Multilingualism in education is encouraged in South Africa, and children are expected to become bilingual and biliterate during the early primary grades. Much focus has been placed on measuring literacy in children's first language, often the medium of instruction (MOI), and English, the language typically used as MOI from fourth grade. However,…

A pilot of a reading test to be used in college entrance examinations for black South Africans showed how students' interpretation of the test differed as the social context was altered. The multiple meanings produced by shifting power relations call into question the test's validity. (SK)