Equity or advantage? The effect of receiving access arrangements in university exams on students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD)

Duncan, Helen 2021. Equity or advantage? The effect of receiving access arrangements in university exams on students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD). PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

Preview	PDF (PhD Thesis) - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (16MB) | Preview
	PDF (Cardiff University Electronic Publication Form) - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (1MB)

Abstract

Abstract Formal, timed, written, closed book examinations are a common feature of the educational system in UK Universities and aim to assess the subject knowledge, skill and ability of all the candidates in the cohort in a uniform way. Adjustments, such as extra time and use of a word processor, may be made to the administrative conditions of exams for students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) where standard exam conditions may unfairly disadvantage this particular cohort. These adjustments are intended to remove construct-irrelevant barriers and promote parity of assessment, where time is not the construct being measured by the exam. However, granting exam access arrangements violates the principle of assessing all candidates in a uniform way (by changing the administrative conditions for some candidates) and so raises concerns that, rather than creating parity of assessment, these adjustments may inflate the results of those students to whom they are granted and thereby lead to an unfair advantage. The purpose of this research was to identify, through an analysis of actual exam data, the impact that exam adjustments have on the exam performance of students with SpLD and thereby help reconcile this debate of ‘equity or advantage?’ Specifically, the length of exam script, marks, and degree classification achieved by students with SpLD were compared with those of their typically developing (TD) peers who sat the same exam under standard conditions to ascertain if any differences existed. The empirical data revealed that, although the exam adjustments improved the performance of the participants with SpLD, this cohort still achieved lower results than their TD peers who took the same exam under standard conditions. Interviews with students with SpLD illuminated this outcome by identifying the multiple and various disadvantaging barriers that pervade teaching and learning, culminating in underperformance in exams and a resultant awarding gap. The quantitative data for this project was collected between 2016 – 18, when assessment comprised primarily timed, formal, closed book, written exams. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 prompted a rapid shift in university assessment processes from this traditional exam format towards open book, digital, assessments with a time span of 24 hours or more. While, post-pandemic, Universities appear committed to retaining the benefits of on-line assessment formats, most have resumed the inclusion of some timed, formal, closed book, written exams as part of their assessment portfolio, in response to concerns about academic integrity in online assessment environments (Reedy et al, 2021). Thus, the outcomes of this project continue to v be relevant to University assessment practices post-pandemic and have a unique contribution to make to post-pandemic decisions about assessment policy and practices. APA 7th Ed. referencing style has been used in this thesis.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 May 2022
Last Modified:	16 May 2022 14:38
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/149765

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item