Senator West gave notice earlier that he proposed to raise the following matter on the Adjournment:
The necessity for an oral examination in modern languages in the leaving certificate.
Adjournment Debate: Oral Examination in Modern Languages.
I welcome this opportunity to raise this specific problem concerning the necessity for oral examinations in modern languages in the leaving certificate. In modern languages I include French, the most widely taken language, German, Spanish and Italian. When the new syllabus for the teaching of these languages was drawn up in 1968 it was stated that the main aims of the teaching should be to enable the pupil (a) to understand the target language as spoken by an educated native; (b) to develop accuracy and fluency in oral expression; (c) to read at sight; (d) to translate passages; and (e) to acquire competence in writing and also to become competent in composition and to deal with prose from dictation.
Various proposals were drawn up and suggestions were made about the implementation of an oral examination in these subjects. So far no oral examination has been put into effect in the leaving certificate examination. I would urge that this be done with all expediency. The necessity of an oral test must be clear to everybody, particularly as we are now members of the EEC. This has greatly increased travel, commerce and cultural relations with our EEC neighbours. The four languages I have mentioned, and English, are the main languages of the Community. We are particularly fortunate that English is the most widely spoken language in the Community. If it were not we certainly would have had oral tests in our State examinations long before now. I would urge the Minister to change this situation as soon as possible.
I sat the leaving certificate in 1954 and I regret to say that I got Honours French in the leaving certificate after one year's study. I got a rather high mark in Honours French. I could not speak a word of the language, but I proved very adept at learning passages of French prose off by heart, at learning standard answers to standard questions and generally becoming an expert at examination technique. This stood me in good stead in other situations later but that is no reason for leaving the situation as it is.
I have travelled quite extensively in the EEC and the teaching of languages which I received in secondary school has had very little effect on me. I am guilty of not having made more efforts in recent years. I get by because English is such a widely spoken language, but the point is that I am just an obvious and glaring example of someone who has emerged from our Irish secondary school system practically untouched by modern European linguistic culture.
The syllabus committee of the Department of Education, reconvened in May, 1973, stressed the necessity for oral examinations in the modern languages. Because the syllabus has been written with an oral test in mind a considerable number of schools have geared their teaching towards the actuality of an oral test in the leaving certificate. This has left schools in the lurch. The Department have been less than fair to them. In 1968 the Department announced that there may be an oral assessment and in 1974 there still is not one. All arguments are in favour of this test. It seems to me that in principle the necessity for an oral assessment has been accepted by the Minister. It also appears that the only problems are the practical ones of actually putting oral examinations into operation.
I have proposals before me for oral examinations which are broadly supported by the modern languages leaving certificate syllabus committee of the Department of Education, the National Committee of Modern Language Study and the National Commission for the Teaching of Modern Continental Languages of the Royal Irish Academy. The Department are aware of these proposals and of the proposals of their own committee. They are also aware of the findings of the national commission on teaching of modern languages. Both groups have proposals for the leaving certificate examinations which would incorporate oral tests as well as a written examination. They suggest that there should be aural comprehension test derived from an unprepared passage to be read by a native speaker on a tape for candidates at the examination. Oral expression was also to be tested by individual examination conducted by suitably competent examiners, which would include the reading of an unseen passage by the candidate and a conversation with the examiner on a simple everyday topic. Perhaps some topics would be outlined in advance and they have set out a marking structure which might possibly be followed. There is obviously flexibility in this sort of thing and considerable discussion is needed to determine what is the best system. But there is no question that all these bodies support the general principle.
These papers also discuss the problems concerned with conducting such an examination, the arranging for the moderating of marks by the examiners and random checks on the procedures of the oral examinations. Perhaps the examiners would submit tape recordings of oral examinations. The importance is stressed of making clear to the oral examiners that the candidate is being tested, not the teacher or the school. They also consider the problems of recruitment and training of examiners, the problem of standardising marking and the idea of sending specimen tests to schools, arranging for specimen examinations and of course the problem of payment of examiners.
Clearly the recruitment of examiners is something that would come about through discussions between the Department and the interested bodies such as the ASTI. The National Commission on the Teaching of Modern Languages has worked out a rough allocation for the subject of French. Working on normal hours with four candidates per hour taking the examination over a period of eight days, they suggest that at the current number of students taking French, 73 examiners would be needed for the leaving certificate and 113 examiners for the intermediate certificate. Examiners could be teachers who would not be examining the school in which they were actually teaching. They could be people who were formerly teachers; married women who were formerly teaching French, and examiners could be recruited from the universities. There are a fairly broad spectrum of people who would be suitable to act as examiners provided they were given the proper briefing and instruction by the Department.
It seems that the only problems are practical ones in actually introducing the oral. The principle has been accepted and the most convincing argument is that in the leaving certificate there is an oral examination in Irish which indicates that where pressure is sufficiently strong the problems can be overcome.
Ba mhaith liom ar an gcéad dul síos mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Seanadóir Trevor West ós rud é gur thug sé cúpla nóiméad dom. Tar éis sin ba mhaith liom chuidiú leis san mhéid atá curtha aige ós comhair an tSeanaid.
I merely want to say that down through the centuries language has been used as the vehicle through which people convey their thoughts. The spoken language is tremendously important. I know from experience that children at a very young age are able to converse in two languages in this country, Irish and English. There is not any confusion; they do not get mixed up. The Irish people are not inferior to those living on the Continent or elsewhere. Our children are well able to assimilate one, two, three or four languages if they get the opportunity. It is up to us to give that opportunity to our children because since we entered the EEC a new window has been opened up for us onto Europe.
For the first time in many generations many people in this country now realise that there are languages other than Irish or English. French, German, Italian and other languages used on the Continent have become tremendously important. It is true to say that practically nobody at present can consider himself even half educated if he has not at least some smattering of a foreign language. Senators who have travelled abroad and been on the Continent know how proud these people are of their own language and the great disadvantage it can be to our people who go out there if they have not some idea of what the other people are talking about. No interpreter can take the place of the person who can interpret for himself in his own mind what his opposite number is trying to convey.
Some years ago at a vocational conference and here lately in the Seanad I put forward the view that an effort should be made in the future to start on French, German or Italian even in our national schools. There should be some method whereby this could be squeezed into the curriculum in view of the fact that we can now make use of tape recorders and various other media.
Recently there was a statement by a gentleman who came to this country to set up a printing company to produce those interesting magazines for school-going children, Spraoi, Sonas and Siamsa. His comment regarding French was that he found out that even some of the text books which were circulating here were not true French.
While I know that our teacher are excellent teachers so far as teaching French and other languages is concerned, it is important for parents to realise that unless the children are able to use the language orally, unless they are able to speak with a French person or a German or Italian when they meet them, there is no point in their saying they passed the leaving certificate or any other examination.
Children should not be denied the chance to acquaint themselves with the pronounciation and so on of a foreign language. It is important that we should try to cherish all the children of the nation equally. If it was made compulsory for children to have a spoken knowledge of these languages for their leaving certificate, it would be very important to them in after life. At present people from many parts of this country cannot enter our universities despite the fact that their parents contribute towards their support. The universities seem to have set certain standards and chosen certain subjects, some of which are not available in parts of the country. Consequently, some children cannot enter the universities.
I feel Senator West's request is very necessary. The children of Ireland will thank the Minister if he accedes to this. We are living in a new age. Most people get a certain amount of satisfaction if, when they meet foreign people— French, Italians or Germans—they are able to converse with them in their own languages. It will also make us more proud of and have a greater respect for our own language. The more languages we know the easier it is to acquire a second, a third or a fourth language. I thank Senator West for raising this matter.
The question of introducing oral tests as part of the leaving certificate examination in modern languages is one which has been a matter of concern to the Department of Education for some years—since 1968, in fact. This matter has been under constant review during that period and consultations have taken place with various interests involved—at university and in the other levels of teaching.
The Department of Education have held the view—one which I, personally, support—that it is desirable, educationally, that some test of a pupil's oral ability should be a component of the examination in any modern language, especially at leaving certificate level. There is no need for me to enlarge on that point. An exemplification of the Department's view, already referred to by Senator West, was the introduction of the oral examination in the leaving certificate examination in Irish.
One of the reasons advanced in favour of the introduction of the oral test is the continuing and progressive emphasis laid in the teaching process on audio-visual and audio-lingual methods, the purpose of which is to develop oral competence. The Department have encouraged and aided the development of teaching methods along these lines and have also introduced measures at intermediate certificate level to test oral competence in modern languages. I am referring here particularly to the voluntary assessment by the schools themselves of the pupil's oral ability, which is accepted by my Department as a proportion of the marks finally given to the pupils. Here we touch on the kernel of the matter under discussion and points to which I will refer later.
May I pose the question as follows? Which is the soundest approach educationally to the whole problem of the application of oral tests in modern languages—an externally administered and monitored examination or a school-based test giving the result of a continuous assessment by the school? As I have said, however, I shall return to this in a moment.
The other measure introduced by the Department of Education at intermediate level has been the alternate examination in French. This examination, which is being taken by an increasing number of schools, has been in operation for the last few years. Its purpose is to cater for those schools which have adopted an almost completely audiovisual audio-lingual approach to the teaching of French. This examination contains a definite oral component. A recording on tape forms part of the examination and 50 per cent of the total marks go to oral expression and aural comprehension.
The Department of Education over a number of years have been working gradually—some would say, perhaps, too cautiously—towards the development of oral examination techniques in modern languages. Whether we are now at the point where these techniques could be effectively and fruitfully applied at leaving certificate examination level is one of the problems which has faced and is still facing the Department. In a situation where the vast majority of our teachers of modern continental languages are still in the process of perfecting their knowledge of the languages they are teaching, have we a sufficient body of skill and expertise among their necessarily limited numbers to ensure an oral examination procedure which will produce fruitful results?
In case there is a misunderstanding, I hasten to add that I should not be taken as questioning the competence of the teachers. I am merely saying that the pool of expertise is limited to those actually teaching modern languages and that the degree of technical expertise required for an effective examination procedure at this level is very high. We would in fact have to train practically all our modern language teachers in the sophisticated techniques required. This of course, is possible and desirable, but obviously it would take time. I am mentioning it here merely as one of the difficulties inherent in this problem of oral examination at leaving certificate level.
The main difficulty however, lies in the area I have already mentioned. Should oral tests in modern languages, together with practical tests in practical subjects, be more educationally effective if carried out as part of an externally administered and externally monitored examination or should they form part of the continuous assessment of the pupil's competence carried out by the school as part of the educational process?
The educational world in general for some time now has been developing the idea of greater participation and greater autonomy by the school and by the individual teachers in the total educational process, of which examinations form a part. In some countries, such as Belgium, what we call public examinations are administered and monitored by the individual school. It is unlikely that we shall ever go as far as that in granting autonomy to the school, nor perhaps would the schools themselves desire such a position. We are however encouraging schools to be more and more active in certain areas of autonomy. I mention, for instance, the transition year project, which has been introduced into a number of schools during the current school year. This project gives schools and teachers a greater degree of autonomy in the devising of the school programme of activities than has ever obtained in our schools before this.
This however is only an example of a certain approach towards education in general where pupil participation, teacher participation and school participation is stressed. It is the view of the Department of Education that the area of assessment of oral ability of the individual pupil is one which is uniquely susceptible to school-based, teacher-based continuous assessment.
Unfortunately the teaching associations would prefer the externally administered and externally monitored type of oral examination, which at best can test only very limited areas of oral competence and which would be difficult to administer. I have already mentioned one of the main difficulties, the value of which would be very questionable. I notice that all the proposals referred to by Senator West are put forward on the basis of externally administered and monitored tests. Such an examination would be open to the criticism that, while making a nodding gesture in the direction of recognising the necessity for oral testing in principle, it would not in fact test what it purported to test.
There is another factor which must be taken into consideration. The question of the setting up of an independent examination board is under active consideration. If such a board is constituted it will undoubtedly formulate its own examination techniques. Since this area of oral testing in modern languages is one on which there are opposing ideas, it would seem to me better not to make a definite commitment until the area has been thoroughly researched.
May I refer briefly in this connection and make a plea for a sense of reality in relation to the extent to which the State is able to undertake additional expenditure on educational proposals and the need to recognise the fact that further progress in certain areas can only be achieved on the basis of a readiness not to attach a price tag to every activity? Nobody is more pleased than I am at the improvements effected in teachers' salaries in recent years and that the stage has been reached when the general level of salaries for the profession bears favourable international comparison on any basis which may be considered. The process of bringing the salary scales for women and single men to the level for married men, which the present Government have undertaken and which will be completed by December, 1975, raises still further the status of the great majority of the general body of teachers but entails very heavy additional expenditure on the educational Votes. The estimated additional cost in this respect for teachers in first and second level schools is of the order of £12 million for the year 1976.
If this question of payment for assessment is important, may I appeal to teachers not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs and to accept that certain desirable educational reforms, which teachers recognise as highly desirable and strongly recommend, cannot be undertaken on the basis of additional State expenditure? I would ask that they should reconsider their attitude in relation to conditions which they attach for participation in these reforms.
In this, may I return to my suggestion that there is a definite opposition of idea here. I am in favour of school-based assessment and greater autonomy for schools. I am not in a position to suggest at this point that greater expenditure should or can be undertaken. Therefore, until this question of the opposition in principle of the two ideas of examination is settled, I cannot hold out any hope to the profession that this matter will be resolved in the early future.
May I add, finally, that nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see the matter resolved, having spent the greater part of my own existence as teacher in this particular field.
The Seanad is adjourned sine die.