Individual Oral Assessments: Round One (UND) 120 Individual Oral Assessments: Round Two (MLST) 124 Group Oral Assessments: Round Three (MLST) 127 Limitations in the design of the instruments used 130. Emotional state of the students Emotional state of the evaluators Structure of the assessment language.
LIST OF TABLES
PAGE
APPENDICES
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
For now, however, the tesIatus quo remains with regard to the teaching and assessment media. The local institution could then provide teaching and assessment in the language of the region.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
In the South African tertiary context, the situation is different from the international accommodation intervention discussed above, in that most students. In the South African tertiary context, the situation is different from the international accommodation intervention discussed above, in that most students. Careful consideration should be given to the depth of the learning experience and the quality of feedback provided to the student.
One must scrutinize the depth of the learning experience and the quality of feedback provided to the student.
CHAPTER THREE
SURVEY OF ASSESSMENT PRACTICES: BACKGROUND
I corresponded with a friend, Paul Perjes at the World Didac Organization in Zurich, who put me in touch with colleagues from two Swiss institutions, Martin Stauffer from the Swiss Education and Research Network in Zurich and Eva Gurtler from Information and Documentation at the Central Office . of Swiss Universities, in Bern. I corresponded with a friend, Paul Perjes at the Didac World Organization in Zurich, who put me in touch with colleagues from two Swiss institutions, Martin Stauffer from the Swiss Education and Research Network in Zurich and Eva GurtJer from Infonnation ancf Documentation at the Head Office. of Swiss Universities, in Bern. Perjes said, "Swiss university assessment and examination systems are not standardized at the national level and vary from one university to another and from subject to subject."
For disciplines with oral and written exams, the average of the oral and written results is taken as assessment. Stauffer added that “at the University of Bern, at the Faculty of Philosophy, the oral assessment covers 50% of the final exam and lasts 45 minutes for each student. It is also interesting to note that the average of the oral and written grades appears to be the popular method of calculating the student's final grade.
It is also interesting to note that the average of the oral and written grades seems to be the popular method of calculating the student's fioal grade. Figure 1 shows that the majority of respondents have many years of experience in higher education, which means that their answers are based on this experience. Figure J shows that the majority of respondents have many years of experience in higher education, which means that their answers are based on this experience.
89 Figure}: Lecturing Experience at Tertiary Level
28.9% of respondents emphasized that the oral grade is combined with a written grade for each student. It is clear that those who use oral evaluations are aware of the benefits it produces. They appreciated the informal nature of oral assessments and the fact that they enhance communication skills.
It is also worth noting that respondents consider the combination of the oral and written grades to be one. It is clear that those who use the oral assessments are aware of the benefits it provides. A total of 79.1% of the educators agreed that misunderstandings due to language are minimized and that both examiner and candidate benefit from the interaction during oral assessments.
A total of 79.1% of the educators agreed that misunderstandings due to language are kept to a minimum and that both the examiner and the candidate benefit from the interaction during oral assessments. The information gathered from the two questionnaire surveys served as a springboard for the structure of the assessments. The information gathered from the two questionnaire surveys served as a springboard for the structure of the assessments.
CHAPTER FOUR METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER FOUR METHODOLOGY
The first round of assessment (Round One), which was an individual oral assessment, was conducted at the University of Natal, Durban, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences. To ensure that the same material is tested, the examiners set versions of the same question for the written and oral assessments. Then I addressed each group of students about: the purpose and goals of the research assignment;.
We worked together on the structure of the assessments, the assessment timetable, mark allocations and questions for the student focus groups. The assessors and I collaborated on the questions to be asked to the students during the focus group discussions. For each focus group, a cassette recorder was placed in the middle of the table and tested.
On the assessment day itself, the students presented themselves at the agreed time and place. Again, these questions should be of the same level and type as the questions asked in the written test. Again, these questions should be of the same level and type as (he questions asked in the written test.
The assessors also felt that the use of the grid and memorandum ensured that they were "maintaining standards". The protocol for the assessments in my study specified details regarding the administration of the assessments (see Figure 5).
CHAPTER FIVE FINDINGS
Hammersley and Atkinson support such a change, commenting that "the strategy and even direction of the research can be changed relatively easily, in line with changing assessments of what is required by the process". Accordingly, this chapter discusses issues surrounding the oral assessments administered and refrains from discussing or analyzing the questions that addressed issues that later, for obvious reasons, became redundant to my research. The questionnaires provided me with biographical data as well as the candidates' perceptions of the assessments conducted.
Accordingly, this chapter discusses issues surrounding the oral assessments administered and refrains from discussing or analyzing the questions that addressed issues that later, for obvious reasons, became redundant to my study. The purpose of seeking these responses was to obtain feedback so that I could improve the design and management of the reviews and make any necessary changes. Of the one hundred and sixty-one students surveyed at UND, only seventy-eight pristine questionnaires were received.
For the MLST assessments, students were then asked to complete the questionnaires and return them to their teachers within a week of the assessment, allowing them time to reflect calmly on their experiences. Of the one hundred and sixty-one students surveyed at UNO, only seventy-eight pristine questionnaires were received. For the MLST assessments, students were then asked to complete the questionnaires and return them to their teachers within a week of the assessment, allowing them time to reflect calmly on their experiences.
148 Biographical Data
In the MLST sample, 31.8% of students speak English at home, 57.6% speak isiZulu and 10.6% speak isiXhosa giving us a total of 68.2% non-native speakers of English. Each of us would have to speak all eleven official languages, and then some, fluently," said one evaluator. The conversation then went off on a tangent into discussions about the logistics of hiring translators, and eventually all present agreed that this it required in-depth research and was a study in itself.
The evaluators agreed that "English is the language of globalization and communication in the international community" and that. 34; in addition to being a neutral language in a country with eleven official languages and then some, it would empower students to take their place on the global stage."
149 Figure8:Home Language o/Students (MLST)
Predictably, most students stated that they were nervous on the day of the oral assessment. McNiff agrees that it is important to "synthesize" data "in such a form that it can be easily communicated and understood by other people". In order to then convert the collected data into an easy-to-read text, J decided to combine all the information from the questionnaires, focus group discussions and assessment sessions by grouping the candidates' responses into specific themes. 34;the first time 1 did orat'~ because it was their first experience with oral assessment, "they didn't know what10 to expect". The fact that the marks were awarded for a "new form of assessment" also made students nervous.
Two evaluators nevertheless admirably stated that they tried to calm the students and "just a smile and a happy greeting from a student can lift the examiner". examiners should "arrange a code" to communicate with their co-examiners if "he or the same routine with each student". They added that "the sessions were interactive and very stimulating and all students were treated equally". "appreciated the differences" (because of the live interaction) "which prevented the monotony of the lessons and kept us interested". Students at UNO complained about "grading differences." They observed that some candidates were assessed for eighteen or twenty minutes, while others were assessed for only fifteen minutes.
After experiencing the oral assessment first hand, the students realized that they could actually benefit from the oral assessments because they "can look for clarification questions and rephrase answers", and "the examiners will steer us in the right direction if we not answer the answers. question correct". The examiners also tried to create a relaxed, conversational environment. By dividing the questions into sub-questions, the examiner can elicit the desired response from the students, as for example when the candidate was asked, "what are the nutrients in leave?" Her response was, "nitrates and phosphates". The assessor then asked, "OK, but what nutrients give rise to the nitrates and phosphates?" and acknowledge the students' response, but dig deeper to find the answer to the original question. But some students felt that the "examiner was grilling them" because they "answered the questions poorly". They felt pressured by the probing and follow-up questions.
