시각장애학생을 위한 대학수학능력시험 검사조정 효과 및 요구 분석

Abstract

The Effects and Needs of Test Accommodation on the College Scholastic Ability Test for Students with Visual Impairments

by Dong-Bok Kim Advisor: Young-il Kim, Ed.D. Department of Special Education Graduate School, Chosun University

It has been known that the reading rate of students with visual impairments is lower than that of those without Visual Impairments; such slow reading speed may unfavorably influence the results on academic achievement tests for students with visual impairments. A variety of strategies for accommodating the characteristics and needs of students with visual impairments on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) in South Korea have been employed since its initial administration in 1993. However, little empirical research has been conducted to investigate the effects of test accommodation strategies on the CSAT for students with visual impairments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of test accommodation on the CSAT for students with visual impairments and to examine their awareness of, and needs for, test accommodation on the CSAT. In this study, the research questions were as follows: 1. Are there differences in the reading rate among students with blindness, those with low vision, and those without visual impairments? 2. Does the level of test accommodation with the reading rate as a covariate have effects on increasing each of the four types of test measures in the Language area of the CSAT (total test raw score, the number of unanswered questions, listening test score, the score for nontextual questions)? 3. What are students with blindness and those with low vision aware of the test accommodation on the CSAT in terms of its necessity, effects, and subsequent change in test strategy? 4. What are the needs of both groups for test accommodation on the CSAT in terms of presentation style, response format, test time/schedule, and environment? A total of 71 students (n = 23 for students with blindness, n = 17 for those with low vision, and n = 31 for those without visual impairments) participated in this study. All the participants were the twelfth graders preparing for the CSAT in the 2009 academic year. Students with blindness and those with low vision were distingushed in terms of the type of the primary literacy medium. Data were collected from June to November, 2008. The reading rate was measured by having the participants read aloud three passages (with a total of 2,914 characters) selected from the Language area of the CSAT during the previous year. Their test scores in the Language area were obtained from the results of the CSAT-simulated evaluations at their schools twice from June to November in the year. The participants' awareness of, and needs for test accommodation on the CSAT were examined using a questionnaire. In this study, the major findings were as follows: First, one-way analysis of variance revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the reading rate among the three groups; the post hoc analysis indicated that students without visual impairments read faster than did students with blindness and those with low vision, respectively. The average number of character per minute was 213 for students with blindness, 213 for those with low vision, and 375 for those without visual impairments. Second, repeated-measure analyses of covariance (one between-factor for group, one with in factor for the level of test accommodation, and one covariate of reading rate) revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the total test score and listening test score, respectively, among the three groups, but not for the level of test accommodation and group by test accommodation interaction effects; with regards to the number of unanswered questions, there were also statistically significant differences among the groups and for the level of test accommodation. One-way analyses of covariance with the reading rate as a covariate on the test score for nontextual questions revealed that there were not statistically significant differences at the first time period of test accommodation but at the second time period among the three groups. Third, students with visual impairments responded positively on the five-point rating scale to the need, results, and subsequent change in their test strategies; the frequency analyses indicated that both students with blindness and those with low vision were aware of the importance for test accommodation on the CSAT. Finally, students with blindness and those with low vision, respectively, expressed the need for test accommodation (presentation style, response format, time/schedule, and test environment) appropriate for visual characteristics; they emphasized the use of assistive technology and face-to-face readers for test accommodation in the future.