Self-reporting and test discrepancy: evidence from a national literacy survey in Bangladesh

Type Journal Article - International review of education
Title Self-reporting and test discrepancy: evidence from a national literacy survey in Bangladesh
Author(s)
Volume 53
Issue 2
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2007
Page numbers 119-133
URL http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11159-007-9037-0
Abstract
This paper aims to explore the discrepancy between self-reported and test-based literacy estimates in Bangladesh. It uses the Education Watch national literacy survey data of 2002, during which the literacy status of a nationally representative sample was identified using the two methods referred to above. The findings revealed that the literacy rate generated through a literacy test was significantly lower than that found when the self-report method was used. The level of discrepancy varied from one population group to another, indicating that literacy assessment using the self-report method cannot be equally appropriate for all population groups. Those with a few years of schooling were at a particular risk of over-estimating their status. The paper makes a case for a written literacy assessment rather than an oral evaluation.

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