NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1492076
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2049-6613
Available Date: 2025-11-11
The Impact of Varying Diglossia Conceptualizations on Transparency in Reporting Literacy Achievement in the GCC Region
Fajer M. Bin Rashed1; Reem M. AlQenai2; Lise Westaway3; Rachel Takriti3
Review of Education, v13 n3 e70122 2025
Transparency in assessments means ensuring their validity, reliability and authenticity. While it remains limited in practice when administering internationally validated literacy assessment tools, one major factor necessitates transparently reporting achievement results in light of learners' linguistic repertoires. Sitting these literacy assessments in bi/multilingual Arab settings, like in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), often eventuates in inequitably assessing learners' Second Language (L2) reading skills as opposed to their First Language (L1). This is because Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and English, as official mediums of instruction in government and English schools respectively, are in fact acquired second to learners' home language. Drawing on the PRISMA framework, the research yielded 626 peer-reviewed research articles published between 1970 and 2025 across Scopus and the EbscoHost databases, of which 18 were of relevance to the study. The article concludes that extensive research needs to be developed when it comes to transparency in the educational realm. One major factor that needs to be considered is that the diglossic nature of the Arabic language could create a gap in reporting learners' literacy achievement results. The study found that failure to address the diglossic nature of Arabic in reporting learner results is reflected in the varying perspectives on diglossia in research conducted in the Gulf countries. This urge for transparency requires that learners' cultural and linguistic profiles are noted when comparing results with other monolingual test takers. The study also recommends that educators dilute assessment-related challenges and embrace the different authenticities of MSA and Spoken Arabic Vernacular (SAV).
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Bahrain; Kuwait; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Australian University, West Mishref, Kuwait; 2Kuwait Technical College (KTech), Abu-Halifa, Kuwait; 3United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE