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Assessment is still considered as the important component of implementation of OBE, with a considerable gap between policy for constructive alignment and what really happens?in the classroom. As a critical part for quality of education in?Sustainable Development Goal Four, this qualitative research uncovers systemic misalignment between OBE and assessment practices within science lecturers at the Malaysian Matriculation Programme. The study used purposive sampling and captured collective institutional experience primarily through focus group discussion, supplemented by individual interviews and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. The finding identified five themes that are closely related which are variability in assessment practices, conceptual ambiguity in OBE and assessment, limited awareness of constructive alignment, structural time constraints and weak assessment literacy. These systemic misalignments were further reinforced by administrative accountability demands, resource limitations, and student-related challenges, indicating that misalignment extends beyond individual competencies to a broader systemic and institutional conditions. This study contributes empirical evidence of how policy-driven OBE reforms may translate into compliance-oriented assessment practices under institutional constraints. Through a multi-college qualitative analysis, this study demonstrates important systemic requirements for enhancing assessment practice conditions in pre-university education and draws attention to the ongoing discussions surrounding constructive alignment.
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