International Journal of Educational Assessment and Evaluation

(ISSN: 3088-537X) Open Access Journal
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IJEAE 2026, 1(1), 2027; doi: 10.64004/83ebac6d92

Formative assessment of content and English language in biology subject among PITA project secondary schools in Meru District Council, Arusha-Tanzania

1 Nelson Mandela-African Institute of Science and Technology
2 Faculty of Education, Humanities and Science, Tumaini University Makumira
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 17 Oct 2025 / Accepted: 12 Jun 2026 / Published: 27 Mar 2026

Abstract

This study was conducted to analyse the practice of Biology teachers in formative assessment of Biology content and English language as a language supportive pedagogy in the Biology subject. The target population was 33 ordinary level secondary schools under the PITA project in Meru district council. Of the total schools, five were sampled for this study. The respondents included 70 students and 5 Biology teachers making 76 total participants. The convergent parallel research design under mixed method research approach was used. Purposive and stratified-random sampling techniques were used to select teachers and students respectively. The researchers collected data using questionnaires, interview, observation, and document analysis guides. The results showed that the Biology teachers use mainly question & answer, group assessment and short tests in Biology subject assessment. The formative assessment in Biology also involves the assessment of language aspects such as checking spelling, pronunciation, grammar and tenses. The results also revealed three main challenges: difficult biological terms, language of instruction and time in formative assessment of both Biology content and language. The researchers recommended the use of more techniques, Biology dictionary and enhancement of cooperation between Biology and language experts in formative assessment of Biology content and English language.
Keywords: Keywords: Biology, formative assessment, content, language, PITA, secondary schools
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).
CITE
Mokoro, D.; Shio, M.; Ndossi, I.; Lema, W. Formative assessment of content and English language in biology subject among PITA project secondary schools in Meru District Council, Arusha-Tanzania. IJEAE 2026, 1, 2027.
Mokoro D, Shio M, Ndossi I, Lema W. Formative assessment of content and English language in biology subject among PITA project secondary schools in Meru District Council, Arusha-Tanzania. IJEAE. 2026; 1(1):2027.
Mokoro, Daniel; Shio, Martha; Ndossi, Irene; Lema, Witness. 2026. "Formative assessment of content and English language in biology subject among PITA project secondary schools in Meru District Council, Arusha-Tanzania." IJEAE 1, no. 1: 2027.
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