Yawi, Erita (2026) Primary School Teachers’ perceptions of differing types of assessments to improve student learning in Papua New Guinea. PhD thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

Across Papua New Guinea, primary school teachers play a vital role in educating children, in both rural and urban schools. Dedicated education professionals work hard in classrooms often under tough conditions and harsh environments that test their resilience. Yet they persevere. One significant challenge that these teachers face is educational reforms that are ever being implemented and this is particularly notable in relation to student assessment. In the Papua New Guinea educational system, assessment practices significantly influence student learning. The teachers are solely responsible for both teaching and measuring their students’ learning, using formative and summative assessments in various primary schools. Concerns have been raised that teachers’ views were not given greater consideration by those educational authorities making decisions that will affect the achievement of academic goals. During the shift from an outcomes-based to a standards-based curriculum, teachers had limited input into curriculum and assessment development. This study explores primary school teachers’ understanding of different assessment types and how these assessments should support students’ learning and life skills at the Grade 6 level in Papua New Guinea. A qualitative case study using participatory action research was conducted, to gather data on the ways in which assessments are implemented in two primary schools. Four teachers were purposefully selected: two from a rural school (Samill) and two from an urban school (Kofaik). Extensive school-based data were collected during fieldwork in 2023, through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. These informed a comparative analysis of teacher efficacy in assessment practices. Analysis was framed by Freire's critical pedagogy, culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), and social meliorism (Pinar, 2012). Analysis revealed that while teachers understood summative and formative assessment theoretically, they lacked practical expertise in assessment as learning. The accurate practical application of this assessment method as a learning tool was absent from their classrooms. The findings of this study indicate that culturally relevant forms of assessment, such as: storytelling, songs, and oral presentations, all deeply embedded in Papua New Guinea’s oral traditions, would be highly beneficial as tools for learning and should inform future curriculum and assessment re-design.

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