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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Exams are now virtual signalling?

146 replies

WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 20:34

Details changed to protect identity, but in summary:

DS had an exam today, He's at college. The exam mark will go towards his final grade. He was tasked with answering questions on several case studies. One of the subjects of a case study was a person called Sam. Sam had they/them pronouns and Sam's sex was unclear.
DS has ASC and dyslexia. He's bright, but can tend towards rigid thinking. He said that he just kept on getting confused by the case study, having to re-read it several times to understand it because of the plural pronouns (other people were also involved in the case study, so a lot of pronouns flying about). DS also ended up editing his answers several times to try and make sure he got the pronouns right and consistent.
It seems that adding these pronouns to an exam question, when it was unnecessary to the case study
(a) was virtual signalling of woke-ness by the examiner
(b) likely to confuse students with issues like ASC and dyslexia and
(c) therefore be discriminatory towards some students - both in terms of understanding, and the extra time taken to check and re-write answers.
DS gets extra time in his exams, and usually doesn't need it all. Today he only just finished in time.

So, AIBU - inclusive pronouns are great and including them in exams is important because it raises visibility
or
YANBU - these pronouns are confusing and including them in exams is unnecessary and unhelpful for students with learning difficulties

(With thanks to the posters on my first thread attempt who pointed out my logic fail on the poll 😂🙏 )

OP posts:
Cheesetoastiesz · 20/01/2023 20:42

YABU

Keyansier · 20/01/2023 20:45

YANBU

quine04 · 20/01/2023 20:46

YANBU

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 20/01/2023 20:46

YANBU

GreenLeavesRustling · 20/01/2023 20:47

Yanbu

DappledThings · 20/01/2023 20:48

As I said on your first thread YANBU . It is confusing enough when posters here write for advice about their DC then pepper it with they and them so you can't tell how many DC are being discussed. It's unnecessarily confusing and irritating at the best of times, even more so in a stressful exam situation.

FawnFrenchieMum · 20/01/2023 20:48

YANBU

wonderstuff · 20/01/2023 20:49

YANBU, could be very problematic for kids with language processing difficulties, disabled kids needs rarely considered properly in exams process, always an add on at the end, never during the actual planning of courses.

WineDup · 20/01/2023 20:49

What was the exam about?

amaryllis134 · 20/01/2023 20:51

YANBU

yousmellnice · 20/01/2023 20:56

I think it depends what subject it was

Indiana2021 · 20/01/2023 20:57

Is it Scotland OP?

Cheesetoastiesz · 20/01/2023 20:59

wonderstuff · 20/01/2023 20:49

YANBU, could be very problematic for kids with language processing difficulties, disabled kids needs rarely considered properly in exams process, always an add on at the end, never during the actual planning of courses.

Considering most moan school doesn’t prepare students for real life surely this is a great step, if your child struggles with basic pronouns it’s good they’re being educated to help when entering the big bad world.

I also highly doubt the pronouns made any difference in the application of the case study, unless it’s maths related and needed students to calculate how many people were involved in something (and therefore using they might indicate multiples)

WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:00

WineDup · 20/01/2023 20:49

What was the exam about?

It was a social science/humanities type exam.
DS described the case study and I could see zero need to have the subject recorded as a they/them.

OP posts:
WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:00

Indiana2021 · 20/01/2023 20:57

Is it Scotland OP?

No. But I wonder what their exams are like!

OP posts:
BlackLambAndGreyFalcon · 20/01/2023 21:01

YANBU, but I think you may mean virtue rather than virtual signalling.

CountZacular · 20/01/2023 21:03

YANBU. It’s jarring enough when posters try to obscure the sexes when posting on here to remove bias. I can imagine how awkward it would be for someone neurodiverse.

WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:05

Cheesetoastiesz · 20/01/2023 20:59

Considering most moan school doesn’t prepare students for real life surely this is a great step, if your child struggles with basic pronouns it’s good they’re being educated to help when entering the big bad world.

I also highly doubt the pronouns made any difference in the application of the case study, unless it’s maths related and needed students to calculate how many people were involved in something (and therefore using they might indicate multiples)

I'm afraid you are demonstrating your lack of understanding or care of some of the implications of ASC and dyslexia.

But I suspect students with those sort of disabilities aren't the kind of 'most vulnerable' you are interested in.

Thanks for your contribution though.

OP posts:
WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:06

BlackLambAndGreyFalcon · 20/01/2023 21:01

YANBU, but I think you may mean virtue rather than virtual signalling.

Indeed I did!

It's been a loong week 😂

OP posts:
WineDup · 20/01/2023 21:07

WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:00

No. But I wonder what their exams are like!

Why do you wonder what our exams are like?

WineDup · 20/01/2023 21:08

WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:00

It was a social science/humanities type exam.
DS described the case study and I could see zero need to have the subject recorded as a they/them.

In a humanities type exam it could most definitely be relevant, given that gender is a huge part of the syllabus …

WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:09

WineDup · 20/01/2023 21:07

Why do you wonder what our exams are like?

Just because the SNP are woke-central, so I wonder how far that has permeated into things like exam setting?

OP posts:
jtaeapa · 20/01/2023 21:10

Yanbu. It’s outrageous. My ds has ASD had had tripped up with exam questions where names are difficult. In exam questions, only the most basic names understood by everyone should be used. Eg Kate has 5 sweets
or Peter has 6 tickets

WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:11

WineDup · 20/01/2023 21:08

In a humanities type exam it could most definitely be relevant, given that gender is a huge part of the syllabus …

No. The case study could have easily been about a man or a woman.
Trans/non-binary/gender - none of these had any relevance to the subject.

I did check with DS and he gave a very clear account.

OP posts:
WarOfTheWolds · 20/01/2023 21:13

WineDup · 20/01/2023 21:08

In a humanities type exam it could most definitely be relevant, given that gender is a huge part of the syllabus …

OH, and gender is NOT a huge part of the syllabus, bless you.

OP posts: