Grammatical issues in preparing bilingual examination questions at a tertiary ODL institution

Hazidi Abdul Hamid, and Che Norazlina Mohamad, (2019) Grammatical issues in preparing bilingual examination questions at a tertiary ODL institution. In: International Conference on Education (ICE 2019), 10-11 April 2019, Kuala Lumpur.

Preview

Text library-document-1165.pdf - Published Version Download (368Kb) | Preview

Abstract

This paper examines grammatical problems in bilingual examination papers at an Open Distance Learning tertiary institution. Bilingual examination papers evoke multiple problems particularly when aiming for equal meaning in both languages and no grammatical errors. Errors may persist even with extensive care and diligence. Errors may be problematic for both learners and the academicians grading the papers. English - Malay translation is a popular area of study in Malaysia with numerous papers but, to date, we found no literature examining grammatical problems in translating examination questions from English into Malay, nor Malay into English, particularly in the context of ODL institutions that provide bilingual examination questions. This absence evokes questions on the nature of the grammatical (and syntactical) problems. This paper examines bilingual examination questions selected from multiple disciplines to ascertain the types of errors that appear in them. These findings are compared to errors from other genres. Analysis shows two areas of grammatical errors: in verbal elements (VP) and prepositional phrases. This may be because these constituents require knowledge of the semanticity more than structure and form. Knowledge the specific kind of errors here may help the institution to provide training for people involved focusing on the specific area where it is needed. (Abstract by authors)

Actions (login required)

View Item