Diversity, variation and fairness: Equivalence in national level language assessments
Literator
Field | Value | |
Title | Diversity, variation and fairness: Equivalence in national level language assessments Verskeidenheid, variasie en regverdigheid: Ekwivalensie by taalassesserings op nasionale vlak | |
Creator | Weideman, Albert du Plessis, Colleen Steyn, Sanet | |
Description | The post-1994 South African constitution proudly affirms the language diversity of the country, as do subsequent laws, while ministerial policies, both at further and higher education level, similarly promote the use of all 11 official languages in education. However, such recognition of diversity presents several challenges to accommodate potential variation. In language education at secondary school, which is nationally assessed, the variety being promoted immediately raises issues of fairness and equivalence. The final high-stakes examination of learners’ ability in home language at the exit level of their pre-tertiary education is currently contentious in South Africa. It is known, for example, that in certain indigenous languages, the exit level assessments barely discriminate among learners with different abilities, while in other languages they do. For that reason, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education, Umalusi, has commissioned several reports to attempt to understand the nature of the problem. This article will deal with a discussion of a fourth attempt by Umalusi to solve the problem. That attempt, undertaken by a consortium of four universities, has already delivered six interim reports to this statutory body, and the article will consider some of their content and methodology. In their reconceptualisation of the problem, the applied linguists involved first sought to identify the theoretical roots of the current curriculum in order to articulate more sharply the construct being assessed. That provides the basis for a theoretical justification of the several solutions being proposed, as well as for the preliminary designs of modifications to current, and the introduction of new assessments. The impact of equivalence of measurement as a design requirement will be specifically discussed, with reference to the empirical analyses of results of a number of pilots of equivalent tests in different languages. Suid-Afrika se post-1994 grondwet herbeklemtoon met trots die taalverskeidenheid van die land; so ook daaropvolgende wette. Ministeriële beleidsverklarings op beide verdere en hoëronderwysvlak bevorder insgelyks die gebruik van al 11 amptelike tale in die onderwys. Tog bied die erkenning van diversiteit verskeie uitdagings wat betref die akkommodering van potensiële variasie. In die geval van taalonderrig op sekondêre skoolvlak, wat nasionaal geassesseer word, lei die klem op verskeidenheid onmiddellik tot vrae oor regverdigheid en ekwivalensie. Die finale hoë impak-eksamen in Suid-Afrika van leerders se bemeestering van tuistale, wat geskied aan die einde van hul pre-tersiêre onderrig, is tans kontroversieel. Dit is byvoorbeeld bekend dat in die geval van sekere inheemse tale die uittreevlak-eksamens dit skaars regkry om te diskrimineer tussen leerlinge met verskillend vermoëns, terwyl in ander gevalle dit wel geskied. Om hierdie rede het die Raad vir Gehalteversekering in Algemene en Verdere Onderwys, Umalusi, reeds verskeie verslae aangevra ten einde die aard van die probleem beter te kan begryp. Hierdie stuk bespreek ‘n vierde poging van Umalusi om die probleem te ondervang. As deel van daardie poging, wat onderneem is deur ‘n konsortium van vier universiteite, is reeds ses tussentydse verslae aan hierdie statutêre liggaam voorgelê, en hierdie bydrae oorweeg die inhoud en metodologie daarvan. Deur die probleem te herkonseptualiseer, het die betrokke toegepaste taalkundiges eerstens gepoog om die teoretiese wortels van die huidige kurrikulum te identifiseer ten einde die konstruk wat geassesseer moet word, skerper te kan artikuleer. Daardie konstruk bied die basis vir die teoretiese begronding van die onderskeie oplossings wat voorgestel word, asook vir die voorlopige ontwerpe van modifikasies aan die huidige, en die invoer van nuwe assesserings. Die impak van ekwivalente meting as ‘n ontwerpvoorwaarde sal spesifiek bespreek word met verwysing na die empiriese analises van resultate wat verkry is uit die voortoetse van ekwivalente toetse in verskillende tale. | |
Publisher | AOSIS | |
Date | 2017-03-30 | |
Identifier | 10.4102/lit.v38i1.1319 | |
Source | Literator; Vol 38, No 1 (2017); 9 pages Literator; Vol 38, No 1 (2017); 9 pages 2219-8237 0258-2279 | |
Language | eng | |
Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1319/2297
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1319/2296
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1319/2298
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1319/2293
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