A theoretical justification for the design and refinement of a Test of Advanced Language Ability (TALA)

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dc.contributor.advisorWeideman, A. J.
dc.contributor.advisorDu Plessis, C. L.
dc.contributor.authorSteyn, Sanet
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-13T08:20:04Z
dc.date.available2019-08-13T08:20:04Z
dc.date.issued2018-09
dc.description.abstractThe emphasis on political equality among the official languages of South Africa makes equivalence in the instruction and assessment of these languages at school level an important objective. The results of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination signal a possible inequality in the measurement of language abilities between the set of Home Languages (HLs) offered, as well as in the measurement of First Additional Languages (FALs). This necessitates action on the part of applied linguists to find a viable instrument for equivalent assessment. In order to do so, one must first find common ground among the various languages on the basis of which one can then derive a generic set of abilities that form part of an advanced language ability in any of these languages. As components of an overall ability, these will inform an idea of advanced language ability on which the further articulation of a construct for such a test should be based. This study explores the assumption that there are certain functions of language that all languages have in common, even though these different languages may not necessarily operate equally well in all material lingual spheres of discourse. Using as a theoretical basis the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), as well as current thinking about language teaching and assessment, this study not only provides a definition and further explication of advanced language ability but also describes the design of an assessment instrument to test this ability, the Test of Advanced Language Ability (TALA), that operationalizes the components of this construct. This test could potentially be the basis of a new, generic component of the NSC examination for Home Languages that might provide us with an instrument that can be demonstrated to be equivalent in terms of measurement, should it prove possible to develop similar tests across all the Home Languages. The study concludes with an evaluation of this instrument, a critical look at the limitations of the study and an overview of the potential utility of both the instrument and the findings of this investigation beyond its original aims.en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipInter-Institutional Centre for Language Development and Assessment (ICELDA)en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipUmalusien_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11660/10275
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherUniversity of the Free Stateen_ZA
dc.rights.holderUniversity of the Free Stateen_ZA
dc.subjectDissertation (M.A. (English))--University of the Free State, 2018en_ZA
dc.subjectGeneric ideas of languageen_ZA
dc.subjectDifferentiated ideas of languageen_ZA
dc.subjectLanguage abilityen_ZA
dc.subjectAcademic literacyen_ZA
dc.subjectMaterial lingual spheresen_ZA
dc.subjectLanguage assessmenten_ZA
dc.subjectResponsible test designen_ZA
dc.subjectTest equivalenceen_ZA
dc.subjectHigh-stakes testsen_ZA
dc.subjectSchool exit examinationsen_ZA
dc.titleA theoretical justification for the design and refinement of a Test of Advanced Language Ability (TALA)en_ZA
dc.typeDissertationen_ZA
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