State Matura in Albania 2013

State Matura in albania, 2012 Open SOciety FOundatiOn FOr albania State Matura in albania, 2012 adreSS rr. Qemal Stafa, Pallati 120/2, tirana, albania tel: +355 4 22 34 621/ 22 34 223/ 22 35 856 Fax: +355 4 22 35 855 e-mail: [email protected] Web-page: www.soros.al deSign & layOut Henrik Lezi State Matura in albania, 2012 TIRANA, 2013 part 1 6 Kuadri the regulatory rregullues framework i MaturësofShtetërore State Matura- endrit Shabani Kampioni the sample dheand metodologjia the methodology e studimit of the research gjetjet kryesore Main indings 10 11 12 Chapter Chapter 11 parapërgatitja Maturës shtetërore 2012- sibora preparations forethe state Matura 2012 – sibora DhiMa DhiMa informacioni mbithe provimet e MSH-së information on SM exams Këshillimi për karrierën career counselling alterteksti dhe Matura Shtetërore the alternative text and the State Matura prioritarizimi i lëndëve Subject prioritization18 Këshillimet falas të ofruara e mesme publike Free consultations providednëbyshkollat public High Schools Kurset privateprivate courses përmbajtja e testeve MSH-së by the Ministry of Science the content of tests të administered përzgjedhja dhe trajnimi i administratorëve të provimeve të MSH-së the selection and training of the SM exam administrators 16 17 18 19 20 20 23 24 24 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 the aDMinistration of the state Matura exaMs 2012 aDMinistriMi auron pashai proviMeve të Maturës shtetërore 2012 - auron pasha ambientet e provimit theexam premiseS Ora illimit të provimit the estarting time of the exams Identiikimi i Maturantëve The identiication of High school graduates Shpërndarja e tezave the distribution of tests përdorimi celularëve the use ofi mobile phones persona të paautorizuar unauthorised people Kopjimi gjatë zhvillimit të provimit cheating during the exam Koha dispozicion për provimet timenë available for the exams Vlerësimi për administratorët the evaluation for the exam administrators 28 29 29 29 30 30 32 33 35 35 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 anD DeClaring the results evaluating vlerësiMi Dhe shpallja e rezultateve - enDrit shabani enDrit shabani procesi i vlerësimit të process provimeve the exam evaluation ankimi ndaj rezultatit të evaluation vlerësimit complaints against the Vlerësim për SM MSH-në a generali përgjithshëm evaluation of the 36 37 40 42 rekomandime recommendations 44 Chapter 1 experienCe in high sChool eDuCation Chapter 1 siboranë DhiMa përvoja arsiMin e MesëM - sibora DhiMa theequality of education cilësia shkollimit hours OrëtStudy e studimit Subjects developed lëndët e zhvilluara teacher evaluation Vlerësimi i mësuesve textbooks anddhe themënyra evaluation method tekstet shkollore e vlerësimit 54 55 56 57 58 59 Chapter Chapter 2 2 evaluation on the state MaturaenDrit – enDrit shabani vlerësiMe të Maturës shtetëroreshabani Students their preparation for Stateshtetërore Matura nxënësit dheand përgatitja e tyre për maturën university orientation and dhe career counselling Orientimi për shkollën e lartë këshillimi i karrierës graduation exams provimet e Maturës 60 61 64 65 Chapter 3 faCtors Chapter 3 influenCing the seleCtion of the stuDy prograM sustainable perforManCe: faktorët qëanD nDikojnë në zgjeDhjen e Degës Dhe vijueshMërinë high sChool – graDuation –university e perforManCës: shkollë e MesMe – Maturë setërore - universitet auron pasha auron pasha averagee grade Mesatarja notave Motivation Motivimi Student performance to branch/faculty preference performanca e studentëveaccording sipas preferencës së degës/fakultetit. hours OrëtStudy e studimit.. comparing the quality of education Krahasimi i cilësisë së shkollimit 68 69 69 71 72 73 Chapter 4 stuDents Chapter 4 experienCe with higher eDuCation Dritan nelaj përvoja Me arsiMin e lartë publik - Dritan nelaj 76 7 49 50 50 part 2 Matura dhe arsimi i lartë publik StateShteterore Matura and public university education Studimi post – Matura dhe arsimi i lartë publik post graduation research and public university education Hyrje introduction Metodologjia dhe marzhi gabimit the methodology and ithe error tolerance State Matura in albania, 2012 intrOductiOn Andi Dobrushi Executive Director Open Society Foundation for Albania State Matura in albania, 2012 9 State Graduation is one of the most important processes in the Albanian education system. Its weight is determined by the importance that it carries in the further educational path of the youngsters and at the same time on the influence related to the quality of higher education. State graduation is a voluminous and complicated process, but in principle an accepted answer has to do with the fulfilment of the merit – preference principle, the establishment of a pre-university national standard, the establishment of a unified indicator on the quality of the educational institutions and a mechanism for providing an efficient distribution of the graduates in the higher education. However the State Graduation can not be considered as an isolated island, away from the influence of the lack of ability of the institutions to properly administer the national policies, immunized from the tendencies of different individuals to profit at the expense of the regulations and the social justice or which is uninfluenced from the general opinion of avoiding the system in order to progress faster in personal terms. There have been cases on a continuous basis when many problems are reported in relation to the administration of State Graduation on site, which are related to the process of the preparation of the exams and with their administration and with the evaluations process and publication of the results as well. In order to better understand the problems related to State Graduation, and its impact as well on the higher education, was conducted this study which through the process of qualitative and quantitative data gathering, covers satisfactory a significant period of the similarities between the pre-university and university level. The study is focused on the prepreparatory phase for the State Graduation exams, on the conduct of the exams, the assessment and publication of the results and the experience and academic performance of the students of higher education, who have passed through the State Graduation process. The topic of this study has a specific importance because the processes under focus have a direct influence on the life of the graduates and on the perspective of the Albanian society, because the higher education prepares the qualified human resources, who have an important weight in the determination of the development of the society and economy. The study might serve as an important source of information, judgement and reflection in relation to the implementation of State Graduation and its factual role on the development of higher education. 1. legal FraMewOrK OF State Matura The State Matura is a system of evaluation which since 2002 is regulated by secondary acts based on Law No. 69/2012 “On Pre-university education system in the Republic of Albania”, Article 51. The secondary acts still in power, until new ones are issued, are the Directives of the Minister of Education and Science, as shown below: • • • • 10 • “Regulation on the Process of State Matura 2013 in the Republic of Albania”, date 07.01.2013; Directive No. 35 “On the development of State Matura”, date 27.11.2012; “Measures for the transportation of high school graduates/candidates during the SM exams 2012”; “Procedures for the uniication of certiicates/diplomas of Albanian and foreign high school students who attended their high school abroad”, date 19.01.2012; “Measures for developing the State Matura exams in the second session 2012” date 26.07.2011. Since 2006 until 2012, time when the new law on pre-university education was ratiied, State Matura was organised according to the directives of the Minister of Education and Science based on the Decisions of the Council of Ministers, DCM 78, date 08.02.2006 and DSM 876, date 03.11.2010. 2. tHe SaMple and tHe MetHOdOlOgy OF tHe reSearcH Qualitative approach of this research was mainly focused on seven important cities based on the geographic and social diversity of the Albanian population (Tirana, Shkodra, Kukes, Elbasan, Fier, Vlora and Korca). In addition, the online survey helped to collect data from a wider geographic area, including respondents from other cities of the country. The experts designed the instruments for the quantitative and qualitative approaches, which targeted high school graduates, teachers, exam administrators and examiners. The online survey is conducted from July to September 2012, at the time when the high school graduates had taken all their exams and were informed on the results. The platform was developed on Lime survey and was promoted on social networks like Facebook, programmed to be visible only to the youngsters from 1718 years of age living in Albania . The online survey was visited by 10 536 visitors belonging to this age group. It was illed by 3467 high school graduates out of whom only 998 answered to all of the questions. In order to have an in depth understanding of the identiied problems through the quantitative methods, various qualitative techniques of research were used .Hence, during October 2012 in the cities of Tirana, Shkodra, Kukes, Elbasan, Fier, Vlora and Korca 7 focus groups with high school graduates were conducted. Each focus group was made of 7-10 participants according to the proiles pre-deined by the group of experts. At the same time in these cities were organised more in depth interviews with 14 teachers, who taught in the twelve grade classes, 14 exam administrators and examiners, as well as with representatives from the National Inspectorate of Pre-University Education (NIPE), responsible for monitoring the State Matura. For every focus group and in depth interview, the expert of the project prepared guidelines and proiles which were designed based on the stages of State Matura, proiles of the subjects and the problems identiied before and during the research process. State Matura in albania, 2012 11 Following the selection of the questions, the inal ilter-sample was composed of 779 high school graduates living in these cities: Berat, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Korca, Shkodra, Tirana and Vlora. Then the results, after being pondered according to the demographic data, were processed on SPSS software. 3. Main FindingS preparation for State Matura • 12 • • • • 1 As it has been pointed out in the previous years, there has been a distinct focus on the rules and tasks for the high school graduates, while their rights have not been explained properly. An example is the general approach of the high school graduates towards the free consultations organised in schools. This is seen more as an expression of a good will from teachers than as a students’ right. As many high school graduates declare: “Counselling depends more on the teacher”. Lack of coherence in years is still a cause of numerous problems starting from preparation, and concluding to student’s State Matura exam results. Coherence should be relected not only on the programs and curricula but even on the undertaken reforms. Even this year (2012) there was numerous students who referred to their generation as “an experimental generation” or administrators who complained of constant changes1. This is followed by a series of insecurities, and above all it compromises the legitimacy of the process. One of the most mentioned suggestions was: fewer changes during the same year of high school and the consolidation of a reliable system throughout the years. There is a consensus in most of the interviews among the students and exams administrators who declare that the importance given to the average grade (20%) accumulated during the high school studies compared to the State Matura exams (80%) is far too low. This consensus is based on the argument that it is not fair to give such a low weight to the high school average grade in the State Matura inal result considering students hard work during the whole high school period of studies. The low weight given to high school average is the main factor that contributes to the pattern of prioritising the SM subjects and neglecting the rest of school subjects throughout the three years of high schools studies. Based on the importance of the SM exams mark as opposed to the average grade, the exam administration process takes on a special importance, but it seems that this process managed properly since most of the problems are reported during this phase. Free consultations for students taking the SM exams provided by public schools have not been able to replace the demand for private courses. Some An interview developed with a EA in Fier. of the problems identiied with regards to free consolations are: 1) they are organized in relatively large groups and there is not enough time available for each group; 2) teachers are not motivated to work overtime because they are not paid for the provided consultations; 3) the time when consultation takes place generally is either too early in the morning or too late in the afternoon, which is not convenient for the high school graduates. exam administration • • • • State Matura in albania, 2012 13 • The research has identiied cases of high school graduates being allowed to take the exam without showing an identiication document, or cases when they have showed a photocopy of the identiication document. In these cases, the school director proceeded by illing in a verbal-note/report guaranteeing the identity of the student. Such practice is considered to be delicate as it might create the conditions for abuses allowing other people to take the exam instead/or in the name of someone else. The study conirms that although in the most part the mobile phones were collected according to the procedure, a considerable part of the high school graduates were able to communicate through their mobile phones during the exam (and navigate the internet through their mobiles) with other people outside the examination premises. In addition, most of the high school graduates, teachers, parents and exam administrators (EA) declared that during the SM exams the high school graduates had constant communication between them regarding the answers for the exam questions. Some cases reported that even the administrators, instead of halting this phenomenon, played the role of the assistant by passing the answers to the exams from one high school graduates to the other. The research indicates that EAs were appointed by the Regional Directorate of Education to monitor the SM exams in the city where they live or teach, increasing the chances of having a conlict of interest, especially in the small cities. It has also resulted that EAs were not provided with any bonus for undertaking such a diicult task because exam administration is considered to be a normal working day. The aim of the qualitative approach was a deep analysis of the exams maladministration and it has often resulted that the EAs are confronted with a diicult situation in which on one hand they have to face the social pressure without any means of protection and on the other hand they do • 14 • not receive any incentive to conduct their job properly. In many cases the EAs, and even students, have stated that people from outside have entered in the exam premises and threatened the EAs, asking them to assist/favor certain high school graduates in the exam. The study indicates that the EAs adopt a rigorous behaviour towards high school graduates coming from rural areas by not allowing them to cheat, while allowing other present high school graduates (living in the city) to cheat. Finally, the research conirmed a very low level of trust in SM exams. Therefore, in many cases, a general opinion prevails in the cities where the research was undertaken that by not allowing cheating during the SM exams, the EAs hinder the further education of the high school graduates from that city, as they will compete with high school graduates from other cities who might have more chances to cheat during the SM examinations, increasing this way their chances to be enrolled in public universities. exam evaluation • • • • • There is no information on the criteria used to appoint exam examiners. The recruitment occurs mainly with the same examiners who have undertaken this task in the past years, but it is not clear whether there is an assessment of their performance on an annual basis. In many cases the trainings provided for the examiners are very supericial as they are considered to have the proper experience, and that the information shared in these trainings is already familiar to them. Meanwhile, concrete guidelines are provided only on the irst day of the exam evaluation. This delays the evaluation process and, as a consequence, publication of the inal results. There are doubts that the “double-check” scheme of evaluation is not always followed in practice. The study indicates concerns which presume that in some cases examiners share with each other the exams: one evaluates the irst half of the exam papers and the other the second half. Afterwards they both sign as they have performed an independent assessment for the whole exam sheet. Mistakes were often noticed in the calculation process and when illing out the general documentation There are not clear procedures and criteria for the identiication of students who have cheated, leaving this responsibility on the hand of the examiners. • • • • It is also not clear the approach used for the veriication process organized by KOPOTED (The Special Commission for Suspected Exams). A considerable part of teachers and students consider the State Matura Scheme as too complicated and vague. High school graduates complain about the lack of information in relation to the evaluation of their exams. Thus, not only they don’t understand how many points they have got at each of the exam questions, but even which are the mistakes made by them. Most of the teachers and students state that their right to complain about their exam’s evaluation in the SM examinations has been denied. Most of the high school graduates, teachers and EAs believe that students cheat during the State Matura’s exams. As a result, they don’t feel that the marks given by the SM relect the real perfomrance of the students. 15 State Matura in albania, 2012 chapter 16 1 preparation for the State Matura 2012 SibOra dHiMa 4. cHapter 1 – preparatiOn FOr tHe State Matura 2012 information on the SM exams In general, students are clear regarding the information required to ill forms A1, A2, A3. In the focus groups, composed of high school graduates, there is a kind of auto criticism in relation to the gathering of the necessary information. In general, the prevailing opinion is that the information was available and suicient for those students who were interested to have it. The low level of interest and/or negligence shown by students is mentioned to be a factor even in their low participation during the consultations organised by schools in regarding this process. It has resulted that the main source of information for the high school graduates studentswho had shown interest in State Matura was Internet (the website of the MES and the NEA), consulted by 74 % of the respondent high school graduates. The next source was the school administration (the teachers and the school principals) consulted by 62 % of the respondent high school graduates. The third in the list is the media (televisions and newspapers), consulted by 30% of the respondent high school graduates. When asked why they would not prefer the media to be informed on the SM, the main listed reason was that the information in the media is considered as not being very reliable. 17 Chart 1. Can you tell us which source of information did you use in relation to the SM? The website of the Ministry of Education School (teachers) Media: televisions and newspapers Friends Other websites and social networks Family 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 State Matura in albania, 2012 18 career counselling One of the most delicate issues for students, while preparing for the State Matura, was the formula used for the calculation of points in order to be enrolled at university. The formula has often pre-deined the selection of the elective subjects to be taken in the examinations. During the consultations on the proper illing of the forms, the teachers conveyed also information on points’ calculation. However, the uncertainties, the disinformation or changes in the formula had an inluence on the choices the high school graduates made and on their inal results. The modiications in the formula during 2012, made planning process and selecting the right choices diicult for the high school graduates. High school graduates from diferent cities declare that: when they made the examselection, they were not clear about the right State Matura (SM) formula because there were a lot of uncertainties in the information provided during the entire school year. Even though for many years MES is providing a program on Career Counselling, it seems that the counselling in school communities is being provided only in the context of the School Commissions for State Matura (SCSM). The research revealed that apart from some general information, there is not a proper program which provides consultationson the selection of the study program or university. In respect to schools, it seems that counselling was rather a teacher initiative during conversations with students and not organised, concrete, well programmed and structured sessions. Meanwhile, the students considered the teachers to be one of the main sources of information and consultationregarding the selection of the university, discussing issues such as branch selection, labour market perspectives, calculation of complicated formula of coeicients or the consideration of chances to be accepted into certain study programes. The online survey shows that 62 % of high school graduates declare that their main source of information was the teachers and the diferent social networks on the internet. In respect to university envolvment, it seems that public universities were very little present in the process of career counselling, leaving the loor mainly to private universities. The research shows that the presentations developed by private universities were a source of information on the selection of universities, because 32 % of the respondent high school graduates conirmed that they received university information from the representatives of private universities, while 18 % of high school graduates conirmed that they received this information from the representatives of public universities. During the last years, in the context of MES program “Career Education”, the subject “Career Education” was integrated in schools in 11th and 12th gradeof high school. This subject is also developed in the 9th grade and the teachers are enthusiastic that in the future the high school graduates will take the right decision about the universities. Chart 2. Where did you ind information on the Universities? From school teachers From different social networks on the internet From written and electronic media From the representatives of private universities who came into my school From the representatives of public universities who came into my school From visits made to private universities From visits made to public universities 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 the alternative text and the State Matura State Matura in albania, 2012 19 As this year high school graduates represented the irst school generation to have studied with alternative texts (Altertexts), this research took into consideration even the inluence of this reform in student preparation. The research showed that, although the educational program should be the same for all high schools, the high school graduates and the teachers are of the opinion that this reform has prevented the high school graduates to be prepared for the SM exams, increasing their uncertainty in relation to the exam questions. Most of the interviewed high school graduates and graduation teachers declared that while preparing for SM exams they worked with diferent textbooks because the texts of their school did not relect all the information in relation to the preparations for the State Matura exams. The conirmation of high school graduates (after the SM exams), that if they would have used only the textbooks of their school they would not have been able to answer some of the questions in the State Matura exams, makes us think that the absence of a good planning has made the Altertext a barrier in respect to the preparation of high school graduates. In addition, the high school graduates and even the graduation teachers, state that the program used for preparing for the SM examinations arrives very late and does not give them enough time for an overall preparation. A constant complaint was the preparation for the language-literature exam, because the list of lessons that should have been learnt was received late, and did not allow the high school graduates to be properly prepared. 20 Subject prioritization The research identiied a phenomenon which seems to have arisen because of the way the State Matura has been conceptualised. It is about the negligence that students (but sometimes even teachers) show towards certain subjects which are not part of the State Matura examinations. Since high school graduates start to think about the State Matura since the 10th grade, it is just at this time that most of them select the subject they will focus on during the high school years. Therefore, based on the conirmations of the participants in the focus groups, and on the in depth interviews, it is possible to notice a prioritization expansion of those subjects that are part of the SM examinations. This phenomenon was identiied even in another research (“Monitoring the State Matura 2011” - E. Shabani), which underlined the tendency that students were not paying much attention to those subjects that were not part of the exams and focused on those subjects that were part of the exams. However, it has been noticed that this underestimation for some of the subjects is encouraged even by the teachers who teach the subjects. These teachers have the tendency to be less interested in those students who are not going to take in the examinations their subject (for example Biology teachers focus their work only on the students who have chosen to take biology in the exam and do not pay much attention or are very tolerant in the evaluation of the other students). Based on the research data we can assume that, beside the individual student approach, subject prioritization is one of the side efects of the small weight given to the average grade, taken during the three high school years, in the total points of State Matura. It seems that the small weight set on the high school average grade (only 20 %) is not enough to encourage the students to be engaged on a similar scale of seriousness in every subject. On the contrary, this inluences on them by paying very little attention on some of the subjects. Free consultations provided by public high schools MES has taken some measures to provide in public schools free consultations for high school graduates, with the purpose of lowering the weight of private courses, and meanwhile their progress has been monitored. The research shows that the free consultations, organized in most public high schools (only 11% of the respondent high school graduates stated that these consultations were not organized in their schools), did not have the same efect everywhere or on everyone. The results of the online survey indicate that 33 % of the respondent high school graduates attended only the free consultations organised by the school. 34 % Chart 3. How would you rate the free consultations organised by the school (The percentage of respondents who declared the organisation of the free consultations) 6% 44% 13% Not at all helpful A little helpful Somehow helpful Very helpful 37% So, it was noticed that these consultations were more beneicial to the prepared students as they were focused more on the explanation of advanced exercise, paying less attention to the diiculties or deiciencies encountered by the other students. State Matura in albania, 2012 21 of the respondent high school graduates stated that they did not attend at all the free consultations organised by the school and 21 % of them stated that they preferred to be prepared through private courses. A considerable part of the respondent high school graduates stated that they did not prefer these free consultations. The reasons they list are numerous, but the main reason is lack of trustin the efectiveness of these consultations and this is also proved by the online survey in which 45 % of the respondent high school graduates stated that they did not favour these free consultations because they are ictive. Other reasons inluencing absences in these consultations are: • First, the time when these consultations were held (only during May, very close to the period of the SM examinations) was late while the high school graduates had started their preparations a long time ago. • Second, because of the inappropriate time when these consultations were held (either very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon). • Third, the time available for the consultation sessions was very short. Since they were held with large groups of students, there was not enough time for the teachers to pay attention to every student (as opposed to what is mainly the case in private courses). Chart 4. In order to be prepared for the SM you have attended 6% 13% 33% No answer None of them 21% 27% Private courses Both 22 Free consultation/orientation provided by school teachers Even though teachers are positive about the free consultations, and state that “in general these consultations helped the students who attended them as they achieved higher grades in comparison to the students who did not attend them”, they still complain that they do not have any incentives or support in relation to these consultations. So, it was reported that these consultations, which are organized above the normal teaching hours of teachers, are not inancially awarded, and do not count as extra hours. Because of the abovementioned issues, the free consultations were assessed as positive only by 44 % of the high school graduates who attended them. The other part considers them as somehow helpful (37 %) and a little or not at all helpful (19 %). Although the positive cases of dedicated teachers, who have organised high quality consultations, have lowered the need for private courses, on a general viewpoint we can state that the free consultations have not been able to minimise the demand for private courses. These free consultations, even in those cases when they were held, have mainly served as an additional assistance in the preparation of high school graduates for SM examinations. This is also supported by the results of the online survey in which 27 % of the high school graduates who declared that they attended these free consultations have also declared that they attended private courses also. Chart 5. Why did not you attend the free consultations provided by the school? 14% 45% 11% Because they were formal/ no additional value 30% Because they were not organised in my school Because the time was not appropriate Other At the end we want to underline that the absence of trust in the reliability of the process has convinced part of the high school graduates to be unprepared for the SM exams hoping to make use of the exammaladministration in order to cheat. Although the MES has taken some measures a long time age such as: the free consultations mentioned above or the directive for teachers to stay overtime in order to answer the questions of the high school graduates, keeping the school open until 18.00 p.m., still the high school graduates answered on a large scale that in order to be prepared for the State Matura they had to attend private courses. The main subject of these courses is Mathematics, which, as it seems, poses problems for the high school graduates, but even the other subjects do not lag far behind. As regards the teachers who organise these courses, it was often reported that they are the school teachers and in some cases they are the teachers of their subject in school; this practice is legally prohibited by the Ministry of Education and Science. According to the surveys developed online in relation to the free consultations and private courses it results that: • 21% of the respondents attended private courses in order to prepare themselves for the SM, while 27% attended private courses and school consultations too. So, about 48 % of the respondents attended private courses. State Matura in albania, 2012 23 private courses the content of the SM textbooks In relation to the level of diiculty posed by the textbooks, the teachers and students agree that, in general, the exams followed the program and they were deemed as appropriate in relation to the level of diiculty. However, there are also cases when high school graduates from all the cities have showed questions which were not included in the preparatory program2 approved by the MES and used by them to be prepared. 24 the selection and training of the SM exam administrators Following the Regulation of the SM, the selection of the exam administrators (EA-s) and of the person in charge of the exam administration (PEA) was made by the Regional Directorate of Education (RDE) and the school directorate. In relation to the candidates it results that the relevant school directors proposed those teachers that they assess to be more appropriate. Meanwhile, a general tendency was noticed to nominate as EAs the same people that carried out this task even in previous years, based on the argument that these people have more experience. As a result, the other criteria previously deined on the qualiications and skills that each candidate for EA or PEA should fulil, did not result to be respected. On the other hand, it should be underlined that the teachers appointed as EAs did not have a state in this process, considering this nomination as “an order from above”. As a consequence, even the EAs are not clear about the criteria used to appoint them in this job. Besides the fact that the criteria and procedures for selecting a EA or PEA in the SM Regulation are not clear, this regulation has also not been able to suiciently interpret the conlict of interest. So, the Regulation only prohibits an EA from being a teacher of the same subject as the one that he/she is supervising in the exam, or from having in the exam family member who is a high school graduates in that respective year. In very small cities the conlict of interest could be interpreted to prevent the teacher from supervising the students who are from the same city because that is where the teacher lives and works. Such a barrier explicitly led to the nomination of teachers as EAs in their cities, and in some cases even in the school where they teach. This has put the EAs under a great social pressure in front of both their acquaintances and children with parents of inluence in the community and even in front of the community of parents in general who see the prohibition of cheating as an injustice made to the children of that city as compared 2 An example brought in every focus groups with graduates was the poem “Albatros” of Sharl Bodler to the high school graduates from other cities who, if given the chance to cheat, might be able to reach higher results. Such an attitude is mainly a response to the scepticism of the community in relation to the way the SM exams are administered all over the territory, and by the low level of awareness in respect to cheating as a phenomenon that goes against the moral competition values. During the research there were frequent reports of cases when the EAs were threatened, cases when the EAs were sent home with police cars because “outside were waiting a group of parents who had threatened them of beating, wanted to hit them or were shouting all kinds of words […] because they had not allowed their children to cheat during the SM examinations”3, or cases when the students themselves or their parents had threatened the EA-s, as well as many other cases of threats and abuse. In the end, it should be underlined that the work of the EAs consisting in the supervision of the exams, besides the risks and pressure that it conveys, is neither inancially awarded nor does it contribute to career promotion. This makes the EAs to have a very low motivation in order to carry out their job correctly. A reward, however small, was reported to have been given only to the PEA-s and only in those cases when the examinations were held on a holiday. The administrators did not have a guiding manual in a written form. They had only oral recommendations and printed rules, composed of 10-15 main points, which focused mainly on safety measures and prohibited actions. 3 Fier Aida graduate teacher State Matura in albania, 2012 25 In relation to the training of the administrators, in most of the cases there were reports that some meetings were organised in which some general advices were given (such as “you will do this year what you did last year”), but no proper trainings were organised. Some of the oldest EAs report that they received their last proper training some years ago by the staf of the Directorate of Education, while the trainings/meetings in 2012 were organised in very large groups (150200 teachers at the same time) and lasted not more than 40 minutes. Apart from the fact that for the recently appointed EAs, training is still necessary, the more experienced EAs, who have more experience, still need training and guidance in relation to the changes that SM undergoes every year. We are of the opinion that if some speciic administration issues (such as the existence and distribution of tests in compliance with the diferent study programs) were taken more into account during these meetings/trainings, a part of the observed problems could have been avoided during the administration. In general, because the main concern is the minimisation of all kind of chances to cheat during the SM exams, the regulating framework of the SM leaves a small space for the rights of the high school graduates. Therefore, often the EA-s, depending on their personal level of awareness might tolerate certain behaviours such as: keeping water during the exam or allowing the high school graduates to go to the toilet during the exam (accompanied by a EA), even though these cases are not listed in the SM Regulation. In such a situation in which the rights of the high school graduates are not taken into account by the SM Regulation, the EAs takes on the responsibility to deny or to allow the high school graduates to exercise these basic rights. 26 In relation to the penalisation of the EA-s, the regulation foresees “warning for termination of employment” which is relected on the personal ile, or “termination of employment” which is relected on the employer’s record book. However, it should be underlined that although maladministration is reported almost in most of the schools, the cases when the EA-s, the PEA-s or other responsible people were punished were extremely rare. 27 State Matura in albania, 2012 chapter 28 2 the administration of the State Matura examinations 2012 aurOn paSHa 5. cHapter 2 – tHe adMiniStratiOn OF tHe State Matura exaMinatiOnS 2012 the exam premises Although the Regulation of the SM deines that the exam premises should be well lit and aired, it seems that this has not happened in all the cases. Often the high school graduates display their dissatisfaction in relation to the premises where the exam was held, especially in those cases when the exam was held in cafeterias, corridors or gyms in which lighting and air circulation was diicult. the starting time of the exams The identiication of the high school graduates Another procedural element included in the SM regulation is the identiication of high school graduates taking the exam. The respondent high school graduates were asked if they knew cases of high school graduates that had taken the test without a proper identiication document. More than one in three respondent high school graduates (36 %) answered that they knew of a similar case. The results of the survey become of a great concern when only 4 % of the high school graduates answer that these people were not allowed to take the examination, while 32 % state that the high school graduates without the speciied identiication document were allowed to take the exam. About 18 % of the respondent high school graduates declare that these people were identiied by the school director, 9 % stated that these people had taken with them a photocopy of the certiicate (not an original certiicate) and 5 % state that these people simply took the test, without encountering any problem. State Matura in albania, 2012 29 The high school graduates were asked in relation to the time when the exams were organised. About 20 % of the respondent high school graduates responded that the exam (at least one of the examinations) was delayed at least 30 minutes. This means that still a considerable part of the high school graduates face the issue of starting the exam late. This problem was identiied even during the focus groups in which numerous participants were asked in relation to this phenomenon, especially regarding the exams of elective subjects. During these exams, in diferent regions there were complaints of delays, of tests being delayed or mixed up. In some cases although the exam started late the closing time remained unchanged (13.00 p.m.) and the high school graduates did not have all the time necessary to answer the questions to the test. In general, taking into consideration the discussions held in the focus groups it seems that the high school graduates themselves are not aware on the danger of this phenomenon. Often they state that “someone who has forgotten his/her identity card should be allowed to take the test as long as the teachers recognise him/her”. However, the integrity of the graduation process is questioned, because disrespect for this procedure (the identiication of the high school graduates) might lead to identity fraud and might create the premises to not abide to the other rules of the process. In itself, the process is questioned since its irst opening procedure. 30 the distribution of tests The high school graduates reported even numerous delays in relation to the distribution of tests. Such delays might have happened as a result of safety measures, such as the rule to transport the tests on that date that the exam is held, or might have been caused by organisational problems which were even more visible in the cases of the exams of elective subjects. During the focus groups, a series of high school graduates reported that they had received tests, which, even though they were part to the subject they had selected, were designed based on other programs and not on their program; other cases were reported also when they had received tests that were part of another subject and not the subject selected by the high school graduates. Such a phenomenon resulted to be a mistake committed by the persons in charge of the process such as the EAs, PEAs and ASs. For example, although the State Matura foresees the preparation of diferent tests for diferent study programs, in Elbasan the high school graduates who had studied the bilingual program (a speciic program) received by mistake tests belonging to the general program. In other cases the high school graduates had to take Citizenship in the exam while before they had chosen Sociology. This phenomenon has inluenced the administration of the process because it has caused delays and even complaints by the high school graduates. Especially in those cases when the high school graduates, unable to observe the confusion in time, worked on the wrong test and received lower results as compared to what they would have received had they taken the test on which they were prepared for. Such a phenomenon raises questions on the preparatory measures taken by the staf responsible for the SM administration. the use of mobile phones One of the most common ways used to cheat/communicate during the SM exams was the use of mobile phones. According to the Regulation, the use of mobile phones is categorically prohibited to the high school graduates. From the administrative perspective, when entering the exam room the high school graduates should hand their mobile phones to the exam administrator (EA). This is conirmed to have happened by 86 % of the respondent high school graduates. However, 14 % of the high school graduates declare that the process of submitting the mobile phones did not happen, and this is a considerable number that causes concern. Chart 6.Was there any communication between one or some of the high school graduates with people outside the school (through the use of mobile phones, internet or physically)? 8% 48.9% Not Answered 43.1% Yes No 31 The discussions in focus groups conirmed that not only there were cases when there was no control but even when control was present it was very formal and supericial. The high school graduates in focus groups inform that many people went into the exam room with two mobile phones and while they delivered one of the mobile phones they kept the other during the entire duration of the exam. “To tell the truth in our class the control was not very rigorous and not very strict. We were simply asked whether we had or not a mobile phone. You could hide the mobile phone in any place. It was up to you to hand it over”. A hIgh school grAduATes In elbAsAn. “In school there was no control, they simply tell you to “hand over the mobiles” then it’s the responsability of the high school graduates if he/wants to keep it or not. upstairs, in the school, the teacher says: those who have a mobile should hand it over, but there are no further controls though”. A hIgh school grAduATe In FIer. State Matura in albania, 2012 32 unauthorised people About 28 % of the respondent high school graduates conirm that they saw other people, besides the high school graduates and the teachers/administrators, in the premises where the SM exam was organised. Out of the total number of high school graduates conirming that they saw other people, 53 % state that they were family members or related to the high school graduates. If projected on the entire respondents’ sample, this means that about 12 % of the high school graduates conirm that they have seen family members and relatives of high school graduates taking the exam, inside the premises where the exam was being organized. 38 % of those high school graduates that declared that they had seen other people inside the exam premises, make it clear that they had seen the school director; while 18 % declare that they had seen the police oicers. The SM Regulation prohibits the participation of other unauthorized people inside the exam areas because they could have a direct influence on the process. The respondent high school graduates were further questioned on the actions of the unauthorized people while they were staying in the exam room. About 69 % of those who confirmed that they saw other people in the exam areas declared that these people communicated or helped one or more high school graduates. If projected on the entire sample, then 18 % of the respondent high school graduates declared that unauthorized people communicated and helped other high school graduates during the exam. If we study the answers given to the questions throughout this session we notice that there were not only the family members and relatives of high school graduates involved in the process of communicating/helping the high school graduates but also the school directors and police officers. Because the percentage of those surveyed (18 %) testifying the presence of communication and help given to the high school graduates by outside people is bigger than the percentage of those that declare the presence of family members inside the exam areas (12 %) then this difference might be as a result of school directors and police officers present in the areas where the exam was being held. During the discussions held with the focus groups the Chart 7. Who did you see inside the exam premises 30% 43% School Director Police Officers 15% Family Member same situation resulted: there were more high school graduates confirming the presence of unauthorised people inside the exam areas. “Yes, there were parents. Beside the staf of the Directorate of Education, who came for control as it is their job to go in every school and supervise the progress of the exam, I even saw some parents. Parents, who were part of the pedagogical staf in my school and were absolutely not allowed to be there because they had the parental status and not the teacher status”. even if they came with the status of a teacher they shouldn’t have been allowed. They came to see if any of their acquaintances was taking the exam. A hIgh school grAduATes sTudenT In VlorA. “There were parents who came in classes, communicated and passed on the solutions to the exercises. The test of mathematics was taken outside the school and the solved exercises were taken inside the school. A hIgh school grAduATes sTudenT In VlorA.” cheating during the exam Chart 8. according to your opinion did students cheat during the SM? 38% Yes No 62% State Matura in albania, 2012 33 The phenomenon of cheating during the graduation exam, according the feedback of the respondent high school graduates, is widespread. About 62 % of the respondents declare that according to their opinion there was a lot of cheating during the graduation exam. Even if this were more of a perception than a fact such a igure is of a great concern and directly mines the trust towards the process and compromises its integrity. The high school graduates further specify what they saw during the process of the exam in relation to the possibility of cheating. More than half of the respondent high school graduates (56 %) declare that they noticed communication between the high school graduates themselves during the SM exams. About 45 % of them declare that they noticed a communication between the high school graduates and the EAs during the SM exams. Of a greater concern, is the fact that 43 % of the respondent high school graduates declared that they noticed communication between the high school graduates and other people from outside the premises of the exam, either through direct contact or through the mobile phones (through the use of SMS or internet). On average this means that about 48 % of the high school graduates have noticed a communication during the process of the SM exam. This is a grave violation of the SM Regulation and it is very likely that this has helped speciic high school graduates to solve the questions of the exam. This issue was further analysed during the focus groups in which the participants conirmed the indings of the online survey by providing examples that they witnessed themselves. In this way, despite the fact that there were cases when the EAs had a correct attitude, the reports declare that in most cases EAs allowed cheating during the SM exam and in most of the cases they encouraged it. 34 “Yes, because at some moments the inspector was shouting to the students to hide the copies because some controller was coming. The idea was to hide the copies. normally they were in their own trouble because they could be caught by the others with exams that were cheated on”. A hIgh school grAduATes From elbAsAn. “In my class, for example, cheating was allowed only in the exam of mathematics and only inside the class. In the other exams there was no cheating at all; I do not know how in hell the senior administrator always managed to come and cheating was not possible… the teacher tried, she would take the answers from the best students and give it to all the class.” A hIgh school grAduATes From FIer. “…in our class they would come and ask us how good we were. What is your mark on this subject? And if you state ten or nine they would say: Well, give me the answers.” A hIgh school grAduATes In elbAsAn.” communication was really massive and there were two versions for each test and the versions had the same questions but not in the same order, so one needed time to ind them. What is the answer of number 6? Which is number six? In my test that question corresponds to number ten. A great noise…tests moving from one desk to the other… ”A hIgh school grAduATes sTudenT From VlorA. during the exams of electiveelective subject there were cases when students exchanged their tests, talked on the mobile phone and had headphones on. There was an exchange of tests. The administrator would come, would take my test and send it to the other high school graduates.” A hIgh school grAduATe sTudenT From KorcA. Chart 9. According to you the time to inish the test was 14.1% 37.3% Entirely sufficient 41.1% Somehow sufficient Insufficient time available for the exams Most of the respondents stated that the time available for the exam was “entirely suicient” (37 %) or “somehow suicient” (41 %). Only 14 % of them state that time was not suicient. The evaluation of time suiciency is also related to the fact whether the exam started on time or not (see above). In general, the time to inish the exam did not changed (according to what has been reported in the focus groups), even in cases when the exam started with a delay of 30 to 90 minutes (especially in the exams with subject selection). the evaluation for the exam administrators (ea) State Matura in albania, 2012 35 The respondent high school graduates were asked in relation to the mark they would give to exam administrators if they were to grade them. The mark given to the EAs for the three exams has been 7. This is an average evaluation and seen through the eyes of the high school graduates themselves. It shows that the administrators do not live up to the required level. In general, even in the discussion groups, the role of the EAs has not been described as rigorous and along the lines of the set standards for the development of a process of integrity. The EAs in some cases took the role of the “courier” passing the answers of the questions from the best students to the not so good ones, or to those students that they knew personally. In this situation, when the administrator or the observer takes this role, it is very diicult to demand explanations on any deviant behaviour that could be shown even by the other high school graduates that were present in the exam. “They came over to me, and told me: keep working, keep working. What version do you have? What is your grade in mathematics? ok, they told me, keep working. And they would write the answers on tissue papers or letters. I will give these to her, because the poor girl has six and wants to go to university”. but why would I care? A hIgh school grAduATes sTudenT From elbAsAn. “… they would call my name, I did not even know them and they would call my name. They would ask me to solve an exercise for them while I was stuck in another exercise. If you do this I will bring the answers to the other exercise they would say. A hIgh school grAduATes sTudenT Form KorcA.” chapter 36 3 eValuatiOn, reSultS and eValuatiOn legitiMacy endrit SHabani 6. cHapter 3 –eValuatiOn, reSultS and eValuatiOn legitiMacy– endrit SHabani the exam evaluation process The evaluation of the State Matura exams is regulated by secondary acts (The State Matura Regulation and the Minister Directive No. 17, date 5.5.2011). According to the provisions of the above mentioned acts, 6 evaluation centres are erected: two in Tirana, one in Fier, one in Korca, one in Shkodra and as well as one in Elbasan. In relation to SM exams, an exam administrator and a monitoring group is established for each of the centres. Based on the SM Regulation (article 58), every exam is double checked through two examiners that carry out independent evaluationexaminer. In-depth interviews carried out with exam examiners indicate that, although the trainings were organized in accordance to the directive of the Minister, often those were rather formal4 and often did not properly address neither problems reported nor the need to improve the evaluation scheme. In relation to the double evaluation scheme we can state that it is based on the State Matura Regulation and on the Minister of Education’s Directive. The scheme is more or less the same in all the evaluation centres erected in six cities of Albania: 4 An interview with Exam Examiners in Tirana “The training was organised.They collected and told us: “You will correct the exams the same as last year”. State Matura in albania, 2012 37 The examiners are teachers in the respective subject, who are appointed by the NTA according to the Directive No. 17 of the Minister of Education. During the indepth interviews it results that they have little information on who has appointed them and on what criteria they were selected. Appointment criteria and the process itself are yet to be clear, even for the group of experts, as this issue has not been regulated. Having said that, it’s obvious that there is a tendency to engage during the evaluation process the same examiners year after year, it seems that there is not in place a process of performance evaluation for every exam examiner, so that their re-involvement in this process to be based on an evaluation process. Meanwhile, the stakeholders have often suspected that the appointment of exam examiners is rather based on “personal relations”, as this task is inancially rewarded, which makes itit an enviable position. 38 the exam examiners are divided into two groups (about 15 examiners for each group) and each of the groups is monitored by one person in charge of the group. Every examiner evaluates 25-30 exams per day and independently records the points into a speciic paper. Then, these exams are evaluated by another examiner, who records the evaluation on the respective paper as well. At the end of the day both the examiners meet together and discuss with one another the evaluation points. In case there are discrepancies in evaluation the examiners initially talk to one another to ind a joint evaluation. The respondent examiners report that in case the examiners do not agree or in case there is a considerable diference in the evaluation, then the case gets solved by the person in charge of the group, who has the right to decide on a inal evaluation. In order to avoid the possible intrusions in evaluation, AVA uses Roman numbers for each given exam, hiding the barcode. Moreoever, the examiners are not informed about the city to which the exam belongs. Although at irst sight this evaluation scheme seems to be well organised, during the focus groups and in-depth interviews held in the context of this research, there were frequent reports of concern in relation to the practical operation of the evaluation scheme. The high school graduates participating in some focus groups have raised doubts that exam examiners divide the exams with eachother so that each of them evaluates only half of the exams. If these allegationsare to be true, every exam would be evaluated by only one examiner, evethough they are signed by two examiners. This is not admitted openly by the exminers interviewed, but it occurred that during one in-depth interview one of the examiners stated that both of them (two examiners) had evaluated in total 50 exams per day, while individually they had evaluated 25 exams each5, while the deined rate, used as a basis to calculate the salary, has been 50 exams for examiner (100 exams checked for a pair of examiners). Such conirmations, which support the doubts frequently raised by the groups of interest, reinforce allegations that double check evaluation barely works everywhere. As a result, such a behaviour would raise the scale of subjectivity in the evaluation process (especially regarding open questions), and would increase the chances for mistakes. Meanwhile, even in those cases when the scheme might be working perfectly, according to the respondent examiners, when they are under the pressure of inishing the work as soon as possible, they are prone to easily agree with each other 5 in depth interview with an Examiner. The InterviewerHow many exams do you have to correct in a day? The exam examiner: “25 exams for me and 25 exams for my partner. In total, 50 exams a day”. on evaluations (so they leave intact the result given by the colleague) and rarely do they dispute the evaluation carried out by the other examiner. . Another problem identiied by this research is also the process of illing the general sheets.. The respondent examiners state that all the general sheets are supervised by the person in charge of the group and in case there are mistakes, they are immediately corrected. Nevertheless, they declare that every year mistakes were frequently made when recording the points; this damages the proper evaluation process of the high school graduates. Even though, the examiners state that such mistakes are usually made because of fatigue from hard work, when asked abouttheir workload they state that they work 8 hours a day during the evaluation days, which for them this load is quite afordable. In respect to the examiners’ motivation for evaluating the exams, although the Directive of the Minister stipulates a inancial bonus, it is still not clear the amount of this bonus and whether it is enough to motivate inancially the exam examiners. The latter not only do not know as how much they will get paid but in some cases they weren’t paid either. On the other hand, the teachers participating in the focus groups reported that the salary of the exam examiners is quite satisfying for the work they do. Meanwhile, the exam examiners surveyed during the research conirm that although they doubted of cheating in many cases, the selection of tests that should be sent to the KOPOTED is entirely up to them because, as it seems, there are not any deined procedural indicators that could help in the identiication of cases of cheating. According to the exam examiners, KOPOTED during its activity identiies the average grade of all of the high school graduates that were in the same class as the high school graduates who is suspected of cheating. Then all the answers of the State Matura in albania, 2012 39 In relation to the identiication of cheating, the State Matura Regulation foresees the establishment of KOPOTED (Speciic Commission for Suspected Tests) commissions, which verify cases of cheating in the SM exams. However, it should be underlined that such commissions work under a complete absence of transparency. At the moment it is not clear as how a test is sent to a KOPOTED commission and on what basis this commission veriies cheating. The same is true for the decisions of this commission. They are not made public in cases when the commission certiies that high school graduates, or responsible subjects for the exam administration, have cheated or violated the procedures observed in the SM Regulation. test are compared to see if they correspond. Based on this information, it is possible for us to think that the KOPOTED has information on the school, class and desk of the high school graduates. Such information could help in the identiication of those high school graduates whose tests are being inspected. For this reason the activity of KOPOTED was put under doubt, assuming that certain exams were taken under the administration of this commission and their points were artiicially increased. The high school graduates participating in focus groups, but even the respondent teachers state that the point calculation scheme of State Matura was very complicated. Meanwhile, as it has abovementioned most of them state that the average grade of four years should have more weight in the calculation of points for the State Matura. 40 In relation to the inal exam evaluation, the high school graduates complain that there is no transparency because they are not given the chance to understand their mistakes and to know the points they have received for each exercise6. In almost all the cities covered by this research the result is that all believe that students cheat in the SM exams and on the other hand the high school graduates themselves do not believe in the inal results. For this reason the major part of students, teachers and exam administrators stated that the marks of the State Matura do not relect the capacities of the students and as a result they do not believe that the SM is a fair system of evaluation for all the students7. complaints against the evaluation The issue of complaint has been present in almost all the meetings and interviews. It seems that the institutions involved in the process of State Matura have adopted a general policy in order not to give any information whatsoever on the steps that the high school graduates should take in order to complaint on his/ her results. This is more obvious in the survey results which show that the issue on which the high school graduates are less informed about is on “the procedures to complain on the results of the exam”. 6 A graduate student in Fier“…Even to this day I don;t know whether I lost points in the essay in english. They wouldn’t give any kind of explainaion …” 7 A graduate student in Kukes“…they received 4500 point, byt had they done the exam without any help they wouldn’t have been able to pass it” Chart 10. How much informed were you before the Graduation in relation to: (Rate from 4 to 10. 4 =Not informed at all, and 10 = “Very much informed”) Prohibited actions and punishment measures The procedures for the development of the exam The completion of forms A1, A2, A3 Average (Male) The chances of going to university Average (Female) The types of questions kinds of exercises The procedures to appeal the exam results 10 5 0 5 10 8 A graduate student in Korca“…I was able to withdraw my test and in the circle session I had only one mistake while they have marked with zero points the open quesions. They told me that the examiners who corrected the test would be ired from work but there was nothing that could be done with my State Matura in albania, 2012 41 The entire regulating framework of the State Regulation does not foresee anything in relation to the procedures used to appeal on the exam results. The only thing which has been recently added is the right of the high school graduates to withdraw a photocopy of his/her exam after he/she has requested it in a written form to the KSHMSH. This process is very bureaucratic, involves an unjustiiable tarif and the high school graduates has almost no information whatsoever in relation to this procedure. In addition, if the student happens to ind mistakes in the evaluation the results of the exam cannot be changed. In these circumstances the high school graduates is discouraged from demanding his/her exam photocopy, or to complain on the evaluation in his/her case. It should be underlined that the aim of this practice might be not to allow any corruptive approach which could be used by people in power to demand the revaluation of the exams of their children by damaging so the entire process. In addition, another reason might also be the large cost that is involved in the administration of a large number of complaints and revaluations. But while this practise is attributed to the reliability of the double evaluation scheme, the students participating in focus groups report many cases which had evaluation mistakes but no action was taken to address them8. Besides all the reasons which have lead the MES operating bodies to deny the right to appeal, such behaviour is not only against the legal framework but also against the fundamental principles of the public administration. The right to complain on some wrong actions of the Public Administration should not be denied to anyone and the possibility to re-establish a denied right, such as the right to education as well. Those high school graduates who gained their right to have an exam re-evaluation through a court decision illustrate the fact that the way this procedure operates is in violation to the law. a general evaluation on the SM 42 Based on the fact that the SM was established as a standard evaluation of student achievements in high school, a question naturally arises: is the SM a fair system of evaluation? During the research, the opinions of the students and teachers in relation to this issue were collected through the qualitative and quantitative methods. So, during the online survey the high school graduates rated the SM in a scale from 4 to 10, in which 4 is equal to “I do not agree at all”. The high school graduates rated with a mark of 4.6 the statement that “In my perception, the process of the SM exams was not abusive and distanced from the corruptive practices” and they rated with 4.9 the other statement “In my experience, the evaluation/the marks given in the SM exams were fair and objective” (Table 8). Such statements make us understand that high school graduates “fail” the State Matura in a large scale, considering it to be an abusive and corrupted process with unfair and not objective evaluations. Such an attitude was present also in the established focus groups and the in depth interviews. Most of the respondents answered the last question of the interview “In your perspective, is the State Matura a fair and honest evaluation?”, that in their opinion the way this process is being administered is neither fair nor honest. Such a perception is very negative, even if it was not based on true experiences, because mistrust in the SM discourages high school graduates and the EAs from having an honest behaviour during the exam. In addition, such a widespread perception discourages the academic preparation of the high school graduates during the school years, because they become convinced that their preparation will not be rewarded in the context of unjust competition. grades then...” Chart 11. How much do you agree with the assertions below in relation to your experience with the SM exams: (In a scale from 4 to 10 in which 4 = “do not agree at all” and 10 = “entirely agree”) The content of the SM exams reflected very well the knowledge gained during the high school The content of the SM exams was in compliance with the SM program of orientation The content of the SM exams was in compliance with the orientations provided in class by teachers. In my perception, the process of the SM exams was not abusive and distanced from the corruptive practices In my experience, the evaluation/the marks given in the SM exams were fair and objective The quality of textbooks helped me a lot to be prepared for the SM exams 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 State Matura in albania, 2012 43 By taking the risk that even this research might inluence more in having such a perception, we are of the opinion that the Ministry of Education and Science should undertake urgent measures not only to improve the administration of the SM exams (which results to be the weakest link in the process), but also to raise the overall awareness of the high school graduates and teachers with the aim of increasing trust in the system. A series of recommendations as how this can be achieved are included in the “recommendations” session of this research. 7. recOMMendatiOnS recommendations on preparation and administration • 44 • • • 9 It is necessary to have a structured and a periodic training program for those teachers who would provide counselling and orientation for the high school graduates. This training should cover all the preparatory stages for the SM exams, including form completion as well as provision of orientation in relation to study program preference. Measures should be taken to present to the high school graduates the public universities in order to make career counselling a stable and efective program. An appropriate measure could be the allocation of a special fund to each public university to be used to present the study programs to the nearest high school in the area (depending on the city where the public university is located). In addition, a set of information and presentation materials (be them audiovisual materials) could be produced by public universities to make them available for high school graduates. In such a relationship of collaboration between public high schools and public universities the school psychologist could play the role of the intermediary. A good approach might be to increase the level of motivation of the students and to inform them early on the SM. Diferent from what has been documented by this research, we recommend that the State Matura Program, used as a basis to prepare the high school graduates, should be made available to the students since September giving them the necessary time to prepare. Student motivation in high school, and constant information on the importance of a regular process could inluence positively the progress of the SM. The nomination of EAs and PEA-s in cities far from the places where they live and work is very important to avoid cases of conlict of interest, as well as social pressure on the administrators.9In addition, an alternative solution could be the involvement of the retirees who are physically capable to cope with the exam administration and supervision. Such measures would facilitate the position of the exam administrators (EA). Another soluion would be to pay administrators who are not invovled in teaching. However the ap- plicaion of this method, beside the great funds, would require also preliminary studies on the possible results • • • • • State Matura in albania, 2012 45 • We recommend to pay special attention to the organisation of the SM exams, and not to be only satisied with respect for safety measures but also guaranteeing a regular and honest process according to the required standards. A good starting point in this direction would be a close collaboration between the staf of the directorates of education and the school directors. This collaboration would ensure not only the selection of the most responsible teachers as administrators, but also, above all, the design and formalisation of the criteria of selection and the necessary qualiications for the SM administrators in the future. It seems that the free consultations provided by the schools have not drawn the interest of “not so good students” mainly because of the diferent level students have in the groups that attend the consultation hours. This could be avoided in the future through the organisation of a “recuperation classes” with students with knowledge gaps. In this way, the likelihood that students will base their expectations on the violation of SM rules will be diminished (such as cheating, communication between the high school graduates, use of mobile phones etc.). One way to keep the students informed is the creation “of the State Matura corner” where the latest information in relation to the general process and procedures of SM could be posted. This practice should be followed by all the schools. Inside the exam premises should be installed temporarily a technology which makes it impossible the use of mobile phones. For example, it is possible to use mobile phone jammers which interfere with GSM waves. This would eliminate possible communications through mobile phones. The use of video cameras connected to the internet is also recommendable in order to avoid abuses and to lessen the pressure exercised on the EAs and PEA-s. We recommend that the exams should be held in large rooms which are also monitored with video surveillance cameras. This is also based on the fact that during the research there were fewer cases of cheating in those circumstances when the exams were organised in a gym than in those cases when the exams were organised in small rooms. In the case of small cities, or communes, it could prove positive developing SM computer based exams, making use of the IT laboratories. This innovation would lead to a better control of the examination process and would reduce the administrative load of transporting the tests and the supporting documents via landline as well as the transportation of high school graduates from their place of residence to the city where the exam is being held. • • 46 • • • We recommend that the people selected as exam administrators should have a high moral integrity and should be trained and certiied to carry out this task. Above all, the people who are nominated to be an EA should have a free choice to participate or not in this process. They should be inancially rewarded and not obliged to do so against their will. The exam administration should not absolutely be treated as unpaid job. We recommend the implementation of measures which make the free consultations provided by schools efective, including the reduction of teaching load for teachers that provide these consultations, as well as taking the necessary measures for implementing them during appropriate hours for students. In addition, in order to have an efective counselling, we recommend developing them in small groups and in line with the educational level of students. Counselling is recommendable to begin in September so that the load can be distributed equally during the year. We recommend that the average grade of all the three high school years should have a higher percentage in the total points (it should be more than 20 %). In this way the role of high school performance is higher and the school results gained in a longer learning and testing period take the place they deserve. We recommend the design of a public fund with questions/exercises for each exam. Qualiied teachers and experts should be invited to participate in the design process. In order to make sure that the questions of the exam are not made public before the exam is organised, and to dissipate all the possible doubts, we recommend putting an end to the practice of isolating for several days the employers that design the inal test. The use of a computer program which selects randomly the questions based on a given number of questions would be a more appropriate and practical solution. In addition, we recommend the design of several diferent tests for the same exam, reducing the chances of cheating during the exams. recommendations on the evaluation process • • We recommend the digitalisation of the exam evaluation process, using optical readers. This would make the evaluation time shorter and would minimise the mistakes when recording the points in the summarising igures. Of course, such a recommendation would have to be accompanied by a re-conceptualisation of the test, giving priority to the closed questions. We recommend that the State Matura Regulation should include • • • • State Matura in albania, 2012 47 • professional criteria used for the selection of test examiners, design of the selective procedures and the establishment of the body responsible for the selection. We deem appropriate that the exam examiners should be certiied and the selection of the examiners should only be made by the people certiied to carry out this process. The exam examiners should be inancially rewarded. This would make it a preferred job and would increase the responsibility of people in charge of implementation. The same as high reward, even the punitive measures should be expanded so that they have an efect on their career as teachers. We recommend that transparency should be enhanced in relation to the calculation and presentation of points. In addition, the inal report of the inal results should have all the evaluation components divided into speciic columns for each high school graduates (which are referred to only with the secret code), increasing as a result the transparency of the process. We recommend that some measures should be taken in relation to the administration of complaints as well as the high school graduates should be informed on the steps that they should follow to complain. In order to reduce the number of complaints, the Ministry of Education and Science might take measures to publish the tests online (together with the summarising table of points) or to make a photocopy of the test and the table of points if the high school graduates student wishes to do so. Beside the challenges that might be encountered, the Ministry of Education and Science should decide on a period of time necessary for the mistakes observed in the evaluation to be relected in the inal table because this is the only way that can guarantee that the actions of the administration do not deny the high school graduates the right for further education. The State Matura Regulation should deine clearly the procedures for the identiication of those exams which are suspected of cheating, and the way KOPOTED (The Special Commission for Suspected Tests) administers the process until the inal decision-making. 48 49 PJESA II State Matura in albania, 2012 8. a reSearcH On pOSt graduatiOn introduction This research took the State Matura under a wider perspective, not only limiting on the exam preparation and administration, but including also the product of this evaluation system. For this purpose a study was made on the success of those high school graduates who gained, through the State Matura, the right to study two years ago and at the same time their experiences were gathered in relation to high school. A survey was developed with a sample made of 800 students who presently attend the public universities of Tirana, Durrësi, Vlora, Korça,Gjirokastra, Shkodraand Elbasan. They were randomly selected by using technique of every 3rdperson. the methodology and the error tolerance 50 The survey was made face to face with students in the second year in public universities. A random sample composed of a series of steps was deined for this survey. the error tolerance The error tolerance in this survey is ± 3,4% with a conidence interval of 95%.10 The Table below illustrates the calculated sample and the sample implemented on site. Except for some deviations in “AleksandërMosiu” Universityin Durrës the sample implemented on the site relects the calculated sample. The irst step The surveyed persons during this survey were the students ofthe second year in public universities. The reason for targeting these students was that on one hand they have already been one year in the university and on the other hand they are still able to remember and weigh issues in relation to State Matura and high school. One of the main reasons of this survey is to explore the “organic links” existing between high school and university education, as well as the role and inluence of State Matura. 10 Technically, an error tolerance of ± 3.4% implies that if samples of this size (N=800) are coninously taken under inspecion, 95 % of them would relect the opinions of the populaion (students in the second year) with an error not more than ± 3.4%/ the second step The stratiication according to the faculties in each university. After collecting data for each faculty in relation to students in the second year, a stratiication was made according to the faculties (See the table). the third step Sample selection. The selection of the sample was made through the PPS11 method stratiied according to faculties and universities. The total number of interviews was set to be N=800. the forth step The selection of the respondents.A number of students, deined by the sample for that speciic faculty (plus 20 % reserve),was randomly selected from the list of students and then they were interviewed by the surveyors in the faculties. nr. University of tirana nr. of Students estimated realised Dif Faculty of economics 1145 46 47 1 Faculty of law 519 21 21 0 Faculty Faculty of Foreign languages 829 33 36 3 Faculty of History and Philology 391 15 12 -3 Faculty of Inirmary 525 21 23 2 Faculty of Medicine 610 24 22 -2 Faculty of Social Science 590 23 24 1 0 Faculty of natural Science total Faculty of Geology and Mining 2 Polytechnic university total 11 1423 57 57 6032 240 242 299 12 12 0 Faculty of Construction engineering 684 27 27 0 Faculty of electric engineering 322 13 12 -1 Faculty of Mechanic engineering 387 15 15 0 Faculty of information technology 490 20 20 0 Faculty of Mathematics engineering and Physics 161 6 6 0 2343 93 92 Probability Proporional to Size – the probablity of having a selecion in proporion with the size of the strata State Matura in albania, 2012 51 1 University Name 3 tirana agricultural University Faculty of economy and agribusiness 680 27 31 4 Faculty of biotechnology and Food 149 6 6 0 Faculty of agriculture and Environment 590 23 30 7 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine 129 5 5 0 Faculty of Forest Sciences 172 7 7 0 total 4 “aleksandër Xhuvani” University in elbasan 1720 68 79 Faculty of economics 398 16 16 0 Faculty of Human Sciences 605 24 24 0 Faculty of educational Sciences 480 19 19 0 Faculty of nature Sciences 505 20 20 0 1988 79 79 total 5 “Fan S.Noli” University in Korça The Department of Inirmary 167 7 6 -1 Faculty of agriculture 146 6 7 1 Faculty of economics 385 15 15 0 0 Faculty of teaching 52 total 6 193 8 8 0 128 5 5 0 460 18 19 1 total Faculty of education and Social Sciences Faculty of natural Sciences total 8 “Ismail Qemali” University in Vlora 22 21 -1 17 13 -4 570 23 23 0 2335 93 89 563 22 22 0 0 226 9 9 789 31 31 Faculty of education 377 15 17 2 426 17 15 -2 Faculty of Public Health 96 4 4 0 0 Faculty of technical Sciences 9 551 433 Faculty of economics 938 37 37 1837 73 73 Faculty of business 274 11 1 total “aleksandër Moisiu” University in Durrës 25 53 Faculty of Foreign languages “Luigj Gurakuqi” Faculty of economics University in Faculty of Social Sciences Shkodra Faculty of educational Sciences “Eq’rem Çabej” University in Gjirokastra 25 53 Faculty of law Faculty of nature Sciences 7 647 1345 -10 Faculty of education 204 8 15 7 Faculty of politic-juristic sciences 56 2 4 2 Faculty of professional studies 1083 43 51 8 -5 157 6 1 total Faculty of information technology 1774 70 72 total for all the schools 20163 800 810 Chart 1. age of the respondents 13.8% 32.5% More than 20 years old 20 years old Up to 19 years old 53.7% Regarding the age of the respondents, as shown in Table 1, 33 % were 19 years of age, 54 % were 20 years of age and 14 % were more than 20 years old. 53 State Matura in albania, 2012 chapter 54 1 experience in HigH ScHOOl SibOra dHiMa 9. cHapter 1 –experience in HigH ScHOOl education quality When asked on the education quality during high school, 27 % of the students answered that they were “more than satisied” and 43 % stated they were “satisied”. So, 70 % of the respondents declared that they had a satisfactory or more than a satisfactory experience. Relecting on these indings, we can state that although the overall experience of high school years is seen as positive, on a large scale there is still a lot of road to be made until student expectations are entirely fulilled. In fact 26.5 % of students declared that they were “somehow satisied”. This means that still a considerable number of students (in this case more than a quarter) faces hard challenges whichhave an inluence on the general experience of high school and on the perceptions of the quality of high school education as well. Chart 2. Think a little about your high school. How satisied are you with the quality of education during the high school? 1.7% 1.2% 0.1% 27.2% 55 26.5% Very Satisfied Satisfied Somehow Satisfied Unsatisfied Very Unsatisfied 43.3% I do not know/no answer Students who have expressed concerns on the quality of high school are equally divided among boys and girls, as Table 4 shows. So, 26 % of the respondentboys and about 27 % of the respondentgirls declared that they were “somehow” satisied. In the case of open dissatisfactions boys are in a greater number. Respectively, 5 % of the respondentboys as compared to 1 % of the respondentgirls declared as being “unsatisied” or “very unsatisied”. So there are more boys than girls with considerable dissatisfactions on the quality of education. In order to understand the causes of these perceptions on the quality of high school education, the research laid out some questions on the study hours, teachers, texts and subjects developed. State Matura in albania, 2012 Study hours In relation to study hours, more than half of the respondent students (55.4 of them) declared that during high school they studied an average of “2-3 hours a day”, as it is shown on Table 5 below. Meanwhile, 18.4 % of the respondents studied very little – “0-1 hour a day”. Only 25.4 % of students declared that they studied above the average time rate. Out of them 20.2 % studied “4-5 hours per day” and only 5.2 % studied “more than 5 hours a day”. Chart 3. During high school, how many hours a day did you study on average? 5.2% 0.7% 18.4% 20.2% 0-1 hours a day 2-3 hours a day 4-5 hours a day 56 More than 5 hours a day I do not know/no answer 55.4% These results lead us into two important conclusions. First, about 74 % of students declared that they studied in maximum 3 hours a day. Only 1/3 of the respondentsdeclared that they spent more than four hours a day studying. Taking into consideration the demands of each student during high school, there is a discrepancy between the load and the hours spend for each student. While eforts continue to motivate students to study more, it might be necessary to reshape the type or the amount of the educational load. This should be in line with the factual time that students use on books in our days. Second, if we are to analyze the results according to gender as shown in Table 6 below, we notice this tendency: 30 % of boys have declared that they study “0-1 hour a day” as compared to about 9 % of girls. Similarly, only 13 % of boys have declared that they study more than 4 hours a day as compared to 25 % of girls. Within these two intervals are those students that study more or less an average of “2-3” hours a day. The ratio between girls and boys students (56 % boys and 54 % girls)is similar in the interval of 2-3 hours a day. This ratio between the genders becomes more disproportionate the more we move from this average. So, there is a greater number of boys than girls who study more than the average (more than 4 hours a day). So, in general terms,boys study less than girls. Chart 4. During high school, how many hours a day on average have you studied after the lesson? (gender comparison) 0-1 hours a day 2-3 hours a day 4-5 hours a day More than 5 hours a day Male % Female % I do not know/no answer 10 20 30 40 50 60 Subjects developed In relation to subjects held in high school, the respondent students were asked to rate some statements on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 equal to “do not agree at all” and 10 equally to “entirely agree”. Their answers are shown below on Table 7. The statement “I have understood and learnt the subjects developed in high school” was evaluated with a mark of 7.44. The statement “I think that the developed subjects in high school were challenging and stimulating from the intellectual viewpoint” marked an average of 7.06. The statement which had the most positive answers was “From the subjects in high school I have learnt things which I think are valuable” with an average of 8.2. The data show that even in these three statements girl students gave more positive answers than boys students, even though the gap between the two genders was not very large. So, the experience developed on the subjects during high school is positive in general. Nevertheless, there isa lot of spaces for improvements, especially regarding the irst two statements which relate to the fact of how well the subjects were understood and how challenging they were. State Matura in albania, 2012 57 0 On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 equal to “do not agree at all” and 10 equally to “entirely agree”, how much would you agree with the statements below in relation to your experience in high school? 8 the evaluation process is along the lines to what has been previously explained in class 58 7 the textbooks as well as the other supporting materials had a high quality 7 in general the teachers encouraged the student to actively participate during the discussions in class 8 From the subjects in high school i have learnt things which i think are valuable 7 i have understood and learnt the subjects developed in high school 8 the evaluation of student performance was fair and appropriate 7 the teachers encouraged the students to make questions during the teaching hours and gave valid answers for these answers 7 in general the teachers made the subjects interesting 8 the teachers explained the subjects in a clear and understandable way 7 i think the subjects developed during high school were challenging and stimulation from the intellectual point of view teacher evaluation In relation to teacher evaluation during high school, the students rated with the similar scale four statements regarding teaching, and these too are shown in Table 7. The statement that had the highest evaluation was “The teachers explained the subjects in a clear and understandable way” with an average of 7.73. The statement with the lowest evaluation was “The teachers encouraged the students to make questions during the teaching hours and gave valid answers for these answers” with an average of 7.06. In addition, the statement “In general the teachers made the subjects interesting” earned an average of 7.09 and the statement “In general the teachers encouraged the student to actively participate during the discussions in class” earned an average of 7.15. The four evaluations taken together, with an overall average of 7.3, illustrate the general impressions of students and their claims. So, the satisfaction level of students during high school is still low and could be improved, especially the role that the teaching method should play in order to make the process more interesting and more inclusive. textbooks and the evaluation method Even in relation with the above results on teaching, textbooks and evaluation process, girls students showed a slightly higher satisfaction with the process as compared to male students. However the general average of these two genres for all these statements taken together does not go beyond 7.44. This mark represents in a way the overall evaluation that students made for the high school and it shows that there still are dissatisfactions and possibilities for improvements. State Matura in albania, 2012 59 In relation to textbooks and supporting materials, the students evaluated the statement “The textbooks as well as the other supporting materials had a high quality” with an average of 7.17. This corresponds, as we mentioned above, with their general experience and impressions on high school. Similarly, in relation to the satisfaction on the evaluation method, the students marked with an average of 7.8 the statement that the “The evaluation of student performance was fair and appropriate” and with an average of 7.85 the statement “The evaluation process is along the lines to what has been previously explained in class”. These are also shown in Table 7. chapter 60 2 eValuatiOnS On tHe State Matura endrit SHabani 10. cHapter 2 –eValuatiOnS On tHe State Matura In general the research indicates a tendency that the respondent females provide more positive evaluation compared to males in all the questions of the survey. In addition there is a tendency from the students coming from the rural schools to respond more positively on their experience during the high school compared to students coming from the schools situated in Tirana or other big cities. Considering the declared time spent studying during high school years, we have observed a correlation: those who declare that studied longer (over 5 hours a day) have a tendency to give a more positive evaluation of the State Matura in comparison to those who declare that studied less (0-1 hour a day). Such a inding can lead to the interpretation that there is some subjectivity in the answers of the respondents. At the same time, it was not observed any correlation between the students’ results (in school or in the SM exams) and their attitudes. It often happens that those who have declared maximal results in school and in the SM exams provide frequently a much more negative evaluation of the process compared to those who have very low results. Students and their preparation for the State Matura When comparing the results stated by those high school graduates who were eligible to attend the university level, we notice that although the high school graduates coming from the main cities have had higher results (an average of 8.17) during high school,compared to the students from the rural schools (average 7.91), State Matura in albania, 2012 61 By analysing the answers provided by the respondent students, it can be noticed that the students have received lower grades in the SM exams (the average of the four exams is 7.58) compared to the school years (the average of school years is 8.13). This inding goes against the belief of teachers (identiied during the focus groups held with them) who, on a great majority, declared that as a result of maladministration of SM exams, the marks the high school graduates received in these exams are artiicially much higher. Based on the fact that this downward tendency continues even in the irst year of the university (the average of the exams in the irst year is 6.35) we can deduce that these results could be a relection of a more tolerant evaluation during the high school. However, on the other hand, we cannot exclude the inluence that this more diicult level could have played, both in the SM exams and at the university. Other factors (within and out of the educational system) could have had an inluence as well. 62 the diference is still very low (0.2 grades). This diference increases even more during the State Matura exams in which the students from the rural areas declared 7 as an average mark compared to those received in the SM. This is 0.7 lower than the average of the students from Tirana and from the other big cities who declared an average of 7.7. The growth in diference could have been inluenced by diferent factors such as: diferences in teaching quality or the diferences in the tolerance of evaluation between the rural schools and the schools in Tirana. This interpretation is even based on the attitude of the students in Tirana who, taking into consideration the questions of this survey, seem that are more dissatisied12 with the evaluation of teachers in high school compared to the students coming from the rural areas. On the other hand this diference could be explained with the fact that the students from the rural areas take their exams in other cities where they have allow chance of being assisted by the students of that city. Such a statement is also supported by the marks received at the university: the diference of marks declared during the irst year is again narrow (0.3) between students coming from the rural areas (average 6.3) and the students from Tirana (average 6.6). In relation to the preparation that students receive in school for the SM exams, only half of the respondent students (50.3 %) conirm that the preparation during the high school helped them to cope with the SM exams, while 48.3 % state that this helped at a certain level, or did not help them at all. The evaluation shows that the preparation received in high school was more beneicial to students who attended the high school in the rural areas compared to the students living in Tirana and in other main cities. So 57 % of the students in rural schools state that the preparation received in high school was of a “great” help as compared to the students from Tirana and other cities where this percentage was much lower (49.4 %). This might be due to the fact that the students in the rural school did not have any other possibility of being prepared. This is also conirmed even by the igures: only 36 % of students from rural schools declare that they have attended additional courses, while the number of students from Tirana and other cities who declare that they attended additional consultations was almost twice as high (59.1 %). While analysing the abovementioned results, it seems that the preparation provided during the hours in class was not enough for the former high school graduates, because 12 When asked how much did they agree with the statement “the evaluaion received in high school was objecive and fair” the students who atended secondary educaion in Tirana declares that they agreed by 7.1 on a scale from 1 to where 10 is equal to enirely agree. The students from the rural areas declared a 7.5. DID YOU ATTEND ADDITIONAl cOUrSE (extracurricular course) to be prepared for the State Matura Examination? 44.7% 55.3% yes no 19.2% yes 80.8% no did yOu HaVe tO pay FOr tHe extracurricular cOurSeS yOu attended? yes, they were taught by private university teachers 14% yes, they were taught by public university teachers 63 42% in the premises of your high school did it take place any information session sharing information on the universities, the ields of study/faculties or other aspects of higher education? 25% yes, they were taught by the pedagogical staf of high school 18 % Other State Matura in albania, 2012 more than half of the respondents (55.3 %) state that in order to be prepared for the SM exams they need to have additional consultations. However, as it is shown from the data collected through the qualitative methods applied in this research, the high school graduates did not beneit much from the free consultations provided by the school. As a result only 19.2 % of the high school graduates who conirmed that they attended free consultations state that they made use of the free consultations as opposed to the 80.8 % of the high school graduates who stated that they paid in order to have consultations. 64 university orientation and career counselling Students were also asked whether they had received consultations regarding the study program they were to choose at the university. The majority of them (61.3 %) state that during high school they were provided with consultations by the school staf (teachers, school directors etc.), as opposed to 36.6 % who deny to have had such consultations. In this respect, the situation is similar both in the rural areas, where 62.8 % of the respondents conirm to have been assisted, and in the main cities where an average of 62.4 % of students conirmed this assistance as well. Apart from the constant consultations provided by school teachers, from many years the MES has initiated “Career counselling” program aiming to increase the collaboration between the high schools and the universities in order to advise the high school graduates in relation to the ield of studies, employment perspective etc. According to the feedback this program was not productively for all the high schools: the farther one school is from the centre, the larger is the number of students who declare that they did not have information sessions on universities. So, while 44.2 % of students from the rural areas declare that during high school none of these sessions were organised in their school, only 23.8 % of the students from Tirana declare the same. Despite all the diiculties encountered to access the rural schools, career counselling is be equally important for all the high school graduates, because a choice made without the proper consultation could lead to an unsuccessful career. In relation to the entity that organised the information sessions, it seems that the collaboration with the state universities did not work as it was expected. As a consequence, only 14 % of high school graduates declare that these sessions were developed by state university teachers as compared to 41.9 % who declare that they were developed by private universities. The problem that arises from the indiference shown from the public universities is that often the private universities, which develop these sessions with high school graduates, use them more as an advertisement for the priorities of their universities than for the information they give on the ields of study. This is also relected in the answers of the students when they declared that they attended the seminars organised by the private universities. 57.7 % of them stated that the discussion was more about the priorities of the university which developed the seminar; 15.3 % stated that the discussion was about the nature of the ield of study; and 25.6 % stated that the discussions was focused on the perspective of the ield of study in the labour market. graduation exams When asked on the diiculty level of the SM exams, 38 % of the respondent students state that these exams were diicult or very diicult. While 57.8 % of them state that the exams were somehow diicult. When analysed from the geographic perspective, it is possible to identify that for the students from Tirana the SM exams were more diicult than for the students from the rural areas. So, 41 % of the students from Tirana consider the SM exams diicult or very diicult as compared to the 38.4 % of students who attended high school in the rural areas. One of the factors that could have inluenced this perception for the high school graduates students from Tirana could have beenmesatarisht a greater rigorousness in the gjatë shkollës së mesme, sa orë në ditë keni studiuar pas mësimit ? administration of the SM exams, compared to other schools which were out of the focus of attention (and monitoring) of the institutions and media. 0-1 hours a day 2-3 hours a day 4-5 hours a day More than 5 hours a day Average Average Average 7.37 7.86 7.80 8.63 2. The content of the graduation exams was in compliance with the orientation program of the State Matura 7.54 7.69 7.69 8.10 3. The content of the graduation exams was in compliance with the orientations provided in class by teachers 7.29 7.64 7.59 8.88 4. In my perception, the development process of State Matura was not abusive and distanced from the corruptive practices 6.12 6.26 6.21 6.31 5. In my experience the evaluation/markes I have received in the State Matura exams were fair and objective 6.88 7.32 7.42 8.36 6. In my experience the high school graduates cheated during the State Matura exams 6.92 7.00 6.76 6.93 7. In my perception, the high school graduates students were qualiied on those study programes they deserved to study. 5.77 5.79 6.10 6.12 If we design a curve between the high school average grade and the feedback on the level of diiculty of the exams, we will notice (with some exception) that the curve indicates State Matura in albania, 2012 65 Average 1. The content of the State Matura exams relected in the best way the knowledge gained during high school 66 this tendency: the higher the average grade of the respondent the simpler were the SM exams in his/her consideration. So, in general we can state that mainly the exams were not diicult for the students with good academic results. In addition, it is obvious that the preparation of the high school graduates had an important role, because students who declared that they studied 0-1 hours a day during the high school had a tendency to consider the SM exams as diicult. 52.7 % of the students who declared that during high school they studied 0-1 hours a day considered the SM exams as diicult or very diicult. Such an evaluation on the SM exams was adapted by only 26.2 of the students who declared that studied more than 5 hours a day. The diiculty level of the SM exams directly inluences the results achieved by the high school graduates and in turn their right to study. So it results that those who considered the SM exams as diicult or very diicult received 7 or a lower mark in these exams. The students’ stand in relation to SM was questioned too. The students were provided with some statements and were asked to state how much they agreed on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 denoting that they entirely agree. on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 denoting that you do not agree at all and 10 that you agree entirely, state how much do you agree with the statements below in relation to your experience with the state matura exam? Assessment 1. The content of the State Matura exams relected in the best way the knowledge gained during high school 8 2. The content of the graduation exams was in compliance with the orientation program of the State Matura 8 3. The content of the graduation exams was in compliance with the orientations provided in class by teachers 8 4. In my perception, the development process of State Matura was not abusive and distanced from the corruptive practices 6 5. In my experience the evaluation/grades I have received in the State Matura exams were fair and objective 7 6. In my experience the high school graduates cheated during the State Matura exams 7 7. In my perception, the high school graduates students were qualiied on those study programes they deserved to study. 6 In the results shown above we notice that students agree less with the statements “In my perception, the high school graduates students were qualiied on those study programes they deserved to study” which they have evaluated with an average grade of 5.87; and “the development process of State Matura was not abusive and distanced from the corruptive practices” with an average grade of 6.22. A correlation between these two attitudes makes us understand that students are of the opinion that the SM exams were not administered properly, giving way to abuse. As a result the high school graduates students did not receive what they deserved. Such The administration of the SM exams was a delicate issue which is beyond doubt based on the personal perception of the respondents. However, often this perception was based on personal experience. Given that during the irst half of the research, during which were used quantitative methods of scientiic research, many problems were identiied with the administration of the SM exams, the students were asked to state whether they agreed with some of the statements, the same as above. So, almost all the high school graduates, despite the gender and the geographic location where they studied, agreed (6.92) with the statement that based on their experience, the high school graduates cheated during the SM exams. This wide held agreement could be of a great concern as it is being held on a great scale by students who have declared high results during the high school and during the SM exams. During an interview with an exam administrator (EA) he stated that the EA-, who are teachers from the same city where the exam is being held, have a tendency to tolerate students from their cities to cheat but are strict and rigorous with students coming from the rural areas. State Matura in albania, 2012 67 attitudes are in synchronization even with the results of the focus groups where teachers and former high school graduates students discussed on a high level of abuse during the SM exams. Such abuses damage the core of the SM which should provide the students with possibilities to compete honestly with one another and to attend a certain ield of study in public universities based on the merit-preference criteria. Then the students were asked on other aspects of the SM exams. In relation to the content of the SM exams, the students state that they somehow agree (7.67) with the statement that they complied with the program of orientation. Even though students agree on a relatively large scale with this statement, this result shows that they have some remarks on this element. The content of the SM exams is a delicate problem because they should necessarily comply 100 % with the program of orientation, used by the high school graduates during the preparation phase. Question posed out of the program of orientation are not only against honest competition but on the long term it also leads the high school graduates to have a low trust (in the next years) in the program of orientation, causing a lot of confusion and insecurity in the preparation for the SM exams. In addition, students stated that they agree with an average of 7.63 with the statement that “the content of the graduation exams was in compliance with the orientations provided in class by teachers”; and with an average of 7.8 with the other statement that “the content of the State Matura exams relected in the best way the knowledge gained during high school”. Even for these statements, the students who agreed the more were those students who declared that they studied more than 5 hours a day (8.63 for the irst statement and 8.88 for the second statement) and the students who declared that studied 0-1 hours a day agreed less (7.37 for the irst statement and 7.29 for the second statement). chapter 68 3 tHe FactOrS inFluencing tHe SelectiOn OF tHe Study Field aurOn paSHa 11. cHapter 3 – tHe FactOrS inFluencing tHe SelectiOn OF tHe Study Field grade average The respondent students in the second year in public universities were asked in relation to the evaluation (marks) received during the high school, the State Matura and during the irst year of the university. The goal was to identify performance diferences from one school level to the other. The results of the survey indicate that students in public universities had a relatively higher performance in high school. The declared average grade in high school is 8.1, a satisfactory igure. The performance decreases during the Sate Graduation exams with a declared average of 7.6 for all the graduation exams. approximately, what was your overall average in high school, without including the marks of the State Matura exams? all the students Male Female 8.13 7.8 8.38 Motivation Some factors could be related to students’ motivation. They have a higher pressure in high school to achieve higher results with the purpose of ensuring their enrolment at the university. After reaching this objective (entering the university) their motivation/pressure to have higher results could decline. 13 In general “self-declaraion” process of grades has a tendency to be “milder” compared to the reality, meaning that the marks that are self-declared are a litle higher than the reality. But what is important in this analysis is the difernce from one level to the other (High School -University) despite the fact that they are only self-declaraions. State Matura in albania, 2012 69 When the results of high school and the performance of the irst year at the university are compared we notice some obvious changes. According to the respondent high school graduates, the average of the exams in the irst year of the university is 6.5, about 1 mark lower than the average of the Graduation exams and approximately 2 marks lower than the average of all the high school level. These students’ declarations13 clearly show that their performance relected on marks, declines constantly from the high school to university. The factors that could explain this generally accepted tendency could be diferent ones. Chart 5. How motivated are you to study in the faculty where you are currently studying? 0.1% 5.2% 3.8% 23.6% 26.5% Very Motivated Motivated Somehow motivated/ Not motivated A little motivated Not motivated at all I do not know/no answer 40.7% 70 The respondents were asked to make a general evaluation on their motivation to study in the faculty they are currently studying. Only 24 % of them declare that they feel “very motivated”, while 41 % of them declare that they feel “motivated”. More than 35 % of the respondents, that is more than 1 in3 students, declare that they do not feel motivated14 in the study program they are currently studying. This is a general distortion of the university system which in some way “produces” high school graduates with a low performance and not motivated for the professional futureahead of them. Students’ “motivation” to study in the study program where they are currently studying, analyzed by taking into consideration the list that the student compiled in the “university selection form”, indicates that there is a strong correlation between the motivation scale and faculty preference. The rejection to attend the program high school graduates preferred the most, increases student “de-motivation” to study. 14 According to the scale “Somehow moivated/Unmoivated”, “A litle moivated” or “Not moiva- ted at all”. The irst category “Somehow moivated/Unmoivated” is in fact an average evaluaion, but thinking moivaion as an evaluaion scale, that is more of a compromise than a posiive moivaion for the surveyed. How motivated are you to study in the faculty / study program where you are currently studying? during the university application process, how did you list the branch you are currently studying? Very motivated Motivated Somehow motivated a little motivated not Motivated First 35.7% 37.5% 20.5% 2.5% 3.5% Second 19.7% 53.0% 21.3% 3.8% 2.2% Third 21.3% 39.0% 31.6% 4.4% 3.7% Fourth 9.0% 38.5% 41.0% 9.0% 2.6% Below the fourth 13.9% 32.4% 34.3% 11.1% 8.3% I did not select in the A3/A4 14.3% 38.1% 28.6% 14.3% 4.8% Student performance according to the branch/faculty preference One of the factors that could directly inluence students’ performance at the university is their desire to attend the branch they have planed, based on their preference, at the “university selection form”. The higher this branch stands in the list, the more motivated is the student to learn and achieve high results. During the university application process, how have you listed the branch you are currently studying in the list of preferences? *Average mark during the irst year at the university. average 7.01 Second 6.49 Third 6.20 Fourth or even lower 6.00 Total 6.50 This hypothesis is entirely illustrated by the survey data. The average evaluation of students attending the irst year, and who are studding in the branch they have selected as their irst choice in the selection list (irst preference), is 7. This evaluation declines hand in hand with the decline of preference and those students who are currently studying in a branch which they have listed as the fourth one, or even lower, in the form, have an average mark of 6.It is to be noted that only 35 % of the respondents conirm that the branch they are currently studying was their irst preference. That is 2 in 3 university students are not attending the branch which was their irst preference. Some other factors might be related to: i) the way the students are evaluated which is diferent from high school to university level; ii) the amount of materials required to study; or iii) the variety of subjects that are taught etc. State Matura in albania, 2012 71 First Apart from all these factors which have an inluence on the change of performance, the results of the survey conirm that: The performance of students in high school (as an average mark during all of the high school years or even the average mark in the State Matura exams) is not the same compared to the university one, but on the contrary it decreases. Chart 6. During high school, how many hours a day on average have you studied after school? 0-1 hours a day 2-3 hours a day 4-5 hours a day More than 5 hours a day Hours of studing in High School Hours of studing in University 72 I do not know/no answer 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Studding hours It is interesting to notice that the time students declare to spend at the university on the studies is not very diferent compared to time that they have declare to have spent on studies during the high school years (18.6 % declare that they spend 0-1 hour a day studying at the university level and 18.4 declare the same data for high school. Similarly, 55.6 % declare that they spend 2-3 hours a day studying at the university level, while 55.4 % declare the same data for the high school). So, time investment in education does not change from high school to university, but students’ performance is low (referring to the marks). Previous quality research on the gap existing between high school performance and university suggest that, nevertheless, the study load at the university is estimated to be much higher than in high school.15 During diferent discussion in the focus groups, the students declare that it is precisely this load that is the main factor for their unsatisfactory performance. 15 State Matura, a system evaluaion – IDRA 2010.A pilot research on the graduaion and students in the University of Tirana. comparing the Quality of education It has be identiied that there are some diferences in the satisfaction level indicated by the respondent students in relation to the quality of education in high school and university level. More than 70 % of the respondents state that they are “satisied”16 with the quality of education in high school while this igure decreases into about 50 % when the respondent students are questioned on the quality of education at university. Keeping into account the level of motivation analysed above and the “connection” with the speciic branch they are currently attending, we can state that this decrease of “satisfaction” has an explanation. Chart 7. How satisied are you with the level of education in high school? Very satisfied Satisfied Somehow satisfied Unsatisfied How satisfied are you with the level of education in high school? Very Unsatisfied I do not know/no answer 0 10 20 30 40 50 The students themselves provide some indication in relation to the possible reasons (according to their perceptions) for this diference in performance. The students were asked to rate, on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 denoting “I do not agree at all” and 10 denoting “I entirely agree”, diferent statements in relation to some dimensions of high school and university quality. These dimensions, formulated by Herbert Marsh17 are widely used to evaluate the quality of education in relation to the validity and the level of understanding of the educational process, the teaching enthusiasm of the instructor, the organisation of the educational process, the incentives to create an interactive educational process and to have an objective and appropriate evaluation approach. 16 This category includes all of them who answered as “very saisied” (27.2 %) and “saisied” (43.3 %) 17 Marsh, H. W. (1982), SEEQ: A Reliable, Valid, and Useful Instrument for Collecting Students’ Evaluations of University Teach- ing. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 52: 77–95. State Matura in albania, 2012 73 How satisfied are you with the level of education at the university? 74 In a more general perspective, almost all of the statements related to the quality of education in high school have a higher rank than those having to do with university education (irst year) according to the scale from 1 to 10 (in the following table all the boxes in blue colour indicate the statements which have a better evaluation of high schools compared to universities). So, the respondent students have a higher evaluation of the educational quality in high schools compared to universities. Referring to the respondents: • They “understood and learnt the subjects better” in high school compared to the university level; • They learned more valid knowledge out of the subjects developed in high school compared to the university level; • The explanations of teachers in high school were more clear and understandable compared to the lectures of university teachers; • “Teachers in high school make the subjects more interesting” compared to university teachers; • “Teachers in high school encourage student to participate more actively” compared to university teachers. • Textbooks in high school are considered to be better compared to university books in respect of quality. One of the greatest diferences according to the respondent students is the evaluation of students’ performance. According to the respondents, student evaluation in high school was fair and appropriate, rated with an average mark of 7.8 on the scale from 1 to 10. Student evaluation on the university level was ranked with an average mark of 5.9 and this shows that the respondent students do not think that this evaluation is as fair as in high school. The statement “the evaluation process is in line to what was previously explained” was ranked with a higher mark in the case of high schools rather than universities. IDRA Research 2012 identiied the same conclusions that the students identiied in relation to this approach. Referring to the university lecturers surveyed for this research (IDRA 2012), the main diference has to do with the inability of the pre-university system to prepare students to learn critically and by using a selective approach (not mechanically), to analyse and to give arguments on the information or to clearly articulate it. This is the reason why students are not able to manage the amount of information that they have to study at the university according to the demands of lecturers’ and exams criteria. On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 denoting that you do not agree entirely and 10 denoting that you agree entirely, state how much do you agree with the statements below in relation to your experience in high school and university (irst year). HigH ScHOOl uniVerSity diF. 7.44 I have understood and learnt the subjects developed in the irst year at the university 6.54 0.9 I think the subjects developed during high school were challenging and encouraged the intellect 7.06 I think the subjects developed during university were challenging and encouraged the intellect 7.12 -0.1 I think the subjects which I attended in high school had a more valid knowledge 8.20 I think the subjects which I attended at the university had more valid knowledge 8.03 0.2 The teachers explained the subjects in a clear and understandable way 7.73 The university teachers explained the subjects in a clear and understandable way 7.19 0.5 In general the teachers made the subjects interesting 7.09 In general the university teachers made the subjects interesting 6.55 0.5 In general the teachers encouraged an active student participation during class discussions 7.15 In general the university teachers encouraged an active student participation during class discussions 6.33 0.8 The teachers encouraged the students to make questions during the teaching hours and gave valid answers on these questions 7.06 The university teachers encouraged the students to make questions during the teaching hours and gave valid answers on these questions 6.49 0.6 The textbooks and the other supporting materials were of a high quality 7.17 The textbooks and the other supporting materials were of a high quality 6.84 0.3 The student evaluation performance (the marks) was fair and appropriate 7.80 The student evaluation performance (the marks) was fair and appropriate 5.93 1.9 7.85 The content of the other exams and evaluations (projects etc.) was along the lines of what was previously explained in class. 7.13 0.7 The evaluation process is always along the lines of what has previously been explained in the classroom. 75 I have understood and learnt the subjects developed in high school Although these perceptions can be inluenced by the fact that students do not always study the branches which are their irst preference, or in general by a low motivational level, it still is a matter of concern to see that the university level receives such evaluations from the students. State Matura in albania, 2012 chapter 76 4 StudentS experience at HigHer educatiOn dritan nelaj 12. cHapter 4 – StudentS experience at HigHer educatiOn StudentS The quality of higher education is afected by a series of factors among which the quality of students who constitute an essential input to the general quality of the university education level. The contemporary literature on university education underlines constantly the fact that the process of knowledge transfer and transformation is not transmitted by using e mechanic approach from the lecturer to the student, but a considerable amount of these processes depend, and are inevitably inluenced by student’s performance and quality. As a result the actors who enable the knowledge creation and transfer which in turn help in developing advanced competences are at the same time professors and students. By focusing on this element, the research aimed to explore the performance and the higher education experience of university students in the second year. Among other variables the team of experts was interested in analysing the dynamics and the impact of the State Matura on the quality and performance of public universities in general. The demographic distribution of high school graduates students in universities is an interesting aspect. The Table below shows that “AleksanderXhuvni”, “LuigjGurakuqi” and “Eqerem Cabeji” Universities receive a considerable number of high school graduates students coming from the rural areas and small cities. Students’ motivation, which might be inluenced by the correlation between the preference for the study program/university and the institution where the student is actually attending his/her studies, can play an important role on the student academic performance. The Table below shows that a high percentage of students (35.1 %) are attending their studies in study programs and universities which were part of their irst preference, followed by 22.7 % of students declaring that the faculty State Matura in albania, 2012 77 The survey data indicate that the average marks during the irst year of university, data reported by the students themselves, is obviously lower compared to the high school average, or to the State Matura exams. It seems that the student’s average mark for each university relects the perceived quality by the public and the media coverage for particular universities. In general the Table indicates that those universities which have a higher prestige attract high school graduates students with better grades in high school studies and as a result, despite the performance decline during the irst year at the university, their academic performance is reported to be higher in comparison to the students studying in other universities. 6.5 total total the theaverage averageof ofthe theexaMs exaMsin inthe thefirst firstyear year the theDeMographiC DeMographiCDistribution Distributionof ofhigh highsChool sChoolgraDuates graDuatesstuDents stuDentsin inpubliC publiCuniversities universities 44% % “luigj “luigjgurakuqi” gurakuqi”university universityin inshkoDra shkoDra 25 25% % agriCultural agriCulturaluniversity universityof oftirana tirana 56 56% % 22% % rural rural areas areas 30 30% % Malesi Malesi eeMadhe Madhe Tropoje Tropoje rural rural areas areas 13 13% % tirana tirana tirana tirana Main Main Cities Cities other otherurban urban Cities Cities 44% % Main Main Cities Cities 6.16 6.16 other otherurban urban Cities Cities Puke Puke Shkoder Shkoder university universityof oftirana tirana 77% % Lezhe Lezhe 39 39% % Mirdite Mirdite university universityin inDurrës Durrës“aleksanDër “aleksanDërMoisiu” Moisiu” rural rural areas areas 24 24% % Diber Diber 11% 11% rural rural areas areas tirana tirana Kurbin Kurbin Mat Mat 44 44% % 78 40 40% % Main Main Cities Cities other otherurban urban Cities Cities 5.68 5.68 ubt ubt 5.98 5.98 ut ut 35 35% % upt upt tirana tirana 51 51% % Main Main Cities Cities 6.48 6.48 32 32% % 34 34% % other otherurban urban Cities Cities 66% % Devoll Devoll Main Main Cities Cities Mallakaster Mallakaster Skrapar Skrapar other otherurban urban Cities Cities university universityin invlora vlora“isMail “isMailqeMali” qeMali” 17 17% % other otherurban urban Cities Cities university universityin ingjirokastra gjirokastra“eqereM “eqereMÇabej” Çabej” 35 35% % 55% % 33% % 5.69 5.69 58 58% % tirana tirana 21 21% % other otherurban urban Cities Cities rural rural areas areas tirana tirana 6.30 6.30 Kolonje Kolonje 5.77 5.77 rural rural areas areas 66 66% % Main Main Cities Cities 15 15% % 11% 11% university universityin inkorÇa korÇa“fan “fans.noli” s.noli” tirana tirana 33 33% % rural rural areas areas “aleksanDër “aleksanDërxhuvani” xhuvani”university universityin inelbasan elbasan 6.36 6.36 polyteChniC polyteChniCuniversity universityof oftirana tirana 13 13% % 00% % 7.42 7.42 other otherurban urban Cities Cities rural rural areas areas 29 29% % Main Main Cities Cities tirana tirana 22% % 28 28% % Has Has 42 42% % rural rural areas areas 33% % tirana tirana Main Main Cities Cities Main Main Cities Cities 58 58% % other otherurban urban Cities Cities where they are studying was their second choice when applying to the university. These percentages illustrate of a relatively eicient student distribution based on to the meritpreference principle. However, the research shows that 23 % of students were accepted to study into a study program being their fourth or even lower preference and this could considerably inluence their motivation level in order to be seriously engaged in the study process, as well as on their ability to cope with the academic demands of that study program. During the university aplication process, in which place did you place the study program, in which you are currently studying? First tirane 35.1% Main Cities 40.7% other urban Cities 31.9% rural areal 27.9% Second 24.3% 21.3% 21.5% 27.9% Third 16.2% 15.2% 18.5% 18.6% Fourth 7% 9.9% 11.9% 8.1% Below the fourth 13.5% 11.8% 14.1% 14.0% I did not chose it in the A3/A4 form 3.8% 1.1% 2.2% 3.5% The merit-preference mechanism assists in the eicient distribution of high school graduates students in public universities, but on the other hand it has an inluence on the motivational scale of the student in relation to the university study program and academic outcome. In such a social environment where meritocracy, professional responsibility and healthy competition are not the main mechanisms in building relations with one another, the self-motivation of the student to advance in their academic and professional path is an essential factor for his/her performance. The research indicates that 63 % of students are motivated to attend the studies in the study programthey are registered, followed by 26 % of students who feel somehow motivated. 18 lSMS - living Standard Measurement Study State Matura in albania, 2012 79 When analysing the demographic distribution of the preferences according to LSMS division18, it can be noticed that the high school graduates students, from the rural areas or from the small cities, are less favoured in comparison to the other high school graduates who study into universities/branches which were their irst preference. The Table below illustrates better this distribution. It indicates that the city of Tirana and the other main cities of the country are more favoured in the consistency between the irst preference and the university/degree the student is actually enrolled, while for the other preferences in the list the situation becomes more balanced. This situation could be explained base on some arguments, but the most important is the unequal distribution of resources and of the quality of the education service in Albania. The scale of motivation is inluenced also by the assessment of the student on the value and beneit of his/her investment in the future career and professional success. In order to have a better understanding of this issue, the survey analysed the degree of trust that the students of the second year have on the value of the diploma in the Albanian labour market. The data analysis, which are in line with the indings on students’ motivation, indicate that about 66 % of students believe that the university diploma will help them to access the labour market, followed by 27 % of students who are insecure and about 6 % who think that the diploma will not help them to ind a job. Chart 8. How motivated do you feel to study in the study program/faculty you are currently enrolled in? 5.2% 3.8% 0.1% 23.6% 80 Very motivated Motivated Somehow motivated A little motivated 26.5% Not motivated at all I do not know/no answer 40.7% The results of the survey show that most of the students falling under the category of insecure students with 32 %, and under the category of those who are even more sceptical on the value of the diploma with 8 %, are students living in the city of Tirana. It seems that this diference between the students living in Tirana and the others could be related to diferent factors such as: students in Tirana are more informed on the nature of the labour market in their city, which results to be also the major and the most competitive market in the territory of the country. In addition, students living permanently in Tirana could be more self-aware on the limited role that a university diploma plays in crossing barriers related to informality, nepotism or even corruption in relation to recruitments in the labour market. Another explanation could be the high level of expectations that the students who are permanent residents in Tirana have regarding to the quality of the university. This is related to the fact that they are more dissatisied with the education level in their ield of study. Despite the high level of dissatisfaction among the students living in Tirana, on the educational quality in the faculty where they study, the survey indicates that about 50 % of students participating in this research Chart 9. according to you, how much would your diploma help you be integrated in the labour market? 2.6% 3.3% 1.6% 25% It would help me a lot It will help me It will help me somehow It will not help me 26.8% It will not help me at all I do not know/no answer 81 40.6% are satisfied with the quality of their education, followed by about 40 % of students who are not conident. A smaller percentage of students, 11 %, declare that they are not satisied with the educational quality in their study program. However, a detailed analysis shows that a higher percentage, about 51 % of students living in rural areas, is not conident about the educational quality in their branch of study. This insecurity could be related to the high level of expectations these students have related to the quality of higher education, but it can also be explained with the additional diiculties these students face in the urban environment, as well as with the diiculties in coping with the dynamics inside the university. Even though most of the students declare that the subjects at the university level are obviously more diicult compared to the subjects in high school, the time they spend to study is the same with the time they used to spend during high school years. A similar time commitment for these two study periods yields State Matura in albania, 2012 Chart 10. How satisied are you with quality of you university education? 7.1% 3.6% 0.2% 11.2% Very satisfied Satisfied Somehow satisfied Unsatisfied 38.7% Very unsatisfied I do not know/no answer 82 39.3% an answer which is not proportional to the increased diiculty level and the load of studies during the university studies. Together with other factors, this could explain the automatic decline in academic performance from high school to university level. Later the students were asked on some of the main indicators of university quality and personal adaptation. The Table below shows that some of the important indicators of the process of knowledge transfer and performance assessment are not highly evaluated by the students. The survey results show Chart 11. On average, how many hours a day did you study during the irst year? 6.2% 0.7% 18.6% 20.9% 0-1 hours a day 2-3 hours a day 4-5 hours a day More than 5 hours a day I do not know/no answer 53.6% that a considerable part of students conirm that they have not absorbed to a satisfactory level the subjects attended during the irst academic year. Also the Table illustrates that a great number of students conirm that in general the university lecturers do not encourage active students’ participation during the classes. In addition, they declare to be somehow dissatisied with the willingness of the university lecturers to encourage asking questions from the students and to answer those questions by using proper arguments. Students are mostly dissatisied with the objectivity and impartiality of the process of student evaluation. They are sceptical and dissatisied with the level of fairness and correctness applied by the professors to evaluate students’ performance. The above data relects a mechanic process of teaching which does not rely on active participation of students. On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 denoting that you do not agree at all and 10 that you agree entirely, how much do you agree with the statements below in relation to your experience in the FirSt year at tHe uniVerSity? evaluation 7 2 I think the subjects developed during the irst year at the university were challenging and encouraging intellectually. 7 3 I think I have gained valid knowledge from the subjects attended in the university 8 4 The explanations of the university lecturers were clear and understandable 7 5 In general the university lecturers made the subjects interesting 7 6 In general, the university lecturers encouraged student active participation during class discussions 6 7 The university lecturers encouraged the students to make questions during the lessons and gave valid answers to themt 6 8 The texts and the other supporting materials were well prepared 7 9 The evaluation of student performance (the marks) were fair and appropriate 6 10 The content of the exams was appropriate to what was previously explained. 7 State Matura in albania, 2012 83 1 I Have understood and learnt all the subject developed in the irst year at the university As it was previously mentioned, most of the students are of the opinion that the diiculty level of the university subjects, during the irst year, is higher compared to the same, or similar subjects, at high school level. Chart 12. In general, how would you evaluate the level of diiculty of the subjects you studied in the irst year of university in comparison to the same or similar subjects which you had to study in high school? 7.7% 0.2% 1.6% 0.1% 32.2% Very difficult More difficult Equally difficult Easier Very easy 84 I do not know/no answer 58.2% This concern becomes more evident when 59 % of the students state that subjects in the irst year have little or no connection, to the high school subjects. These two results show an abrupt and somehow a harsh transition from the high school to university level. This is also illustrated by the fact that 90 % of students state that the study load at the university level is much higher compared to the load in high school. Of course, the transition from the high school to university is followed by an increase in the study load, an advanced level of knowledge and a variety of subjects become modiied and redeined but nevertheless the irst year at the university should be a period of a gradual transition related to the academic content, teaching, studying processes and institutional practices. Lack of serious consideration for these aspects could have a serious impact on students’ academic performance, students’ motivation to study and on other factors related to lack of meritocracy in student evaluation and their future career in the labour market. HigH ScHOOl VS. uniVerSity In general how would you evaluate the study load at the university as compared with the load you had during high school? 5% equal 46.3% Higher 1.9% Smaller 46.2% 0.6% Much higher Much smaller 33.9% are related are very much related in general HOw wOuld yOu eValuate tHe cOntent OF tHe SubjectS deVelOped during tHe FirSt year at tHe uniVerSity aS cOMpared tO tHe SubjectS deVelOped in HigH ScHOOl? wHat iS tHe relatiOn OF tHeSe SubjectS witH tHe HigH ScHOOl SubjectS? 41.5% are somehow related 11.9% are not related 85 7.2% 5.6% are not related at all State Matura in albania, 2012 88 Open SOciety FOundatiOn FOr albania rr. Qemal Stafa, Pallati 120/2, tirana, albania tel: +355 4 22 34 621/ 22 34 223/ 22 35 856 Fax: +355 4 22 35 855 e-mail: [email protected] Web-page: www.soros.al