Abstracts
Abstract
In this study, we examined the perceptions of students with disabilities of the effectiveness of assessment accommodations in one major university in Tanzania using a case-study design. Data were collected from 113 students with disabilities by using questionnaires and focus-group discussions, as well as from eight staff members through interviews. Data were then analyzed thematically and descriptively. The findings indicated that the most prevalent assessment accommodations offered to students with disabilities were special examination rooms, extended time during examinations, and assistive technologies such as computers and Braille. Although instructors offered assessment accommodations, there were instances of unfit test formats, delayed feedback to students whose examinations were in Braille, and a lack of awareness about assessment accommodations among instructors. The findings call for enhanced capacity building among faculty members in universities on appropriate assessment accommodations and on inclusive practices.
Keywords:
- Assessment accommodations,
- student perceptions,
- universities,
- disability
Appendices
Bibliography
- Abrahams, D., Batorowicz, B., Ndaa, P., Gabriels, S., Abebe, S. M., Xu, X., & Aldersey, H. M. (2023). “I’m not asking for special treatment, I’m asking for access”: Experiences of university students with disabilities in Ghana, Ethiopia, and South Africa. Disabilities, 3(1), 114–128. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities3010009
- Bê, A. (2019). Ableism and disablism in higher education: The case of two students living with chronic illnesses. Alter, 13(3), 179–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alter.2019.03.004
- Braun, A. M. B., & Naami, A. (2021). Access to higher education in Ghana: Examining experiences through the lens of students with mobility disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 68(1), 95–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2019.1651833
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage.
- Brown, N., & Ramlackhan, K. (2022). Exploring experiences of ableism in academia: A constructivist inquiry. Higher Education, 83(6), 1225–1239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00739-y
- Brown, W. M. (2007). Virginia teachers’ perceptions and knowledge of test accommodations for students with disabilities [Doctoral dissertation, William & Mary University]. William & Mary ScholarWorks. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-43at-ze71
- Campbell, F. K. (2009). Contours of ableism: The production of disability and abledness. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230245181
- Cawthon, S. W. (2006). National survey of accommodations and alternate assessments for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in the United States. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 11(3), 337–359. https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/enj040
- Christensen, K. M., & Byrne, B. C. (2014). The built environment and community integration: A review of states’ Olmstead plans. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 25(3), 186–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044207313493009
- Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge.
- Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage.
- Datta, P., Halder, S., Talukdar, J., & Aspland, T. (2019). Barriers and enablers to inclusion of university students with disabilities in India and Australia. In S. Halder & V. Argyropoulos (Eds.), Inclusion, equity and access for individuals with disabilities (pp. 525–553). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5962-0_26
- Dingyloudi, F., & Strijbos, J.-W. (2018). Mixed methods research as a pragmatic toolkit: Understanding versus fixing complexity in the learning sciences. In F. Fischer, C. E. Hmelo-Silver, S. R. Goldman, & P. Reimann (Eds). International handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 444–454). Routledge.
- Edwards, M., Poed, S., Al-Nawab, H., & Penna, O. (2022). Academic accommodations for university students living with disability and the potential of universal design to address their needs. Higher Education, 84(4), 779–799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00800-w
- Elbaum, B. (2007). Effects of an oral testing accommodation on the mathematics performance of secondary students with and without learning disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 40(4), 218–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224669070400040301
- Fernández-Batanero, J. M., Montenegro-Rueda, M., & Fernández-Cerero, J. (2022). Access and participation of students with disabilities: The challenge for higher education. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), Article 11918. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911918
- Goodley, D. (2014). Dis/Ability studies: Theorising disablism and ableism (1st ed.). Routledge.
- Hamraie, A. (2016). Universal Design and the problem of “post-disability” ideology. Design and Culture, 8(3), 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/17547075.2016.1218714
- Hollenbeck, K., Tindal, G., & Almond, P. (1998). Teachers' knowledge of accommodations as a validity issue in high-stakes testing. The Journal of Special Education, 32(3), 175–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/002246699803200304
- Ingham, E. (2018). Attitudes towards disability in society viewed through the lens of critical disability theory: An analysis of Me Before You. Counselling Psychology Review, 33(1), 2–12. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpscpr.2018.33.1.2
- Ingstad, B. & Eide, A. (2011). Disability and poverty: A global challenge. In A. Eide & B. Ingstad (Eds.), Disability and Poverty: A global challenge (pp. 1–14). Policy Press. https://doi.org/10.56687/9781847428868-003
- Izquierdo, M. C., & Pedrero, E. F. (2014). Estimating the reliability coefficient of tests in presence of missing values. Psicothema, 26(4), 516–523. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2014.98
- Jain, N. R. (2022). Why crip assessment? Critical disability studies theories to advance assessment for inclusion. In R. Ajjawi, J. Tai, D. Boud, & T. Jorre de St Jorre, Assessment for inclusion in higher education (1st ed., pp. 30–40). Routledge.
- Kendall, L. (2016). Higher education and disability: Exploring student experiences. Cogent Education, 3(1), Article 1256142. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1256142
- Ketterlin-Geller, L. R. (2008). Testing students with special needs: A model for understanding the interaction between assessment and student characteristics in a universally designed environment. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 27(3), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.2008.00124.x
- Kimaro, A. R., & Kapinga, B. B. (2020). An assessment of instructors’ classroom assessment practice in selected higher learning institutions, Tanzania. Tengeru Community Development Journal, 7(1), 54–66. https://ticd.ac.tz/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/kimaro-4.pdf
- Kisanga, S. E. (2019). It is not our fault. We are the victims of the education system’’: Assessment of the accessibility of examinations and information for students with visual impairment in Tanzania. Journal of the International Association of Special Education, 19(1), 15–26. https://www.iase.org/_files/ugd/6cc07a_5fd9bbea196c481a889ff4e9b108f79e.pdf
- Kisanga, S. E. (2022). Coping with educational barriers in Tanzanian inclusive education settings: Evidence from students with sensory impairment. Current Psychology, 41(7), 4750–4759. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00977-w
- Lopez, N. J., Uphold, N. M., Douglas, K. H., & Freeman-Green, S. (2020). Teaching high school students with disabilities to advocate for academic accommodations. The Journal of Special Education, 54(3), 146–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466919892955
- Lovett, B. J. (2021). Educational accommodations for students with disabilities: Two equity-related concerns. Frontiers in Education, 6, Article 795266. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.795266
- Lovett, B. J., & Leja, A. M. (2013). Students’ perceptions of testing accommodations: What we know, what we need to know, and why it matters. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 29(1), 72–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2013.751477
- Majoko, T. (2018). Participation in higher education: Voices of students with disabilities. Cogent Education, 5(1), Article 1542761. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1542761
- Mapunda, P. H., Omollo, A. D., & Bali, T. A. L. (2017). Challenges in identifying and serving students with special needs in Dodoma, Tanzania. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 11(1), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-017-0036-8
- Meekosha, H., & Shuttleworth, R. (2009). What’s so ‘critical’ about critical disability studies? Australian Journal of Human Rights, 15(1), 47–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/1323238X.2009.11910861
- Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. (2014). Sera ya elimu na mafunzo [Education training and policy]. Government of Tanzania. https://www.moe.go.tz/sw/miongozo-nyaraka/rasimu-sera-mitaala
- Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. (2021). National strategy for inclusive education (2021–25/2026). Government of Tanzania. https://www.moe.go.tz/sw/nyaraka/national-strategy-inclusive-education202122-252026
- Mwakyeja, B. M. (2013). Teaching students with visual impairments in inclusive classrooms: A case study of one secondary school in Tanzania [Master’s thesis, University of Oslo]. https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/36642/1/MasterxsxThesis.pdf
- Ngonyani, J. C., & Mnyanyi, C. B. (2021). Assessing the relevance of assistive technologies for persons with disabilities in higher learning institutions: A case of the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. European Journal of Special Education Research, 7(2), 52–70. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v7i2.3712
- Nieminen, J. H. (2020). Student conceptions of assessment accommodations in university mathematics: An analysis of power. Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 25(3-4), 27–49. https://doi.org/10.7146/nomad.v25i3-4.149069
- Nieminen, J. H. (2022a). Assessment for inclusion: Rethinking inclusive assessment in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 26(4), 841–859. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.2021395
- Nieminen, J. H. (2022b). Unveiling ableism and disablism in assessment: A critical analysis of disabled students' experiences of assessment and assessment accommodations. Higher Education, 85(3), 613–636. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00857-1
- Otyola, W. R., Kibanja, G. M., & Mugagga, A. M. (2017). Challenges faced by visually impaired students at Makerere and Kyambogo Universities. Makerere Journal of Higher Education, 9(1), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.4314/majohe.v9i1.6
- Possi, M. K., & Milinga, J. R. (2017). Special and inclusive education in Tanzania: Reminiscing the past, building the future. Educational Process International Journal, 6(4), 55–73. https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2017.64.4
- Preiser, W. F., & Ostroff, E. (Eds.). (2001). Universal design handbook. McGraw-Hill.
- Rao, S., & Gartin, B. C. (2003). Attitudes of university faculty toward accommodations to students with disabilities. Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education, 25(2–3), 47–54. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ854908.pdf
- Sharma, U., Shaukat, S., & Furlonger, B. (2015). Attitudes and self‐efficacy of pre‐service teachers towards inclusion in Pakistan. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 15(2), 97–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12071
- Sigurdardóttir, A. K. (2010). School–university partnership in teacher education for inclusive education. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 10(S1), 149–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2010.01160.x
- Sireci, S. G., Scarpati, S. E., & Li, S. (2005). Test accommodations for students with disabilities: An analysis of the interaction hypothesis. Review of Educational Research, 75(4), 457–490. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543075004457
- Tanzania Commission for Universities. (2019). Handbook for standards & guidelines for university education in Tanzania (3rd ed.). https://tcu.go.tz/sites/default/files/file_uploads/2024-01/No.%2001%28a%29%20-%20HANDBOOK%20FOR%20STANDARDS%20AND%20GUIDELINES%20FOR%20UNIVERSITY%20EDUCATION%20IN%20TANZANIA%20%20-%203rd%20Edition.pdf
- Thurlow, M. L., House, A. L., Scott, D. L., & Ysseldyke, J. E. (2000). Students with disabilities in large-scale assessments: State participation and accommodation policies. The Journal of Special Education, 34(3), 154–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/002246690003400304
- Tungaraza, F. D. (2012). Sixty years of special needs education in Tanzania: Celebrating audacity, commitment, and resilience. LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research, 9(1), 86–109. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/lwati/article/view/80043
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2022). Sustainable development goals. https://www.unesco.org/en/sdgs
- United Nations General Assembly. (1948, December 10). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
- University of Dar es Salaam. (2022). Policy on disability and special educational needs. Dar es Salaam University Press.
- Valle-Flórez, R.-E., de Caso Fuertes, A. M., Baelo, R., & García-Martín, S. (2021). Faculty of Education professors’ perception about the inclusion of university students with disabilities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), Article 11667. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111667
- Weis, R., & Beauchemin, E. L. (2020). Are separate room test accommodations effective for college students with disabilities? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(5), 794–809. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1702922
- Yssel, N., Pak, N., & Beilke, J. (2016). A door must be opened: Perceptions of students with disabilities in higher education. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 63(3), 384–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2015.1123232

