student learning.”

Examination alters other aspects of the educational process; particularly teaching, production of textbooks and learning material, and the design of the learning environment. Thus it’s not surprising that various schools – nationals and some provincial schools - are expected to register certain range of mean grades every year, and their students to dominate the top one hundred national ranking from the learning environment they have fortified over time.

Yes, every passing year private primary school (academies) have been registering, best overall performance, in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (K.C.P.E)in terms of best overall pupils and schools. They are well equipped with facilities and their teacher pupil ratio meets the expected standard, universally.

Havnes research as points out that cultural activities of a given people affect their student learning and examination performance. Thus examination structure contributes to the establishment of a learning culture much more than the declared content of the study. Thus for education to play its rightful role, Kenyan societies must be the change they aspire from education.

Havnes further says that university exams are supposed to be different from other level of learning, as they are supposed to be "research institutions conducting examinations."

Indeed, the manner in which our exams are administered and set should reflect Kenya's vision 2030 – and the challenges towards meeting it. (The manner in which examinations are set determines what student acquire from their education.) Michael Mangala, a lecture in the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology at the University of Nairobi says that Kenyan examinations are set on the premise recalling facts – as opposed to giving students a platform to think and imagine, be creative and innovative.

However, learning is an individual action and as such it's influenced by the student's background, experience and habits, the research states. This is why no one given exam can reveal a students’ ability, exactly. Thus in social situations a state of tension might arise between the student's individual skills, interests and wishes, on the one hand, and institutional demands, on the other.

Examinations determine to a large extend – among a larger number of students their studying patterns. During the beginning of the term, semester or year there is an encouraging enthusiasm towards studies, which usually withers with time - to pick up a gain when an examination period is approaching. This reality can be capitalized on by having regular continuous tests CATS) that add up to the final grade – for students to be in a learning mode, always.

It should be noted that students have different expectation from their education at different level of their schooling. This should be reflected in respective examinations. Havnes, the lead researcher says that the one common feature student’s share is expectation of a more interesting course of learning at university than they experience at primary and secondary school level.

The general feeling among secondary school student is that they have to manage well what their teachers ask of them to pass their KCPE and KCSE examination. Yet at university they expect something different. The research points out that the students are not sure how that difference is going to be.

I acknowledge of relying on Anton Havnes of Oslo University College, Centre for Staff and Learning Development, research paper.