Sarah J. Howie

Stellenbosch University | SUN · Africa Centre for Scholarship

This chapter reflects on international comparative assessment of young children, introducing some of the issues when conducting large scale assessments of young children. This is followed by two examples of international assessments of young children. Critique of the latest study is discussed, followed by further consideration of the methodological...

The iPIPS study depends in part, on data collected by teachers. Given that the study focuses on young children who themselves vary significantly (Merrell & Tymms, 2015), as well as across different contexts, there are different approaches required raising a range of issues. Therefore, in this chapter, the role of teachers in the assessment process...

This chapter describes the landscape of the assessment of young children given its expansion and scale in recent years. The rationale for the assessments and their functions are presented to provide further context for Part two and the chapters hereafter.KeywordsAssessmentYoung childrenPre-schoolEarly childhood educationQualityPolicy makersHigh sta...

This chapter discusses the methodology and methodological challenges facing and demanded of assessing young children within the international landscape.KeywordsInternational large-scale InternationalComparative assessmentsIEAOECDSACMEQTIMSSPISAEmerging countriesBenchmarkingMonitoringValidityMethodology

In this article, preProgress in Reading Literacy Study (prePIRLS) 2011 data is used to compare the performance of different language of instruction groupings (English, Afrikaans and African languages) in primary schools on the more complex, higher-order reading comprehension items tested in a large-scale international test. PrePIRLS 2011 (N=15 744)...

This study sought to analyse quality of education and its evaluation in Zimbabwean primary schools. A qualitative research methodology was adopted. Thirty-five schools, 73 teachers, 15 school administrators and four Education Officials participated in the study. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires and analysed through thematic...

Preface Alina von Davier The education of the next generation has always been important in all cultures, although a formal educational system was developed or adopted only sporadically in antiquity. One of the earliest formal schools was developed in Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, for example. Move forward 2,000 years, about half way between the Middle Ki...

Missing Not at Random (MNAR) data present challenges for the social sciences, especially when combined with Missing Completely at Random (MCAR) data for dichotomous test items. Missing data on a Grade 8 Science test for one school out of seven could not be excluded as the MNAR data were required for tracking learning progression onto the next grade...

South Africa participated in the simulated online reading PIRLS study to assess online reading versus paper-based reading in Grade 5 in Gauteng. Due to various challenges, the study is classified as a multiple case study. The study revealed some of the challenges South Africa faces in terms of ICT availability in primary schools as well as conducti...

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international study involving more than 50 countries and is conducted once every 5 years. South Africa participated in the PIRLS 2016 study at Grade 5 level as a benchmarking participant. Learners wrote in Afrikaans, English and isiZulu. A representative sample was drawn for the thr...

Grade 4 is a pivotal turning point in the South African school system. In Grade 4, learners must transition from learning how to read, to reading for meaning and learning. An added complication is that in African language schools, learners are taught in the African language from Grade 1 to Grade 3, and then in Grade 4 must switch to English as medi...

A brief summary of the Progress in International Reading Literacy (PIRLS) 2016 findings for South Africa. The report includes overall performance for SA as well as trends with the 2011 cycle. South Africa participated at a national level, and Grade 4 samples were drawn to represent all 11 languages and the nine provinces. The report finds that Sout...

What is the reading literacy achievement of Grade 5 South African learners reading in English, Afrikaans and isiZulu when compared nationally and internationally? The Grade 5 benchmark participation in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 provides insight as to how well South African Grade 5 learners can read in the th...

This report describes the findings of the international Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (iPIPS) study in the Western Cape, South Africa. Assessments of children’s development, behaviour and home background were conducted at the beginning and end of the first year of school with almost 3,000 learners in 112 schools. The aims of the study w...

Increasingly the purpose of monitoring education systems is to evaluate achievement progress across subjects in schooling in response to global calls for improving quality of education for all (Howie, 2013; UNESCO, 2012).

Increasingly the purpose of monitoring education systems is to evaluate achievement progress across subjects in schooling in response to global calls for improving quality of education for all (Howie, 2013).

International assessment studies, such as Southern African Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ), have been playing a major role in informing the education quality debate among policymakers and society in general.

Two cycles of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) were completed in South Africa in 2006 and 2011. In this article, we investigate the qualities of high-performing reading literacy schools for optimal resource management and utilisation strategies for possible application to low-performing schools. We do this against the ba...

The monitoring of quality has been part of the educational landscape for many decades. Originally the need to monitor arose as part of an economic process whereby policy makers wanted to discern the return on investment in education. This bottom line thinking, while still prominent, has receded into the background in light of global changes and the...

In this case study, the professional mathematics teacher identity (PMTI) of final year mathematics education students is investigated in terms of their self-perceived and actualised identity. These prospective teachers were required to discuss and describe their own PMTI in terms of three aspects: mathematics specialisation, teaching-and-learning s...

http://www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/Ministerial%20Task%20Team%20Report%20%20NSC%202014.pdf?ver=2015-03-09-161411-457 Downloaded 16 May 2016

The report focuses on: (a) The “standard” of the South African National Senior Certificate, which involved considering its (i) quality, credibility and fitness for purpose, (ii) promotion requirements, (iii) standing in relation to international examples, (iv) articulation with other areas of our national system and (v) the career pathways it...

In South Africa, very few standard-setting exercises are carried out in education and, if they are, teachers are not involved in their execution. As a result, there is no clear understanding of what the standard is and how it was arrived at. This situation is compounded when teachers are held accountable when learners do not meet the prescribed sta...

This study reports on a doctoral investigation (Van Staden, 2010) to identify and explain relationships between some major learner- and school-level factors associated with successful reading in Grade 5. South African classrooms are characterised by large variation, with linguistically and socio-economically heterogeneous groups of learners. Howeve...

The aim of the study was to explore processes employed in performance assessment in agriculture in Botswana schools. The study employed an exploratory survey design, in which 13 schools were purposively sampled from two regions. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire and some were interviewed. Descriptive statistics (frequency cou...

This chapter describes the experiences from the most recent phase of a 7-year research project in South Africa on school-based monitoring of pupil performance in some 22 primary schools. The project aimed to generate knowledge as well as to design and develop a well-functioning feedback system to provide data to schools on learner performance. The...

“Who is the self that teaches?” is the question at the heart of my own vocation. I believe it is the most fundamental question we can ask about teaching and those who teach – for the sake of learning and those who learn.

The Jomtien conference in 1990 on Education for All is seen by many as a turning point for the introduction of increased monitoring and evaluation of the quality of education systems around the world. Internationally, debates have arisen about the nature and frequency of assessment and its impact on education systems with its intended and unintende...

This article reports on the South African results of a study to identify and explain relationships between some major factors associated with successful reading at Grade 5. With 11 official languages, educational policy in South Africa advocates an additive bilingualism model, and students in Grades 1 to 3 are taught in their mother tongue. Thereaf...

Information Communication Technology (ICT) implementation in Namibian schools is still in its infancy in rural science classrooms at junior secondary school level. The research reported in this paper adapted the Four-in-Balance model that reflects the pillars of the use of ICT in classrooms. In order to explore the extent of the implementation in r...

In information-rich environments, schools are often presented with a myriad of data from which decisions need to be made. The use of the information on a classroom level may be facilitated if performance could be described in terms of levels of proficiency or benchmarks. The aim of this article is to explore benchmarks using data from a monitoring...

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 findings highlighted concerns about reading literacy teaching quality in South African primary schools (Howie et al., 200713. Howie , S.J. , Venter , E. , Van Staden , S. , Zimmerman , L. , Long , C. , Scherman , V. and Archer , E. 2007 . Progress in International Reading Literacy St...

Classroom assessment in sub-Saharan Africa is still largely traditional in nature with its purpose focusing on the assessment of learning rather than assessment for learning. In South Africa, education has undergone a radical transformation in its curricula in the post-apartheid era. Despite the South African curricula's progressive nature, the shi...

South Africa participated in all three of the Second International Technology in Education Study (SITES). In the first international study, South Africa was the only developing country, and therefore, stark contrasts were found in the international study between South Africa and the other participating countries. Chile participated in the SITES 200...

vanputten@up.ac.za, sarah.howie@ up.ac.za, gerrit.stols@up.ac.za This study investigated the attitude towards, as well as the level of understanding of Euclidean geometry in pre-service mathematics education (PME) students. In order to do so, a case study was undertaken within which a one group pre-post-test procedure was conducted around a geometr...

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) initiated the Second International Technology in Education Study (SITES 2006) — a large-scale comparative survey on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in schools. The goal was to understand the pedagogical use of ICTs in schools in 22 educati...

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assessment is an international comparative study of reading skills of Grade Four learners. South Africa’s "rst participation in the study took place in the 2006 cycle (Mullis et al., 2007), with repeat participation planned to take place for PIRLS 2011. PIRLS 2006 results pointed to serio...

Reform and improvement are imperative in the current South African education system. Monitoring of school and learner achievement is an essential for establishing praxis for school improvement. Diversity of culture and South Africa's 11 official languages make it difficult to develop valid monitoring systems. Limited resources, time constraints and...

One of South Africa’s identified priorities is the implementation of ICT in education. To this end a phased implementation plan was initiated in 2004 for ICT to be implemented into schools across the country over eight years. During this time South Africa also participated in three international studies undertaken by the International Association f...

The use of RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) in higher education to assess RPL candidates for admission into programmes of study met with a lot of criticism from faculty academics. Lecturers viewed the possibility of admitting large numbers of under-qualified adult learners, as a threat to the institution’s reputation, or an erosion of academic s...

This study focused on understanding and explaining how teachers experience children in their classrooms who may have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The study was a qualitative study in which 17 teachers from three different schools In Gauteng, South Africa, were interviewed. Content theme analysis was conducted on the textual data...

South Africa's rich multicultural society is reflected by 11 official languages. The Language in Education policy stipulates that children should start learning at school in their home language until Grade 3. In most schools, the language of instruction for all subjects changes in Grade 4 from an indigenous African language to English, which means...

This special issue consisting of analyses of the data of the international comparative Progress in International Reading Literacy Studies aims to contribute to the knowledge on reading literacy internationally. This introductory article is a historical overview of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)'s l...

In the past politics deprived many African children (in particular) in South Africa the opportunity of achieving quality education. This was most especially true in subjects such as mathematics and science. In this research the science teacher-level data from Third International Mathematics and Science Study 1999 (TIMSS’99) were analysed with a vie...

South Africa's education system is still deep in the throes of reform under its third Minister of Education since 1994. Poor communities, in particular those of rural Africans, bear the brunt of the past inequalities. The challenge was to explore the extent of the “gap” in students' scores by comparing the advantaged and disadvantaged communities i...

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 assessment is an international comparative study of reading literacy of Grade 4 learners that is undertaken in 5 year cycles. With the previous PIRLS study having been undertaken in 2001, South Africa's first participation in the study took place in the 2006 cycle. As part of the rea...

This issue of Prospects presents the second group of articles of the Open File with the theme: 'Evaluating students' achievements within different contexts'. The first set of articles was published in the previous issue (vol. 35, no. 1, March 2005). As stated in the introduction to the previous issue, all contributions for this Open File are intend...

South African pupils performed well below the TIMSS international average in 1995 and 1999 and significantly below all other countries (including the other African countries) in the 1999 study. Path analysis, namely Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis, was applied to the South African TIMSS-R data to explore the effect of contextual factors at scho...

The development of international comparative studies of educational achievements dates back to the early 1960s and was made possible by developments in sample survey methodology, group testing techniques, test development, and data analysis (Husén & Tuijnman, 1994, p. 6). The studies involve extensive collaboration, funding and negotiation between...

The second phase of the Mpumalanga Secondary Science Initiative (MSSI) was launched in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa in 2003. The MSSI seeks to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science in all secondary schools in the province over a period of three years. To achieve this goal an in-service system has been developed. The long...

Incoming chemistry students at tertiary institutions have a variety of academic backgrounds that influence their prospects of success at first-year level. The proficiencies of incoming students are currently changing due to the introduction of outcomes-based education and new syllabi for physical science in secondary schools. In order to ensure a s...

SARAH HOWIE is a professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies and Director of the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment at the Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria. Her field of interest and areas of work includes evaluation and assessment; international comparative research; science and mathematics education and learner achievement. Sh...

Special issue. Incl. abstracts, bibl.

International studies of educational achievements have been conducted since the early 1960s. According to Husén and Tuijnman (1994, p. 6), such an empirical approach in comparative education was made possible by developments in sample survey methodology, group testing techniques, test development, and data analysis. A group of American and European...

This paper discusses some results of South African (SA) grade 12 pupils on an international test of mathematical literacy, administered in the framework of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Three questions are address...

South Africa participated in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)in 1995 and its repeat in 1999. In 1995, none of the data on school or teacher level could be analyzed to provide the context for the students' poor achievements in mathematics and science. With the 1999 data now available at both school and teacher levels in...

Focuses on the performance of South African 12th graders on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), exploring the relationship between student background and mathematics literacy. Teacher data and school background data were not available, but findings show that the most significant performance factors were home language, soc...

Explores mathematics results for seventh and eighth graders in South Africa on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) test. Discusses reasons for South African students' relatively low performance by analyzing student background factors. Suggests research needs to study mathematics performance factors in more detail. (SLD)

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the largest and most ambitious international study of mathematics and science achievement ever undertaken with more than 500,000 students in 41 countries being tested in mathematics and science at five different year levels. South Africa is the first country in Africa to have particip...

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the largest and most ambitious international study of mathematics and science achievement ever undertaken, with more than 500,000 school students in 45 countries being tested in mathematics and science at five different school year levels. South Africa is the first country in Africa t...

Apart from the international comparative data and analysis that International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) studies traditionally provide, there is also an opportunity for countries to include national options that may enrich a country's knowledge in a focus area. This paper reports on research that was conducted b...

Valid and reliable assessment of learning depends, amongst other things, on the precise definition of the outcomes and the expected results, as well as on the comprehensive description of performance criteria. In a competence-based approach assessment implies certifying the 'proof of competence' by the student. Competence is seen here in a holistic...

South Africa's education system is still deep in the throes of reform under its third Minister of Education since 1994. However, it is marked by underachievement of pupils at each level of the system. Poor communities, in particular, those of rural Africans bear the brunt of the past inequalities and these are continuously reflected in the national...

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between English second language proficiency and mother tongue proficiency amongst non-native English speakers in South Africa. South Africa participated in PIRLS for the first time in the 2006 study. In addition to the international assessment, South Africa included a national option, a secon...

Special issues. Incl. bibl. references