Literature in the Saudi Arabian Setting - Case Study Example

Student name: Student number: Course name & code: Instructor’s name: Department: Date of submission: INTRODUCTION This essay focuses on Assessment in literature in the Saudi Arabian setting. In Saudi Arabian high schools, educational assessments are carried out by the use of examinations. Being a High school mathematics teacher, I will look into the various practices, strategies and theories in educational assessment in Saudi Arabia. This study is about assessment of the various themes in the field of literature unlike the other forms of assessment which is used by the examiner to award grades to students or assessments for academic qualifications. It is also not facilitated by any external demands. I will engage an extremely large number of academic researchers who are involved and actively participate in matters of education like the teachers and also the learners. At this point, it is worth realizing that if we want to achieve any significant transformation on academic assessment we have to integrate the central concern which is most vital but not only to apply separate tests and courses (Elwood & Klenowski 2002). This task is organized into three parts which are then subdivided into subparts. First, I have presented a historical analysis of and a critical reflection of on the core themes to be discussed next is a comparison of the contextual framework and also blending different factors and ideas on the assessment (Engelhard 2003). These factors are: the current assessment epistemology, an assessment as a social practice, assessment and communities of practice, an assessment strategies, an assessment for learning, of learning and as learning, Formative assessment, Assessment judgment, Assessment ethics, Assessment equality, Assessment subjectivity an Interview at least one key stakeholder another teacher, learner or assessment manager. Lastly, I have prepared a practicable action plan of steps to enhance your own assessment practice (Elwood &Klenowski 2002). Themes in literature A theme in literature refers to a repetition that occurs in the story after story or in different kinds of movies. Sometimes a book may seem to have a certain distinct and a unique premise that is behind it. After sometime you may discover that the same theme could be repeated in different stories. Themes that are contained in books sometimes tend to differ from the plot. There are some people, however, who think that the two are similar but which is not the case. This difference between the theme and the plot can well be illustrated using an example. Assuming that the plot is a representing of the actions of the character or the morals behind a certain story and which underlies the plot, then from the above description, we can therefore conclude that a theme is the message which is contained in a given story and which describes or delivers a certain opinion concerning life. They are therefore the way human beings behave and how they interact in the society (Elwood & Klenowski 2002). One way of identifying and differentiating themes from summaries is by creating some charts and simply labeling the charts as that you have as "the message." By doing this it helps students to always remember that a theme is interpreted as a message and it can be found and applied in our day to day life. It becomes complicated than a mare moral explicitly stated when it occurs at the end of a story. In addition, we may have many themes in a given story or a novel that are woven together Elwood &Klenowski 2002). The table below shows some themes commonly used in literature. Acceptance By characters that respect and appreciate others’ differences and beliefs. Courage Brave characters that got the strength to overcome fears and deal with any risk. Perseverance The characters under this category do not give up no matter the situation. Cooperation Characters who work together to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Comparison These books have characters who try easing the suffering of others. Honesty It is a type of literature with characters who always tell the truth. Kindness Generous characters who are always considerate to one another. Loyalty People that have developed trust on each. Current assessment epistemology The study is about class assessment unlike the kind of assessment that is used to give academic qualifications or is as a result of demands from outside. These tests can either make or break a student depending on how they are designed. In this research, I will try to engage an extremely large number of academic researchers who participate in activities relying to education as much as possible In order to achieve transformation of academic assessment; the transformation assessment should be integrated as a central concern and not as separate tests and courses. This is aimed at demonstrating how some of the beliefs have failed and has how they are unjustified, they are unreasonable, and they are below the stand intellectually. Some people merely beliefs in them for the sake of it. They are epistemologically challengeable in some way where you believe without supporting the argument on the other hand, a lot of facts and evidences claims that these beliefs that they are only valid when dealing with inferential based propositions and there is no evidence that can be used against the propositions (Engelhard 2003). Transformed epistemology however seeks to defend the faith as rational. It does this by demonstrating theistic belief as a proper base and a reasonable basic although it is not held as an inference from other forms truths. It is worth nothing that Reformed epistemology has denies the theistic arguments it is still necessary to rational belief in God and many of its believers theistic arguments of various sorts as providing that belief with additional warrant(Engelhard 2003) Models of learning in Saudi Arabia The Saudi Arabian education system draws a lot of its relevance and instructions from strict Muslim laws. Some of these laws, for instance the law of gender segregation, exert a lot of pressure on the existing education system. This law interferes greatly with the interactions between students and teachers and also interactions amongst students on a social basis. This also affects the number of girls able to access quality education. The education system in Saudi Arabia is under constant review and development. One of the reasons for this is the advancement in technologies that call for a total face lift of systems. The facelift involves the restructuring and overhauling of existing education systems. Another reason for development in the education system is because in the recent times, there is very little interaction between teachers and students. This is attributed to the sharp increase in class sizes. The growth is as a result of the government’s focus on making maximum profit from the education sector. (Reem, 2012). The models of learning put in place in the country currently include; the blended learning model, the face-to-face model and the online learning model. These models are enacted individually, while in some instances, two or three are integrated together. (Reem, 2012) Assessment as a social practice Educational assessments are carried out to determine the academic achievements and progress of students within a school system. In positioning assessment within a constructivist theory of learning, assessment is regarded as essentially a social (and political) practice. Constructivist theories of learning are also congruent with social epistemologies, sociological analyses and critical traditions in which knowledge is conceptualized as a collective and social process (Popkewitz, 2005). The process of academic assessment involves the direct interaction of assessors and students within a social setting. This brings about a lot of emotions and reactions from which, valuable inferences are made. The relationship between emotion and assessment is a complex one and also a focus of growing appreciation by researchers and educators. In addition to cognitive and social dimensions, emotions are recognized as playing a key role in the assessment processes and in shaping the relationship between assessment and identity. Emotion is regarded as having either an inhibitory or constructive relationship with learning and therefore with assessment for learning (Yorke, 2003). The emotional characteristics of both learners (supervisees) and teachers (supervisors) are also influential factors in assessment for, of and as learning. Thus critical theorists such as Lutz, recognize the links between discourses on emotion and discourses on gender and also highlight the paradoxical nature of (western) discourses on emotion, which characterize emotions as both ‘a sign of weakness’ and a ‘powerful force’. How the supervisor and supervisee, as well as the organization in which they work construct emotion, will therefore determine whether emotion is utilized in order to facilitate or hinder learning. Formative Assessment The challenge of ensuring effective learning conditions and strategies in schools brings rise to an opportunity of formative evaluation. A good example of formative assessment in a classroom setting would be the Assessment for learning program (AFL). This program is geared towards promoting positive interactions within the classroom setting. The program dictates that students should be able to clearly understand whatever they are being taught. In the Saudi Arabian context, it would be difficult to implement AFL because of the strict segregation laws that interfere with the interaction process. The use of feedback in formative assessment has been linked with a positive impact on the learner’s self-esteem, self-attribution and readiness to learn (Yorke, 2003). Peer feedback is viewed as being more effective at times, in enhancing learner motivation and in being ‘easier to accept’ than critiques from supervisors (Nicol and MacFarlane-Dick 2006). Positive feedback loops can therefore occur when formative and collaborative assessment processes are used to enhance learner motivation, feelings of competence and autonomy, which then lead to further learning processes (Battistich et al. 1995). In much the opposite way, negative feedback loops can also develop whereby supervisors who are critical or provide feedback that is unhelpful, then damage their supervisee’s confidence and motivation and hence their capacity to learn and develop their social work practice. Formative assessment processes are present in different types of education supervision including ‘line’ supervision or supervision by a program manager, ‘peer’ (and group) supervision and ‘clinical’ supervision such as that provided by an external practitioner. The value of ‘peer’ and ‘clinical’ supervision, over ‘line’ supervision is recognized, as the relationships within these forms of supervision are considered more horizontal than hierarchical and thus seem to have a greater potential for collaboration. Assessment strategies Different students/institutions require unique strategies/methods of assessment. These strategies include performance assessment whereby a teacher observes and records the progress of students at a given task. This helps teachers identify weak areas in students and strategize on how to help students improve. It also provides a platform for students to sharpen their skills at given tasks. (Canadian Council of Teachers) Another strategy is teacher led conferences whereby teachers interview students in order to evaluate their progress and also to determine their strong and weak areas. Another strategy would be self assessment by the students where the students evaluate and assess their progress in various academic tasks. Peer supervision is one such example of an assessment ‘community of practice’ in which learning and assessment processes are collaborative, co-operative and formative. Within this context learners can share their experiences and dilemmas of working with particular clients or issues and the other learners can complement these accounts by sharing their own interpretations and experiences. In this way a ‘richer’ account or description is generated, allowing greater opportunities for creative problem solving and ‘unique outcomes’ (White, M and Epston, D. 1990). Assessment ethics All processes in life are governed by a set of rules and regulations and assessment is no exception. There are rules and laws that draw the parameters in the process of assessing groups or individuals. The ethics give guidelines and direction on how to go about assessment Assessment judgment After assessment, judgment is made based on the findings of the assessment process. The judgment is made against a performance rubric following specified criteria. The judgment after assessing students is recorded for reference purposes and then teachers plan their course of action based on the results. Assessment equity This pushes for equal opportunity to all students during assessment. The same method of assessment should be applied when assessing a group of students so that fair judgment is made and some students don’t feel favored over others. This also ensures that there are no biases and uncertainties or assumptions in the assessment process. Assessment of themes in Literature Teachers together with researchers are in the education field exhibit a strong professional aim during the process of evaluating the practice which forms effective assessments in the education. While pursuing these objectives it is important for teachers and also for pupils to increase in a community growth practice and that there must be anything in the assessment process that should be hidden. Challenge facing the students and teachers in present day in the classrooms mostly understanding and learning on understanding on how to assess the themes that are contained in literature. Assessment strategies which is used to access the themes may determines the stage at which the assessment is done and hence the performance of the given task. This is done step by step analysis of the literature being studied. Assessment subjectivity If we may consider the subjectivity as well as the objectivity and continues process we may come up with various scoring throughout its length. The themes to be tested are evaluated objectively and there is only one correct answer or response pattern even the complex situations. The themes do not require to be judged to be true (Engelhard 2003). Recommendations This study was aimed are carrying out a research on how to improve professional assessment on the themes formed in literature. It also tried to propose a learning plan to improve on professional development on assessment. The study has three cycles of research; to identify the extent that can be used to implement the assessment tool could address the challenges of assessment for quality learning in higher education (Engelhard 2003). Everyone has to play a role to enhance the process of assessment be it the teachers or the students most importantly the parties should be in a position to ask questions whenever there is an issue arising. (Falchiko & Boud 2007). All parties should strive to enhance the assessment of the themes. There should be a clear explanation of procedures to be used while assessing the themes. This will ensure that there is uniformity and also professionalism in the assessment. (Falchiko & Boud 2007). Teachers should bring extents together so as to design a proper assessment program. They also need to identify other important parties who should be incorporated in the program. These include professional consultants, parents, among others (Falchiko & Boud 2007). Appendix An outline showing assessment Plan 1. Name of the department:…………………………………………………………… 2. Contact person………………………………………………………………………. 3. Degree Program:…………………………………………………………………….. 4. Mission: 5. Educational Goals/Objectives 6. Procedure 6.1. Define the goals of the education program and also its objectives 6.2. Identify and describe the tools or methods to be used to assess the themes in literature 6.3. Determine the process that will be used to disseminate and to facilitate the process of assessment 6.4. Draw a time table for accomplishing the previous chapters. For each academic unit establish a schedule for selecting and implementing the results of the assessment strategy 6.5. You should perform a subjective assessment on the objectives and methods of performing the assessment. 6.6. Initiate the phase of implementation of the assessment strategy and effect the changes needed. References: Elwood, J. &Klenowski, V. 2002, 'creating communities of shared practice: the challenges of assessment use in learning and teaching', Assessment &Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 27, no. 3,pp. 243-256. Lund, A. 2008, 'Assessment made visible: Individual and collective practices', Mind, Culture, and Activity, vol. 15, no. 1,pp. 32-51. Johnston, B. 2004, 'Summative assessment of portfolios: an examination of different approaches to agreement over outcomes', Studies in Higher Education, vol. 29, no. 3,pp. 395-412. Engelhard, G. 2003, 'Measurement, trust, and educational assessment', Measurement, vol. 1, pp. 21-26. Stobart, G. 2008, Testing times : the uses and abuses of assessment, Routledge, London ; New York. Yorke, M. 2003, 'Formative assessment in higher education: Moves towards theory and the enhancement of pedagogic practice', Higher Education, vol. 45, no. 4,pp. 477-501. Falchikov, N. &Boud, D. 2007, 'Assessment and Emotion', in D. Boud& N. Falchikov (eds), Rethinking Assessment in Higher Education, Routledge, London. Battistich, V., Solomon, D., Watson, M. &Schaps, E. (1995) Schools as communities, poverty level of student populations, and students’ attitudes, motives and performance: a multilevel analysis, American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 627–658. Nicol, D. & MacFarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative Assessment and Self regulated learning; a model and seven principles of good feedback practice.Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 31, No. 2, April 2006, pp.199-218. White, M. &Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends. New York: WW Norton. Read More