Task difficulty is an important but complex phenomenon in Applied Linguistics, for which there is relatively little empirical research. This article discusses approaches to defining task difficulty ...and focuses on objective task difficulty derived from ratings of performances and on difficulty derived from an error count in the performances, thus taking errors as indicators of writing task difficulty. Errors are described in terms of the Scope–Substance error taxonomy in writing performances from the Slovene General Matura examination in English. The most frequent errors are located at word and phrase level. Generally, error frequency decreases as writing proficiency increases, but some error types do not conform to this trend. This is the case for punctuation errors, which gain prominence at higher levels of mastery. The results of this study are relevant for assessment, particularly for rating scale development or revision, and for rater training. They are equally relevant for teaching, since knowing sources of difficulty in tasks is a prerequisite for effective pedagogical action. More generally, if applied to performances based on a wider range of tasks, viewing errors as indicators of difficulty can lead to a better understanding of difficulty‐generating task features.
Povzetek
Težavnost nalog je pomemben, a zapleten pojav v uporabnem jezikoslovju, o katerem je razmeroma malo empiričnih raziskav. Prispevek obravnava pristope k opredeljevanju zahtevnosti nalog pri preverjanju pisnega sporočanja. Osredinjen je na njihovo objektivno zahtevnost, ki izhaja iz točkovnih ocen pisnih izdelkov in iz števila napak v izdelkih, kar pomeni, da napake obravnava kot kazalec zahtevnosti nalog. Napake opredeli po taksonomiji obseg‐vsebina in jo uporabi za ocenjevanje pisnih izdelkov na izpitu iz angleščine na slovenski splošni maturi. Najpogostejše napake se pojavljajo na ravni besed in besednih zvez; večinoma se njihova pogostnost zmanjša z naraščanjem pisne zmožnosti, vendar nekatere vrste napak ne sledijo temu trendu. Tak je primer napak v rabi ločil, ki so pogostejše na višjih ravneh znanja. Rezultati študije so pomembni za ocenjevanje, predvsem za razvoj in prenovo ocenjevalnih lestvic, pa tudi za usposabljanje ocenjevalcev. Dognanja so pomembna tudi za poučevanje, saj je razumevanje razlogov za zahtevnost predpogoj za učinkovito pedagoško delo. Širše gledano lahko napake uporabimo kot kazalec zahtevnosti tudi pri drugih vrstah nalog in s tem izboljšamo prepoznavanje in razumevanje tistih lastnosti nalog, ki prispevajo k njihovi zahtevnosti.
In Hungary, Geography final examinations can be taken in ten foreign languages too. This linguistic diversity is one of the less-known, rarely mentioned values of our public education system, ...allowing students of bilingual and nationality secondary school programmes to take certain subject exams – like Geography – in foreign languages. Since the introduction of the two-tier Matura examination system, the subject has been one of the most popular choices in foreign language too as such examinations have been held in almost all exam periods. However, changes in the subject’s prestige and the Matura itself are also clearly reflected. The study provides a detailed analysis of intermediate and advanced Geography final exams by language use and discusses factors influencing the spatial distribution and temporal changes of exam numbers. This study is justified not only by the two-tier system’s more than fifteen years of history but by the recent changes of the national curriculum, exam structure and requirements as well.
Die Beiträge des Bandes präsentieren zentrale Befunde des von der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft geförderten Projekts ,,Abiturprüfungspraxis und Abituraufsatz 1882 bis 1972". Auf der Basis eines umfangreichen ...und in einer digitalen Forschungsumgebung bearbeiteten Korpus deutscher Abituraufsätze wurden - ergänzt durch die Analyse weiterer Quellen - Prüfungspraktiken rekon struiert und kontextualisiert. Aufgearbeitet wurden sowohl bildungshistorische, juristische und administrative Konstellationen als auch fach- und schreibdidaktische Paradigmen, die einen historischen Blick auf die sogenannte Königsdisziplin der Abiturprüfung eröffnen, die ihre Rolle auch gegenwärtig im Streit um die Erwerbsbedingungen der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife behauptet. (DIPF/Orig.)
The contributions in this volume present key findings from the Leibniz Association-funded project "Abiturprüfungspraxis und Abituraufsatz 1882 bis 1972". On the basis of an extensive corpus of German ...Abitur essays processed in a digital research environment, examination practices were reconstructed and contextualised - supplemented by the analysis of further sources. Educational history, legal and administrative constellations as well as subject and writing didactic paradigms were analysed, opening up a historical view of the so-called supreme discipline of the Abitur examination, which is also currently asserting its role in the dispute over the conditions for obtaining the general higher education entrance qualification.
Die Beiträge des Bandes präsentieren zentrale Befunde des von der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft geförderten Projekts „Abiturprüfungspraxis und Abituraufsatz 1882 bis 1972“. Auf der Basis eines umfangreichen und in einer digitalen Forschungsumgebung bearbeiteten Korpus deutscher Abituraufsätze wurden – ergänzt durch die Analyse weiterer Quellen – Prüfungspraktiken rekonstruiert und kontextualisiert. Aufgearbeitet wurden sowohl bildungshistorische, juristische und administrative Konstellationen als auch fach- und schreibdidaktische Paradigmen, die einen historischen Blick auf die sogenannte Königsdisziplin der Abiturprüfung eröffnen, die ihre Rolle auch gegenwärtig im Streit um die Erwerbsbedingungen der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife behauptet.
The paper presents the results of a qualitative exploratory study of secondary school principals’ perspectives on the State Matura model, and the issues of equality and equity of access to higher ...education for vocational and grammar school pupils. These questions are analysed in the context of increasing aspirations of young people towards higher education, the massification of higher education, and the strategic positioning of the Republic of Croatia towards increasing the share of highly educated citizens. Equality of access to higher education implies that all pupils who wish to study have the right to access the State Matura, a prerequisite for entering tertiary education, under equal conditions and criteria. The issue of equity means that every pupil has an equal opportunity to access tertiary education. The results point to generally positive attitudes regarding the State Matura as a uniform system of external exams that enables assessment of the acquired knowledge and skills in the same manner and using the same criteria for all pupils. Principals’ critical perspectives include questioning the suitability of the certification function of the State Matura for grammar school pupils and the weakening of the selective function due to additional testing of pupils’ knowledge and skills by tertiary education institutions. The perspectives of grammar school and vocational school principals on equality and equity of access to tertiary education are distinctly different. While grammar school principals view equity through the prism of providing equal conditions and criteria for all, vocational school principals recognise that the lack of equity arises from a different educational experience and the scope of what is taught in vocational programmes. Existing educational policy mechanisms aimed at addressing the less favourable status of vocational school pupils are insufficient to equalise the opportunities of pupils from various secondary school programmes.
The present research investigates gender gaps in the results of secondary school exit exams (Matura) in mathematics in Poland in 2015. The analysis shows that, in the basic level exam, males are ...highly overrepresented at the upper end of the score distribution. The same pattern did not exist in the extended-level Matura. Two explanations are offered here. The differences are driven by gender self-selection in high school programs. Students who decide on maths-related tracks have more maths lessons than other students. Secondly, a student who takes the extended Matura also has to take the basic Matura exam. As a result, the population of students taking the basic Matura is highly differentiated in terms of maths competence and motivation. Additionally, the analysis of differential item functioning (DIF) shows that only a few items were flagged as having DIF.
The study focuses on matura exams conducted at secondary technical schools in Czechoslovakia during the so-called normalisation period (1969-1989). It describes their form, organisation and course. ...At the same time, however, it also presents the practice (including the reasons for this practice) that the communist regime in Czechoslovakia used to influence the exams. The text is based on the recollections of eyewitnesses - secondary technical school teachers, obtained through the oral history method within the historiographical approach of the history of everyday life, as well as on the study of historical archival sources, period legislation and periodicals. In addition to the actual form, organisation and course of the matura exam at secondary technical schools, the study shows how teachers and students coped with the challenges posed by the communist regime in relation to the exams.
AbstractThis research provides empirical evidence that the socioeconomic improvement effect of remittances is dependent on the local status in recipient countries. Using regression and the two-stage ...least squares (2SLS) method, we first show that remittance size is associated with migration travel intentions. Second, the article demonstrates that in an unstable environment, even though remittances have a positive immediate effect, the influence of remittances on other longer-term proxies is significantly negative. Such finding is different compared with most of the current studies on remittance and its effects. The reason may be attributed to the departure of skilled workers from their home country decreases local socioeconomic development. The remittances and foreign connections help people with migration intention to move out and more easily settle in destination countries. Finally, we propose a potential policy direction to encourage local residents to directly consume or invest remittances in local society to improve development and decrease migration intentions.
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