Transcript Uses of Language Tests

Uses of Language Tests
Two Major Uses of Language
Tests
• 1. education: as sources of information for
making decisions within the context of
educational programs.
• 2. research: as indicators of abilities or
attributes that are of interest in research on
language, language acquisition, language
teaching.
Education: Assumptions
• The use of tests as a source of evaluation
information requires 3 assumptions.
• 1. Information regarding educational outcomes is
essential to effective formal education:
accountability and feedback are essential
mechanisms for the continued effectiveness of any
educational program.
• 2. It is possible to improve learning and teaching
through appropriate changes in the program.
• 3. The educational outcomes of the given program
are measurable.
Education: Considerations
• The amount and type of testing: depends on
the decisions to be made and the type of
information for the correct decisions.
• The quality of the information: reliable and
valid, cost effectiveness
Types of Decisions
• Selection: tests and other measurement devices
may be used to help decide who will be accepted
or rejected by an institution.
• Placement: tests are used to identify a particular
performance level of the student and to place him
or her at an appropriate level of instruction. The
test content may be based on either a theory of
language proficiency or on the learning objectives
of the syllabus to be taken.
Types of Decisions
• Diagnosis: to determine a person's strengths
and weaknesses in order to improve
performance. Diagnosis test is either theory
or syllabus based.
Types of Decisions
• Progress and grading: provide information about
the effectiveness of programs of instruction.
• The aptitude test :the aptitude test is conceived as
a prognostic measure that indicates whether a
student is likely to learn a second language readily.
It is generally given before the student begins
language study, and may be used to select students
for a language course or to place students in
sections appropriate to their ability.
Types of Tests
• Objective vs Subjective Tests
• Direct vs Indirect Tests
• Discrete-Point vs. Integrative Tests
Objective vs Subjective Tests
• Usually these types of tests are distinguished on the basis
of the manner in which they are scored. An objective test is
said to be one that may be scored by comparing examinee
responses with an established set of acceptable responses
or scoring key. A common example would be a multiplechoice recognition test. Conversely a subjective test is said
to require scoring by opinionated judgment, hopefully
based on insight and expertise, on the part of the scorer. An
example might be the scoring of free, written compositions
for the presence of creativity in a situation where no
operational definitions of creativity are provided and where
there is only one rater.
Direct vs Indirect Tests
• It has been said that certain tests, such as
ratings of language use in real and
uncontrived communication situations, are
testing language performance directly;
whereas other tests, such as multiple-choice
recognition tests, are obliquely or indirectly
tapping true language performance and
therefore are less valid for measuring
language proficiency.
Discrete-Point vs. Integrative Tests
• Discrete-point tests, as a variety of diagnostic tests, are
designed to measure knowledge or performance in very
restricted areas of the target language. Thus a test of ability
to use correctly the perfect tenses of English verbs or to
supply correct prepositions in a cloze passage may be
termed a discrete-point test. Integrative tests, on the other
hand, are said to tap a greater variety of language abilities
concurrently and therefore may have less diagnostic and
remedial-guidance value and greater value in measuring
overall language proficiency. Examples of integrative tests
are random cloze, dictation, oral interviews, and oral
imitation tasks.
Illustrative Example
Illustrative Example
• Problems
• 1.appropriateness of the program:
too advanced or too elementary
• 2.no feedback about the learning
Illustrative Example
Illustrative Example
• Solve the second problem
• Create a new problem: Where can failures
go?
• Fig. 3.3
• Solve the first problem
• The problem for failures still exits.
• Fig. 3.4
• Ideal model
Illustrative Example
Illustrative Example
• Solve the first problem
• The problem for failures
exits.
still
Illustrative Example
Ideal model
Research Uses of Language Test
• Language proficiency
Identify and verify various components of language
proficiency: sensitivity to cohesive relationships, discourse
organization, and differences in register.
• Language processing
Identify processing errors, elicit information about language
processing.
• Language acquisition
Research on the nature of language acquisition: indicators or
variables of different components of communicative language
ability.
• Language attrition
• Language teaching
Features for Types of Language Test
• Language tests can be classified
according
to
five
distinctive
features:
–Purpose & use
–Content
–Frame of reference
–Scoring
– Procedure technique
Purpose & Use
• In research, tests are used to provide
information.
• In educational settings, tests are
classified according to the type of
decision to be made:
• Admission decision: selection, entrance,
readiness
• Identification of instructive levels:
placement, diagnostic
• Objectives of the program: progress, achievement,
attainment, mastery
Content
• The content of language tests are either theory based
or syllabus based.
Frame of Reference
• The result of language tests can be
interpreted in two different ways,
depending on the frame of reference.
• Norm-referenced test: test scores
are interpreted in relation to the
performance of a particular group
of individuals.
• Criterion-referenced test: with respect to a
specific level of domain of ability.
Norm-referenced Test
• Frequently used norms: mean x-, standard
deviation s
• Standardized test: based on a fixed or
standard content, standard procedures
for administering and scoring the test,
and has been thoroughly tried out.
• NR tests are designed and developed to maximize
distinctions among individual test takers. Items of
such tests are selected according to how well they
discriminate individuals.
Norm-referenced Test
Criterion-referenced Test
• The
necessary
condition:
the
specification of a level of ability
or domain of content.
• CR tests are designed to be representative of
specified levels of ability or domains of
content, and the items are selected
according to how adequately they represent
these ability levels.
Scoring & Procedure Technique
• Subjective vs. objective
• Test method facets: multiple choice,
fill-in, cloze, dictation, oral
interview, essay