By Sidney Kawimbe

On 3^rd August, 2017, examination results from the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) were released to the public. To everyone’s bewilderment, a paltry seven (7) out of three hundred and forty (340) candidates that sat for the examinations passed the exams, representing 98% failure rate. Justice Minister Given Lubinda cried foul and summoned the ZIALE Council to establish what could be going wrong at the institution. A closer check of records for past performance at the same legal higher institution of learning reveals a similar trend in the past four years where failure rates stood at 93% in 2016, 77% in 2015 and 93% in 2014 (Zambia daily mail dated 4^th August, 2017)

Now that the hullabaloo has settled, I have been reflecting on this callous development at the high law institution in particular and examination results in general. I have in the past written extensively on the possible reasons why some students and learners in general perform so dismally during examinations. It is in this vein that in this deposition and disquisition, I will expend my energies to elucidate some of the possible causes of exam failure.

Law exams are difficult to pass just like other professional exams are. Take for instance, examinations in Actuarial Science, Aeronautics, CFA, Trigonometry, among others. These are just some of the notorious courses which are dreaded by many students. It is important to note that while these exams demand a disciplined approach, ZIALE and other higher institutions of learning worth their salt are not adult kindergartens. While a student might be reading lecture notes and trying to assimilate what they are reading, there are few things that they ignore from that study material to make meaning and be reproduced in a certain context during examinations. Exams are not solely about memory recall but also about application of knowledge in problem solving and educative analysis. While the blame is lumped on the learner for their ineptitude, lecturers need to make introspection on failure causes.

For instance, in Nigeria, this month October 2017, thousands of primary school teachers in Kaduna State are to be sacked after failing the exams which were sat for by their six-year-old pupils. State Governor Nasir El-Rufai said 21,780 teachers, two-thirds of the total, had failed to score 75% or higher on assessments given to pupils (source).

One possible explanation why learners encounter material retrieval failure is decay theory. According to this theory, a memory trace is created every time a new theory is formed. Decay theory suggests that over time, these memory traces begin to fade and disappear. This model is based on the Compound interest formula for negative growth. If information is not retrieved and rehearsed, it will eventually be lost. The implication here is that a learner needs to be fully occupied with studying throughout as this will enhance rehearsal. There is need for smart learning which is not quantity-based but qualitative in terms of using memory aids such as acrostic and mnemonics, action-centred learning, group learning, use of videos and audio tapes or multi-media blended learning, adhering to learning principles such as enduring understanding or gaining the bigger picture, overarching approach to integrative learning or synthesis and thematic learning approaches, backward design (knowing the subject front to back and back to front), and understanding learning objectives as well as developing pragmatic approaches to handling problem-solving case study approaches required for professional exams.

Have you ever wondered why you have photographic memory of some events in your life that were impactful, say the death of loved ones, the first love, the first job appointment, among many others? It is because you think about them so often and hence rehearsal is enhanced and as such they appear fresh all the time.  Learning should be fun and realistic by learning using one to one association, discrimination or discerning differences, collective issues through classification and categorization or classes and groupings, among others. Memory can be sharpened through practice and continuous practice or rehearsal of what you learn. Learn to summarize what you read and put key points in bullet points or highlight them. Know what is relevant and what is irrelevant. Research widely and read simple books first before reading difficult texts. Discuss what you read with friends and relatives. Be an academic detective to fish out more evidence. Practice quizzes and past questions alone and with colleagues. Understand the key words in Bloom’s taxonomy of framing questions so that you do exactly what the examiner requires of you.

Another reason why students perform poorly in exams is interference. Interference theory suggests that some memories compete and interfere with other memories. When information is very similar to other information that was previously stored in memory, interference is more likely to occur. There are two basic types of interference:

1. Proactive interference is when an old memory makes it more difficult or impossible to remember a new memory.
2. Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with your ability to remember previously learned information

There are two types of memory, the short term and long term. Sometimes, losing information has less to do with forgetting and more to do with the fact that it never made it into long-term memory in the first place. Encoding failures sometimes prevent information from entering long-term memory. The implication here is that a student needs to concentrate when studying so that whatever is being assimilated moves from short term memory to long term memory. I shudder when I see a student studying with headphones dangling on her/his cheeks. As part of effective study, try to figure out features on a K10 note in its absence and then compare the result with the physical K10 note. How well did you do? Chances are that you were able to remember the shape and color which is blue, but you probably forgot other minor details such as …… The reason for this is that only details necessary for distinguishing one note from the others are encoded into your long-term memory. Multi-tasking while studying never achieves good results. Learn to prioritize your time to do only urgent and important things first with task dependencies and delegate or postpone less important activities.  Use your time wisely and avoid last minute cramming or rush. Be proactive and start learning early enough.

Omisore (2015) argued that some of the reasons why students fail include not following the trend of papers, not reading wide enough, not reading deep enough, not interpreting questions correctly and not articulating answers well. Your answers should be complete, comprehensive, exhaustive, analytical, and on point.

In summing up, the life of a student/learner should be focused, with less partying to promote rehearsal and make examinations passable. Remember, education is the best equalizer of life chances and a passport to a good life.

There is no royal road to examination success, but at least there is a correct approach. Knowing it can be of great help in preparing yourself psychologically. Few people actually like examinations, but the candidate who enters the examination hall well-prepared and with confidence and a clear head is not too discomfited. Such tension as she/he has disappears as soon as she/he starts writing her/his first answer, and she/he may then experience something like relish for the challenge. Teachers and lecturers need up their game if they are to be absolved of the blame of failure of their students.

The author is a lecturer in Banking and Finance at ZCAS University. For comments, write [email protected]