Dear colleagues
As an educational researcher, I have previously carried out research into the learning needs of students with dyslexia. This has afforded me a sensitivity to potential barriers that such students may encounter during learning and assessment. On reviewing a multiple choice question (MCQ) assessment recently, I was given access to the student sheets. These comprised an examination script together with a separate gird on which the student was expected to record their single response for each question. The grid itself was a generic one used across the institution and therefore, for administrative convenience involved letters for the response options which extended well beyond the five options (A to D) presented to students in the particular assessment I was reviewing. The grid itself took the form of a matrix, with question numbers down the rows and the elongated list of letters for response options along the columns. It seemed to me that there were potential processing issues associated with the tasks of migrating from the question sheet to the grid to find the correct row for the question under consideration and ignoring the irrelevant response options on the grid. However, when I raised the possibility with the programme team that these issues may be of relevance to students with SpLDs, it appeared that I was being perceived as a bit pedantic, as after all, dyslexic students are given more time in the exam anyhow. My own view is that the allocation of more time as a one size fits all solution to assessment issues for students with dyslexia is not satisfactory. Have others encountered the above issues and does anyone have views to share on my concerns?
Best wishes
Margaret
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Dr Margaret MacDougall
Medical Statistician and Researcher in Education
Centre for Population Health Sciences
College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Teviot Place
Edinburgh EH8 9AG
Tel: +44 (0) 131 650 3211
Fax: +44 (0) 131 650 6909
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.chs.med.ed.ac.uk/cphs/people/staffProfile.php?profile=mmacdoug
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