A resource-adaptive framework for digital formative assessment in Uganda’s competency-based lower secondary schools

Abstract

Uganda's Competency-Based Curriculum requires assessment practices that generate continuous evidence of learner progress and support timely instructional feedback. In resource-constrained lower secondary schools, however, the transition from examination-oriented assessment to digitally supported formative assessment remains uneven. This study developed and empirically grounded a Resource-Adaptive Digital Formative Assessment (RADFA) Framework for lower secondary schools in the Bukedi Sub-Region of Eastern Uganda. The study was guided by four complementary theoretical perspectives: Formative Assessment Theory, the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Framework, Sociocultural Learning Theory, and Competency-Based Education Theory. Grounded in pragmatism, the study used a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. Qualitative evidence from interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and document review was integrated with questionnaire data from 743 respondents: 193 teachers, 486 students, 47 head teachers, and 17 policymakers or ICT experts. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and thematic analysis were used. Traditional assessment practices remained dominant (overall M = 3.94, SD = 0.83), whereas competency-based and digital assessment methods were less established (overall M = 2.90, SD = 1.07); digital assessment recorded the lowest construct mean (M = 2.47, SD = 1.15). Assessment effectiveness differed significantly by school location, F(2, 190) = 12.13, p < .001, with rural schools reporting the lowest mean. Availability of digital tools, teacher digital literacy, curriculum requirements, and school leadership support jointly explained 54.6% of the variance in CBC-aligned assessment effectiveness, R² = .546, F(4, 188) = 56.58, p < .001. Leadership support was the strongest predictor (β = .523, p < .001), followed by digital-tool availability (β = .343, p < .001) and digital literacy (β = .171, p = .002); curriculum requirements alone were not significant (β = .052, p = .391). The resulting RADFA Framework links resource-adaptive infrastructure, teacher digital pedagogical capacity, digital formative assessment processes, learner agency, and competency development through a continuous feedback loop. Schools should prioritize leadership-led implementation, offline-first technologies, sustainable power, shared-device models, technical support, and assessment-specific teacher development.