Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment

The format of post-16 literature education assessment has not varied much since formal post-16 education began in Malaysia in the late 1950s. While it still relies heavily on the writing of literature essays, conceptualisations of literature as a school subject embedded in examination papers which...

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Main Author:	Lim, Jia Wei
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2017
Online Access:	http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11159/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11159/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11159/1/15760-49550-2-PB.pdf

id	ukm-11159
recordtype	eprints
spelling	ukm-111592017-12-23T03:43:09Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11159/ Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment Lim, Jia Wei The format of post-16 literature education assessment has not varied much since formal post-16 education began in Malaysia in the late 1950s. While it still relies heavily on the writing of literature essays, conceptualisations of literature as a school subject embedded in examination papers which are constructed by different examination boards have changed in important ways. This article argues that identifying these conceptualisations through an analysis of examination papers creates an avenue to provide a different perspective in exploring the development of literature in schools. To demonstrate this, examination papers on Shakespeare and modern literature from two examination sittings administered in Malaysia, one in the year 1968 and the other in the years 2012/2013, are analysed with a focus on whether questions are writer, text or reader-centred while considering how student response, termed outcome space, is framed. This study suggests that conceptualisations of literature have shifted in two ways: the first is a shift from a balance between writer, text and reader-centred questions to a heavy inclination towards text-centred questions which is linked to another noticeable shift in student responses to literature texts that has moved from the expression of personal meaning and interpretation of the text to the demonstration of detailed textual knowledge. Such shifts demonstrate that there is a need to consider literature assessment not only as an end-product of school subject construction but as an active representation of literature that influences the teaching and learning of the subject. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2017 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11159/1/15760-49550-2-PB.pdf Lim, Jia Wei (2017) Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment. 3L; Language,Linguistics and Literature,The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies., 23 (1). pp. 35-48. ISSN 0128-5157 http://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/904
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia
building	UKM Institutional Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
description	The format of post-16 literature education assessment has not varied much since formal post-16 education began in Malaysia in the late 1950s. While it still relies heavily on the writing of literature essays, conceptualisations of literature as a school subject embedded in examination papers which are constructed by different examination boards have changed in important ways. This article argues that identifying these conceptualisations through an analysis of examination papers creates an avenue to provide a different perspective in exploring the development of literature in schools. To demonstrate this, examination papers on Shakespeare and modern literature from two examination sittings administered in Malaysia, one in the year 1968 and the other in the years 2012/2013, are analysed with a focus on whether questions are writer, text or reader-centred while considering how student response, termed outcome space, is framed. This study suggests that conceptualisations of literature have shifted in two ways: the first is a shift from a balance between writer, text and reader-centred questions to a heavy inclination towards text-centred questions which is linked to another noticeable shift in student responses to literature texts that has moved from the expression of personal meaning and interpretation of the text to the demonstration of detailed textual knowledge. Such shifts demonstrate that there is a need to consider literature assessment not only as an end-product of school subject construction but as an active representation of literature that influences the teaching and learning of the subject.
format	Article
author	Lim, Jia Wei
spellingShingle	Lim, Jia Wei Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment
author_facet	Lim, Jia Wei
author_sort	Lim, Jia Wei
title	Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment
title_short	Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment
title_full	Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment
title_fullStr	Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment
title_full_unstemmed	Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment
title_sort	testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment
publisher	Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
publishDate	2017
url	http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11159/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11159/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11159/1/15760-49550-2-PB.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T19:59:31Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T19:59:31Z
_version_	1777406754836971520

Testing the test: exploring conceptualisations of english literature in post-16 literature assessment

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