Testing and evaluating literacy materials

Once materials have been prepared, they need to be evaluated for quality, effectiveness, and acceptability. To do this, you need to test specific kinds of materials with the audiences for whom they are intended before producing them in large quantities. This testing is often conducted in a pilot class. The feedback received from these people can give valuable input on changes that may be needed.

Some specific kinds of materials needing testing are:

• instructional materials

  Note:

  Instructional materials usually require more extensive testing than other types of materials.

• illustrations
• teachers guides and other instructions
• stories and other supplementary materials

Here is a prerequisite for testing and evaluating literacy materials:

• You need to understand the evaluation process.
• You need to understand the materials testing process.

Here are some objectives of testing and evaluating literacy materials:

• To find out if they are easy to use and attractive to the people for whom they are written.
• To determine whether or not their content is culturally, politically, and ideologically acceptable.
• To discover and correct any errors that might still be present.
• To determine if the orthography can easily be read.
• To determine if the language used is clear, natural and appropriate for the group.
• To determine if the illustrations are appropriate and communicate what is intended.
• To determine if the instructions are clear and easy for the teachers to follow.

Here are some prerequisites for testing and evaluating literacy materials:

• You need to have well-defined objectives for the literacy materials.
• You need to identify the group that will be tested.

• You need to carefully edit the materials.

  See:	Editing literacy materials

• You need to have draft copies of the materials that will be tested.

• Decide what kinds of materials you want to test and evaluate.
• Design an appropriate test.

  See:	Methods of evaluation and testing

• Determine who could best administer the test.
• Train the test administrators.
• Determine who should take the test.
• Decide when and where the test should be administered and make appropriate arrangements.
• Conduct the tests.
• Evaluate the results of the tests.
• Make appropriate changes in materials based on results of tests.

• Task module: Testing and evaluating literacy materials, by Trudy K. Stewart (contributor) and Leah B. Walter (compiler)
• In task module: Evaluating components of a program, by Julia R. Van Dyken (contributor) and Stephen L. Walter (contributor)
• In task module: Implementing a literacy program, by Carole P. Spaeth (compiler)
• In modular book: Implement a literacy program, by Carole P. Spaeth (compiler) and Leah B. Walter (compiler)
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 22 October 1999

© 1999 SIL International