CHAPTER 4: DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
4.6 THEME 4: Lecturers’ actual preparation and teaching practices of students with visual
4.6.4 Assessment approach for students with visual “disabilities”
The lecturers after teaching the students had to assess them to ascertain whether content taught has been grasped. Lecturers elaborated on the assessment approaches they used in assessing students with visual “disabilities”.
When they write their tests we use scribers. Scribers are people who write for them. So the scribe will read the question and the learner will give the answer. You read for them the instruction they grab it. You read the question they grab it. Then they give back the answer.
There will be those tests during the class. The main thing is the exam at the end. With their tests, we use the scribers. We do the same with exam. The scribe will read for them and then write for them. (Steven).
‘The use of inverted commas in this study is used a sign of respect as I was uncertain of the correct term to use to refer to people with no sight’
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Like all other students, they are also assessed. The only difference is that they cannot read they cannot see anything. You have to find a scribe to assist you [the lecturer]. The scribe will read the question to him and he responds to the question. (Linda)
When I set the assessment, it will be one assessment for everybody. At the end of the day, I teach one syllabus, its one subject. So it will be exactly the same questions that I have set, the only difference is that we will need to arrange that there is somebody who is a scribe who would assists him in writing a test. When we write a test, I must prepare for him [the student with a visual “disability”]. I must get someone who will be a scribe now to do all the reading and write for him. You have to find a different venue because he must be at a different venue whether it’s a test or it’s an exam (Frank).
We have three assessments but in assessing them. I will have to get the scribers to scribe or who would read the question for them and then the candidate who is visually impaired will give the answer to the scriber. That is the method that I am using for assessment. I sometimes have to enlarge the font for them [student who are partially sighted] when it comes to the assessments. So that they will be able to go through the assessment accordingly. (Sam)
All four participants unanimously advocated the scribe as the assessment approach used to assess students with visual “disabilities”. All the participants demonstrated that they understood the roles and responsibilities of a scribe. Frank and Steven seemed to be aware that students are assessed mainly in two forms of assessment strategies, namely summative and formative assessment. Their responses indicated tests which are conducted during the class (formative assessment) and the examination at the end (summative assessment). With Sam, the focus was on formative assessment only whilst Linda did not mention it at all. Having knowledge about these forms of assessments assists the lecturers to plan for assessment on time especially for students with visual “disabilities”
because the scribe must be arranged timeously. In Frank’s view, it is not only scribes who must be arranged but also a separate room where the student will write the assessment. This suggests that in order for the student with a visual “disability” to write an assessment additional factors other than question paper and answer sheet are required which are the scribes and the venue.
‘The use of inverted commas in this study is used a sign of respect as I was uncertain of the correct term to use to refer to people with no sight’
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Despite all of them using the scribes, Sam also used large print font for partially sighted students.
The use of large print font assessment approach for partially sighted students provides them independency because they write for themselves, which simultaneously saves the lecturer from looking for a scribe and a separate venue. Therefore, it could be inferred that to cater for partially sighted students in an assessment, a large print font of the question paper is required.
It became explicit from the participants that from the five assessment approaches recommended for students with visual “disabilities” as discussed in chapter two, only two assessment approaches were used by the lecturers (human reader and large print font). The human reader was solely used for summative and formative assessments of students with total blindness whilst large font print was used for partially sighted students only.
4.6.4.1 Challenges encountered by lecturers from using human readers (scribes)
The lecturers expressed that although the scribe assisted them, they were some challenges they encountered with using them.
Sometimes the scribers, while they are scribing they were whatsapping on their phones. So students would get intimidated. Students were complaining that the scribers do not give them proper chance to express themselves when it comes to answering to questions. So communication or communication barrier between the scribe and the students would exist. (Sam)
When you have to ask somebody who doesn’t understand the subject. He [the scriber] would read the question and give him a wrong picture of a question. Then as he [the student with a visual “disability”] responds he doesn’t respond correctly because he did not understand the question. (Linda)
Others [scribers] can’t read proper. One day we had a scribe who was reading wrongly to the learner. When the scribe was to write, the scribe was writing wrongly. Whatever the scribe wanted to write was just writing it. Spellings were wrong, other scribers come drunk during the examination. Sometime they write what they want and not what they are told to write. They [the scribers] just assume that that the learner, should have written like this yet they are giving the wrong information. When the learner has the correct information.
‘The use of inverted commas in this study is used a sign of respect as I was uncertain of the correct term to use to refer to people with no sight’
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Others were so impatient with the learners. If the learner says read this [the student with a visual “disability”] read again and then they [the scribes] wouldn’t repeat. (Steven)
From the participants’ responses three challenges were identified namely behavioural challenge of scribes, language semantic challenge, and technical subject challenge. The behavioural issue challenge of scribes took place where scribes conducted themselves in an unprofessional and improper manner like coming drunk to work and WhatsApping while on duty. There was a language semantic challenge where the scribes could not read correctly, spelt words incorrectly or wrote incorrect information other than that provided by the students. Lastly, technical subject related challenge where a scribe lacked subject knowledge and misled the student to create a wrong image of what the question requires. All these challenges if not given urgent attention could have a negative impact on the students’ performance.
4.6.4.2 Overcoming challenges of the scribes
The lecturers specified how they overcome the challenges they experienced with using the scribes.
It led us to train the scribers before the write assessments for students. (Sam)
It’s easier for somebody who knows the subject so that he can read correctly as Maths Literacy is full of scenarios. So that he gets the proper picture so that he is able to respond correctly. He only relies on the picture in his mind. (Linda)
I said to him I don’t want you to get an assistance like an advantage by someone who knows the subject than that person is helping you, you say this and the person write their own correct answer maybe you have given the wrong answer. I have said to him listen when you get someone to write. When I get someone to assist you, I will make sure that it must be somebody, anybody who has never done your subjects so that person writes what you have said not what he or she think you have said. (Frank)
In Sam’s case, training of scribes is the solution to all the problems they experience by using them.
Linda on the other hand suggested utilisation of scribes who know the subject. While, Frank felt that knowledge of subject is not important, the scribe must be a good listener and write what is given.
‘The use of inverted commas in this study is used a sign of respect as I was uncertain of the correct term to use to refer to people with no sight’
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