An analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in South Africa
I report on an analysis of the alignment between the South African Grade 12 Physical Sciences core curriculum content and the exemplar papers of 2008, and the final examination papers of 2008 and 2009. A two-dimensional table was used for both the curriculum and the examination in order to calculate...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Education Association of South Africa
2010-01-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Education |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002010000400005 |
| _version_ | 1828261934481276928 |
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| author | Nazeem Edwards |
| author_facet | Nazeem Edwards |
| author_sort | Nazeem Edwards |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | I report on an analysis of the alignment between the South African Grade 12 Physical Sciences core curriculum content and the exemplar papers of 2008, and the final examination papers of 2008 and 2009. A two-dimensional table was used for both the curriculum and the examination in order to calculate the Porter alignment index, which indicates the degree of match between the two. Alignment indices of 0.8 and 0.6 for Physics and Chemistry, respectively, were computed and remained constant for Physics, but fluctuated initially for Chemistry before levelling off. Using the revised Bloom's taxonomy, discrepancies were found in terms of cognitive levels as well as content areas in both Physics and Chemistry. The cognitive level Remember is under-represented in the Chemistry and Physics examinations, whereas the cognitive levels Understand and Apply were over-represented in Chemistry. It is argued that the shift to higher cognitive levels is in line with the reported increase in cognitive complexity of the Physical Sciences curriculum. The significance of the study for Physical Science teachers is highlighted, and the potential for further research is also indicated. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:48:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ddfe3669b5bb464f9cff53a59921f41b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0256-0100 2076-3433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:48:28Z |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | Education Association of South Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-ddfe3669b5bb464f9cff53a59921f41b2022-12-22T03:03:57ZengEducation Association of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Education0256-01002076-34332010-01-01304571590An analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in South AfricaNazeem EdwardsI report on an analysis of the alignment between the South African Grade 12 Physical Sciences core curriculum content and the exemplar papers of 2008, and the final examination papers of 2008 and 2009. A two-dimensional table was used for both the curriculum and the examination in order to calculate the Porter alignment index, which indicates the degree of match between the two. Alignment indices of 0.8 and 0.6 for Physics and Chemistry, respectively, were computed and remained constant for Physics, but fluctuated initially for Chemistry before levelling off. Using the revised Bloom's taxonomy, discrepancies were found in terms of cognitive levels as well as content areas in both Physics and Chemistry. The cognitive level Remember is under-represented in the Chemistry and Physics examinations, whereas the cognitive levels Understand and Apply were over-represented in Chemistry. It is argued that the shift to higher cognitive levels is in line with the reported increase in cognitive complexity of the Physical Sciences curriculum. The significance of the study for Physical Science teachers is highlighted, and the potential for further research is also indicated.http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002010000400005alignmentassessmentChemistrycognitive levelcurriculum contentPhysicsrevised Bloom's taxonomy |
| spellingShingle | Nazeem Edwards An analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in South Africa South African Journal of Education alignment assessment Chemistry cognitive level curriculum content Physics revised Bloom's taxonomy |
| title | An analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in South Africa |
| title_full | An analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | An analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | An analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in South Africa |
| title_short | An analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in South Africa |
| title_sort | analysis of the alignment of the grade 12 physical sciences examination and the core curriculum in south africa |
| topic | alignment assessment Chemistry cognitive level curriculum content Physics revised Bloom's taxonomy |
| url | http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002010000400005 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nazeemedwards ananalysisofthealignmentofthegrade12physicalsciencesexaminationandthecorecurriculuminsouthafrica AT nazeemedwards analysisofthealignmentofthegrade12physicalsciencesexaminationandthecorecurriculuminsouthafrica |