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dc.contributor.advisor | Roux, Karen | |
dc.contributor.coadvisor | Mihai, Maryke | |
dc.contributor.postgraduate | Mthimkhulu, Sinethemba | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2023-12-14T10:22:21Z | |
dc.date.available | 2023-12-14T10:22:21Z | |
dc.date.created | 2024-05 | |
dc.date.issued | 2023 | |
dc.description | Dissertation (MEd (Assessment and Quality Assurance))--University of Pretoria, 2023. | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | In today's interconnected and rapidly evolving world, reading literacy stands as a fundamental skill that empowers individuals to thrive intellectually, socially and economically. This study aimed to shed light on the factors that might have a bearing in reading literacy, with a specific focus on isiZulu, using insights derived from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) data. The PIRLS trend assessments have revealed that South Africa is experiencing a ‘reading crisis’ in that all South African Grade 4 learners’ achievement falls below the International Benchmark. This study investigated measurement invariance as a possible factor that might have contributed to the difference in learner achievement in isiZulu when compared with English scores. IsiZulu learners came across words such as “i-Hammerhead shark” in the PIRLS achievement booklets that could not be translated into isiZulu by professional translators. It is challenging to expect Grade 4 learners to comprehend and answer items derived from these words if they are difficult to translate or unavailable in isiZulu. To ascertain equivalence, item difficulty was examined to ascertain whether the level of difficulty was the same for the two groups. Functional equivalence was examined to ascertain the behaviour of the items in the two groups. Using Rasch Measurement Theory (RMT), Differential Item Functioning (DIF) was conducted to determine biases towards the learners who completed the PIRLS 2021 assessment in isiZulu. Descriptive statistics revealed that there is a significant difference between the English and isiZulu mean scores. Raw scores and Rasch Analysis displayed some items in the passage lacked metric and functional equivalence. | en_US |
dc.description.availability | Unrestricted | en_US |
dc.description.degree | MEd (Assessment and Quality Assurance) | en_US |
dc.description.department | Science, Mathematics and Technology Education | en_US |
dc.description.faculty | Faculty of Education | en_US |
dc.description.sdg | SDG-04: Quality Education | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | * | en_US |
dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.24784086 | en_US |
dc.identifier.other | A2024 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/93787 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.publisher | University of Pretoria | |
dc.rights | © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. | |
dc.subject | Differential item functioning | en_US |
dc.subject | Equivalence | en_US |
dc.subject | Measurement invariance | en_US |
dc.subject | PIRLS 2021 | en_US |
dc.subject | Reading literacy | en_US |
dc.subject | Secondary analysis | en_US |
dc.subject | Validity | en_US |
dc.subject | UCTD | |
dc.subject.other | SDG-04: Quality Education | |
dc.subject.other | Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) | |
dc.subject.other | Education theses SDG-04 | |
dc.subject.other | SDG-10: Reduced Inequalities | |
dc.subject.other | Education theses SDG-10 | |
dc.title | Examining PIRLS 2021 : differential item functioning across English and isiZulu language groups | en_US |
dc.type | Dissertation | en_US |