ERIC Number: EJ1012309
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-4985
EISSN: N/A
Misleading the Public Understanding of Assessment: Wilful or Wrongful Interpretation by Government and Media
Mansell, Warwick
Oxford Review of Education, v39 n1 p128-138 2013
This paper considers the public debate surrounding assessment in English education and presents evidence of the misuse of public data from national tests. Statistics generated by pupil assessments in schools and colleges in England are argued to be subject to misinterpretation by the media and policy makers. The discourse tends either to be sensationalist--for example, raising public anxiety by claiming falling standards--or politically charged--for example, where the incumbent government is criticised by its political enemies for pursuing failing policies--rather than being framed by objective and purposeful interpretations. Examples are provided to illustrate how interpretations by the media and policy-makers can be strikingly at odds with how the figures should properly be read. The paper analyses the propriety of these interpretations and makes suggestions as to how a more cautious approach to the use of results in the public sphere can be promoted.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Data Interpretation, Mass Media Effects, Politics of Education, Government (Administrative Body), Public Officials, Educational Assessment, National Competency Tests, Educational Policy, Policy Formation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom; United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A