Problems in the summative evaluation of experimental science curricula in developing countries

Conclusion

The simple techniques described in this paper can be applied rapidly and inexpensively by personnel previously untrained in techniques of curriculum evaluation. They are unrefined and open to much serious methodological criticism. Nevertheless they work. They are a way of giving those who must make value judgements about the implementation of new curricula some systematic information on which to base opinions. By using such methods for example, the author was able to show that the experimental course in biology in Malawi had a very high chance of success (90 per cent probability) when implemented in all schools in Malawi. Similar studies of current experimental programmes in Kenya and Zambia have provided interesting comparisons. In Kenya the Secondary Science Project in Biology was shown to have an 80 per cent chance of succeeding when spread from trial schools to all schools. In Zambia by contrast the Secondary School Science Pilot Project of the Science Education School of the University was shown to have only a 20 per cent chance of success. These indices provided valuable guidance to the Ministries concerned (Meyer, 1971). The use of such simple techniques has not been previously employed in developing countries and changes of policy have been based invariably on unsystematic opinion. The methods reported in this paper, therefore, appear justified in the absence of practicable alternatives.