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Criteria in English language assessment : a South African perspective

Bibliography: pages 181-186.

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Main Author: Dommisse, Anne
Other Authors: Young, Douglas
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: School of Education 2016
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access_status_str Open Access
author Dommisse, Anne
author2 Young, Douglas
author_browse Dommisse, Anne
Young, Douglas
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Dommisse, Anne
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description Bibliography: pages 181-186.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2016
publishDateRange 2016
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/17078 Criteria in English language assessment : a South African perspective Dommisse, Anne Young, Douglas English language - South Africa Education, Bilingual - South Africa Language and education - South Africa Teachers - Certification - South Africa Teachers - South Africa - Language Bibliography: pages 181-186. The study recorded in this dissertation was undertaken in the School of Education at the University of Cape Town (UCT) during the period 1986-1990. It was motivated by perceived anomalies in the administration of State regulations for endorsement of teachers' diplomas in respect of ability in English (E/e). The study commences with an analysis of the relevant requirements of the regulations for teacher bilingualism, as set out in sections 10 and 11 of Criteria for the Evaluation of South African Qualifications for Employment in Education, 1988. Theoretical and practical problems of evaluation and endorsement identified at UCT are considered in relation to the concept of test failure, as opposed to testee failure. Responses to a questionnaire sent to other teacher training centres indicate similar concerns elsewhere. Arising from a review of recent literature on language testing, and against the background of the multilingual target groups tested at UCT, a proposition is put forward for a distinction between communicative competence and language proficiency as criteria in language assessment, depending on whether English is the medium (communicative competence), or the subject (proficiency), of instruction. Assuming that English will remain a medium of instruction in a changing socio-political dispensation, at least in the short and medium terms, the study then focuses on test design, construction and scoring, where the objective is to test communicative competence in English, rather than proficiency. The role of English in the curriculum in a future South Africa is discussed briefly. It is concluded that current regulations for language endorsement are in urgent need of review. The following recommendations are made in this regard: that the relevant requirements for teachers in State schools be reformulated to account for one level, rather than two, of endorsement in English as the medium of instruction; that such endorsement be required only in the case of non-English medium graduates, thereby recognising the integrity of the English medium teachers' diploma itself; that procedures for assessment for the purpose of diploma endorsement be standardised; and that the State support further research in this area. 2016-02-17T07:13:22Z 2016-02-17T07:13:22Z 1991 Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17078 eng application/pdf School of Education Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town
spellingShingle English language - South Africa
Education, Bilingual - South Africa
Language and education - South Africa
Teachers - Certification - South Africa
Teachers - South Africa - Language
Dommisse, Anne
Criteria in English language assessment : a South African perspective
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Criteria in English language assessment : a South African perspective
title_full Criteria in English language assessment : a South African perspective
title_fullStr Criteria in English language assessment : a South African perspective
title_full_unstemmed Criteria in English language assessment : a South African perspective
title_short Criteria in English language assessment : a South African perspective
title_sort criteria in english language assessment a south african perspective
topic English language - South Africa
Education, Bilingual - South Africa
Language and education - South Africa
Teachers - Certification - South Africa
Teachers - South Africa - Language
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17078
work_keys_str_mv AT dommisseanne criteriainenglishlanguageassessmentasouthafricanperspective