Understanding Student Learning Outcomes-Based Assessment: Perspectives of Secondary School Teachers in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan
Abstract
This study explores secondary school teachers’ perceptions, understanding, and practical experiences with students’ learning outcomes-based assessment in Skardu. Guided by a qualitative, phenomenological design, the research focuses on how teachers interpret students’ learning outcomes-based assessment, how they apply them in daily classroom practices, and what challenges they face during implementation. Eleven public-school teachers with a minimum of three years of secondary-level teaching experience were selected through purposive sampling from district Skardu. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews conducted in Urdu to ensure comfort and clarity. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that most teachers possessed only a partial understanding of SLO-based assessment, with younger teachers showing slightly better awareness due to recent training exposure. Actual classroom practices remain a blend of traditional written exams and emerging activity-based methods. Significant challenges emerged, including large class sizes, weak student readiness, language barriers, limited parental support, lack of training, uneven workload distribution, and restricted technological resources. Teachers emphasized the urgent need for continuous professional development, improved foundational skills at the primary level, accessible teaching resources, smaller class sizes, and better planning support. Overall, the study concludes that although teachers are motivated to implement student learning outcomes-based assessment, successful and consistent application requires systematic support, capacity-building programs, and strong collaboration among teachers, schools, parents, and policymakers.
Key Words: Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), Outcome-Based Assessment, Secondary School, Teacher Perceptions, Assessment Practices, Conceptual Understanding
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18498054
