Text and Language in Assessment of Mathematics and Science
Financed by The Swedish Research Council
Project overview
In this project, we study what kind of knowledge is really measured in international tests of students' knowledge of mathematics and natural science, e.g. TIMSS and PISA, as well as in other assessments, e.g. national tests and tests made by teachers. The study will focus on the phrasing of the questions.
Language has proved to be important for learning, and also in assessments. Linguistic obstacles may put to much focus on language as such, particularly for weak students, so the knowledge they demonstrate is primarily reading ability, not knowledge in mathematics and natural science. At the same time, an integral part of learning a subject is to learn the terms and expressions of that subject. It is therefore important to study the effect of language in assessments.
The main purpose of the project is to gain more knowledge of validations of assessments in mathematics and natural science, and to develop tools for such validations. In particular, the written language of the Swedish part of the international studies TIMMS 2003 and PISA 2003/2006 is studied. In a pedagogical-practical perspective, the results of the study hopefully gain insights into the question of what can be regarded as a valid assessment of knowledge in mathematics and natural science.
Participants
- Umeå University, Department of Educational Measurement
- Uppsala University, Department of Curriculum Studies
- Uppsala University, Department of Linguistics and Philology
- Prof. Anna Sågvall Hein
- Eva Forsbom
- Ebba Gustavii (no longer active)
- Markus Saers (no longer active)
Data
The project will primarily be focused on the Swedish part of TIMSS and PISA. More information on TIMSS can be found here, and more information on PISA can be found here.
Publications and presentations
- Ewa Bergqvist. 2009. A VERBAL FACTOR IN THE PISA 2003 MATHEMATICS ITEMS: TENTATIVE ANALYSES. In Tzekaki, M., Kaldrimidou, M. & Sakonidis, C. (eds.) Proceedings of the 33rd Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Vol. 2, pp. 145-152. Thessaloniki, Greece, August 19-24. PME.
- Caroline Liberg, Eva Forsbom. 2009. Text and Language in Assessment of Mathematics and Science. In Saxena, A. & Viberg, Å. (eds.) Multilingualism: Proceedings of the 23rd Scandinavian Conference of Linguistics, Uppsala University, 1-3 October 2008. ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Studia Linguistica Upsaliensia 8, pp. 328-332. Workshop on Readability and Multilingualism. (URN and pdf)
- Eva Forsbom, Ebba Gustavii, Markus Saers. 2008. A TEI Model for TIMSS and PISA Assessments. In Proceedings of the Swedish Language Technology Conference (SLTC'08), p. 9-10. Stockholm, November 20-21. (Abstract pdf)
- Peter Nyström. 2008. Identification and analysis of text-structure and wording in TIMSS-items. In Proceedings of the 3rd IEA International Research Conference (IRC 2008). Taipei City, Taiwan, 18-20 september.
- Caroline Liberg. 2008. A Genre Analysis of the Texts in TIMSS and PISA. Presentation at CSSE DOUBLE SYMPOSIUM AND WORKSHOP: Beyond the Borders of Scientific Literacy: International Perspectives on New Directions for Policy and Practice, UBC, Vancouver, June 3-5.
- Eva Forsbom, Ebba Gustavii, Markus Saers. 2007. Uppmärkning av PISA-frågor [Mark-up for PISA questions]. Project report.
- Eva Forsbom, Ebba Gustavii, Markus Saers. 2007. Uppmärkning av TIMSS-frågor [Mark-up for TIMSS questions]. Project report. Version 2.