Transcript Testing in Polish and Slovene – a European Socrates lingua

Can you be tested in Slovene as foreign language?
Testiranje slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika
Ina Ferbežar
Center za slovenščino kot drugi/tuji jezik
Izpitni center
[email protected]
Konferenca EALTA, Kranjska Gora, 16. maj 2004
Slovene language
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Standard Slovene since 16th century
Diglossia Latin/German/Italian
Enlightenment movement in 18th century
Nationalist movement in 19th century
1848: political programme United Slovenia
Monolingualism as a political goal
Forced bilingualism: Yugoslavia
Language legislation in Slovenia
• Slovene Constitution: Slovene as official
language (+ Italian and Hungarian)
• Approx. 30 laws referring to the use of
Slovene
• General language law (in the legislative
process): polemic
Language Policy SFL
• Slovene for Slovenes
– Grants and other resources for Slovene
descendants only
• Slovene for foreigners
– Language as a proof of unquestionable loyalty
– Slovene language considered as
rarity/antiquity
– Slovene language as a functional tool
Univerza v Ljubljani
Filozofska fakulteta
Oddelek za slovenistiko
Center za slovenščino kot
drugi/tuji jezik
www.ff.uni-lj.si/center-slo
Programmes
• Slovene language at foreign universities
(45 universities, 1000 students/year)
• Seminar on Slovene language, literature
and culture (Slavonic language students
and experts)
• Obdobja Symposium (Slovene studies in
linguistic and literature)
• Slovene language courses
• Examination centre
Courses of Slovene
Beginnings and Growth
800
600
400
200
0
1982
1987
1992
Summer School
1997
ALL Courses
2002
History of the Examination
Centre
• 1992: first tests SFL administered
• 1994: Centre for Slovene became an
official government-appointed comission
for testing language ability in Slovene as
2L/FL
• 1994: Examination Centre founded
• 2000: University of Ljubljana (Examination
Centre as its representative) became a
member of the Association of Language
testers in Europe (ALTE)
• 2000: new three-level SFL exams
introduced
• 2002: TiPS project
Activities
• Development of Slovene language tests
• Administration of exams on three levels
- Coordination of 22 authorised centres in
Slovenia
• Item writer, examiner and marker training
Slovene language exams
Until 2000 only one-level exam; testing
grammatical structures and sociocultural
knowledge
Since December 2000 new three-level
programme Slovenščina za tujce
(www.acs.si Programoteka)
“communicative language testing” on three
levels for various purposes
Relation to CEFR levels
• Basic level
• -B1
(communication on everyday
basis)
• Intermediate level
(communication in non-routine
tasks)
• Advanced level
(creative use of Slovene
language)
• B2
• C1
Structure of exams
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Listening comprehension
Reading comprehension
Writing production
Spoken interaction
• Language Structures (Intermediate and
Advanced level only)
No. of all candidates 1994-2003
3.500
3.000
2.500
2.000
No. Kand.
1.500
1.000
500
0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Candidates and levels (2003)
87173
90
Basic
Interm.
Advanced
2803
Oral
Reasons for sitting the exam
• Basic level
citizenship
• Intermediate level
study
• Advanced level
professional reasons
(60 % medical doctors)
Country of origin
90
80
70
Ex YU
EU
Slavic
USA, CA
S. Am.
Rest
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Courses
Exams
Problems concerning testing of
SFL
- Testing related languages (high level of
comprehension due to positive transfer)
- Nonsistematic language acquisition (basic
level – limited access to SFL leaning) – the
formation of idiolects (interlanguage)
- Difficulties at setting the criteria of what
kind of language is acceptable (the
problem of inter-rater reliability)
- High-stakes exams
Prospectives
• Acceptance of minimum standards (based on
ALTE Code of Practice)
• Internationally acknowledged certification
system (relating Slovene exams to CEFR)
• Statistical analysis (calibrating tasks etc.)
• Developing LSP tests
• Interlanguage and sociolinguistic research
• Language planning activities
• Learners corpus
Testing in Polish and Slovene:
Socrates Lingua 2 Project
• Partners: Jagellonian University, Krakow,
University of Ljubljana, University of
Athens, publishing house Universitas
• Developing materials for language
teaching and language assessment for
Slovene and Polish as FL (based on
similar ALTE documents)
Documents
• Slovenski pojmovnik s področja jezikovnega
testiranja (Glossary of language testing terms)
• Navodila za avtorje testnega gradiva (Materials
for the guidance of test item writers)
• Kontrolni vprašalniki (Checklists)
• Preživetvena raven v slovenščini (Breakthrough
level specification – FINGS project)
• Opis ravni jezikovnega znanja (CANDO
statements)
Relating Slovene language
standards to CEFR
• Slovene version of Threshold level (in
print)
• Breakthrough level specification (in print)
• Slovene version of can-do statements (in
print): (self)assessment of language
competence in Slovene and other
languages – rather abstract
statements/descriptors
Slovene version of CEFR?