기초학력과 기초학력 미달 초등학생들의 국가수준 영어과 학업성취도 평가 수행 비교

The comparison of elementary school students’ performance on the National Assessment of Educational Achievement between Basic and Below Basic levels

The National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEA below) is a nationally representative and continuing assessment of what Korean students know and can do in various subject areas. The English test of 2010 NAEA was administered to all 6th graders to evaluate their achievement levels in four language skill areas, i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing, in relation to the National Curriculum. This study attempted to compare the students’performance on the NAEA between Basic and Below Basic levels, based on the two criteria: main skills domain (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and sub-main skills domain. It was found that “listening” was the main skills domain with the biggest difference of item difficulty between Basic and Below Basic levels for 6th graders. With respect to sub-main skills domain,“understanding words/phrases” showed the largest difference of item difficulty between Basic and Below Basic levels. Results of this study could be a useful guide for efficient English teaching and learning practices for Below Basic level students. Some practical suggestions for policymakers are also presented.