Narrative Report
Research tools
The main research tool for this study was the
Mauritius Examinations Syndicate’s Report on the
CPE examination for the year 2000. This yearly report usually gives an idea about how students have performed in the different subjects, excluding the
Asian language. It contains all the examination papers for the year and a detailed analysis of the quality of answers for each question. The percentage of pupils giving the right answer is specified. This allows an evaluation of how the candidates perform in the different types of questions, especially in terms of
ELCs and DLCs.
The analysis of the CPE text-books for the core subjects allows one to check whether information to answer the questions asked at the examination can be found in the text-books.
Additionally, some primary school teachers were interviewed in a group and others individually and privately. I must add that I have gained a good insight into primary school teaching through my own past research experience and through my interaction with primary school teachers during the course of my lectures where they usually talk freely about their classroom practice. I also asked a group of teachers to answer a short questionnaire but I was not too satisfied with the answers as they seemed to think that they should be answering in the ‘right way’. They said that they practised all the teaching strategies which they had learned about during their training and this is in complete contradiction with what they say during classroom discussions when attending lectures at the MIE.
The analysis of performance of the core examination papers reveals a striking common feature: a high percentage of the CPE students are not successful in
Section B. Section B tests the DLCs, the higher-order thinking skills of primary school children. According to the MES report (2001:5), this section is used for discrimination purposes and is meant to be more difficult than Section A. An
The main research tool for this study was the
Mauritius Examinations Syndicate’s Report on the
CPE examination for the year 2000. This yearly report usually gives an idea about how students have performed in the different subjects, excluding the
Asian language. It contains all the examination papers for the year and a detailed analysis of the quality of answers for each question. The percentage of pupils giving the right answer is specified. This allows an evaluation of how the candidates perform in the different types of questions, especially in terms of
ELCs and DLCs.
The analysis of the CPE text-books for the core subjects allows one to check whether information to answer the questions asked at the examination can be found in the text-books.
Additionally, some primary school teachers were interviewed in a group and others individually and privately. I must add that I have gained a good insight into primary school teaching through my own past research experience and through my interaction with primary school teachers during the course of my lectures where they usually talk freely about their classroom practice. I also asked a group of teachers to answer a short questionnaire but I was not too satisfied with the answers as they seemed to think that they should be answering in the ‘right way’. They said that they practised all the teaching strategies which they had learned about during their training and this is in complete contradiction with what they say during classroom discussions when attending lectures at the MIE.
The analysis of performance of the core examination papers reveals a striking common feature: a high percentage of the CPE students are not successful in
Section B. Section B tests the DLCs, the higher-order thinking skills of primary school children. According to the MES report (2001:5), this section is used for discrimination purposes and is meant to be more difficult than Section A. An
References: BROADFOOT P. (1996) Education, Assessment and Society, Open University Press FISHER R. (1995) Teaching Children to learn, Stanley Thornes Comments are welcome ©MCA, 2007. No part of this material may be reproduced without prior permission from Shakuntala Payneeandy and the MCA.