Translation procedures in OECD/PISA 2000 international assessment

Abstract

As a part of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international survey was conducted in 2000 to assess the Reading, Mathematics and Science literacy of 15-year-old students in 31 countries (see McQueen and Mendelovits, this issue; see Grisay, 2002). The article describes the procedures implemented by the PISA International Co-ordination Centre for the development of national versions of the assessment instruments in all instruction languages used in the participating countries. It also presents data (collected during the field trial of the instruments) that provide some empirical information on the effectiveness of these procedures. The International Centre developed two source versions (in English and French) of the instruments. It was recommended that the national adaptation teams produce two independent translations (one from the English and the other from the French source version) of the assessment material into the language of instruction in their country and that they reconcile them into a single national version. A group of international verifiers appointed and trained by the International Centre then checked the equivalence of all national versions against the source versions.