Teachers’ views on access arrangements
Teachers’ views on access arrangements
By Rosalind Moran
Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash
Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash
To mark the UN's International Day of People with Disabilities, we explore Cambridge research on what teachers in eight different countries think about access arrangements for students with disabilities taking exams.
First published in Research Matters: A Cambridge University Press & Assessment publication, the paper by Carmen Vidal Rodeiro and Sylwia Macinska seeks to understand the perspectives of teachers - and their students - on how well access arrangements work.
Access arrangements are pre-exam arrangements to remove barriers that might prevent students with specific needs from accessing the assessment and demonstrating their knowledge and skills in an exam. For example, students with dyslexia may be granted additional time, while students with visual impairments might receive exam papers with larger print.
Vidal Rodeiro and Macinska surveyed teachers about access arrangements provided by Cambridge International whose international education programmes and qualifications are designed for 5 to 19 year olds.
The 258 participants in their online survey study were a mixture of exam officers, teachers (who also relayed student feedback), and senior management in Cambridge schools and colleges in eight countries: Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, South Africa and Switzerland.
Photo by Betsy Arce on Unsplash
Photo by Betsy Arce on Unsplash
Varying awareness of access arrangements
The researchers found that awareness of provision for access arrangements in examinations varies substantially across different countries’ education systems. 60 percent of the respondents said that they were aware of such provisions – but almost 30 percent did not know of them. 13 percent of the respondents mentioned that there was no provision for access arrangements in their country’s education system.
The 93 percent of respondents who were aware that Cambridge International offers access arrangements for their examinations were asked whether their schools had appropriate resources to provide access arrangements. 94 percent of them agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “My school has appropriate resources to provide the required access arrangements”. Only eight respondents – located in Malaysia, Oman, and South Africa – disagreed with the statement. There were no reported resourcing issues in schools in Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Switzerland, or Myanmar.
Photo by Bima Rahmanda on Unsplash
Photo by Bima Rahmanda on Unsplash
Consensus on use and fairness
The study found that teachers in eight countries overwhelmingly agreed that access arrangements are useful for students permitted them when sitting examinations; teachers across the globe are aware of how accommodating students’ needs is important and effective in helping them reach their potential.
The majority of respondents – over 90 percent – disagreed with the notion that students without access arrangements regard such arrangements as unfair. The study also found minimal evidence of stereotypes surrounding the idea that access arrangements give students with disabilities or other special needs an unfair advantage: close to 85 percent of teachers disagreed or strongly disagreed with this idea. Only a small minority of respondents, primarily in Indonesia and Malaysia, believed that access arrangements provide an unfair advantage.
Nevertheless, the study also found that close to 30 percent of respondents – mainly in Indonesia, Malaysia and Italy – thought that students granted access arrangements for their examinations do not need them.
Communication is key
Commenting on these findings, researcher Vidal Rodeiro said that work is still needed to ensure the purpose of access arrangements is communicated effectively.
“Not all people or education systems prioritise or understand the value of access arrangements – even though research has found that such arrangements can be vital in ensuring all individuals have a fair opportunity to succeed in exams,” said Vidal Rodeiro.
“Our own research suggests that while many teachers and students do understand how such arrangements can be valuable, more work within the education sector is needed to raise further awareness of their usefulness, fairness and effectiveness when used appropriately.”
Fellow author Macinska noted the wider context within which access arrangements exist.
“It is critical that teachers, students, and wider society are aware that access arrangements do not change the assessment demand or reduce its validity,” said Macinska.
“By offering the provision of access arrangements in exam settings, educators are ensuring that students are assessed fairly – and that wider society does not miss out on talented individuals, with motivation and potential, due to these not being supported enough through their assessments to enable them to demonstrate their knowledge and skills fully.”
Access arrangements can help foster greater educational equality – and students deserve a level playing field.
Cambridge is a leader in education research. You can learn more about this aspect of our work on our Assessment Network and Research page.
Image captions
Image 1Photo by Zainul Yasni on Unsplash
Image 2Photo by Charles DeLoye on Unsplash
Photo by Zainul Yasni on Unsplash
Photo by Zainul Yasni on Unsplash
Photo by Charles DeLoye on Unsplash
Photo by Charles DeLoye on Unsplash
Built with ShorthandTeachers’ views on access arrangements
Cambridge researchers Carmen Vidal Rodeiro and Sylwia Macinska seek to understand the perspectives of teachers - and their students - on how well access arrangements work.
