Approaches to Language Testing

Mohammed Pazhouhesh
Khayyam University of Mashhad
M. Pazhouhesh Khayyam University 1

Teaching-testing Relationship
2M. Pazhouhesh Khayyam University

Grammar
Translation

Approaches to Language Testing
• Background
– Close relations between
– linguistic views & Teaching methods
– Psychological views & Teaching methods
– Teaching Approaches & Testing Approaches
• Historical Trends in Language Testing
 Intuitive/ pre-scientific / Traditional / Essay-Translation
Era
 Psychometric / Structuralist / Scientific / Discrete-point Era
 Psycholinguistic / Pragmatic / Integrative Era
 Sociolinguistic / Functional / Communicative Era 8M. Pazhouhesh Khayyam University

I. ESSAY-TRANSLATION APPROACH
M. PAZHOUHESH KHAYYAM UNIVERSITY 10
A. Background
1. It is also called pre-scientific / intuitive stage
No requirement for testing skills was required
Tests relied on subjective/ intuitive judgment of teacher
Teachers were untrained in testing
B. Characteristics of intuitive Tests
1. Tests were mainly subjective which required
Labeling parts of a sentence
Memorizing lists of language patterns
1. Tests demanded abundant writing
2. Tests relied on knowledge of grammar and analysis

I. ESSAY-TRANSLATION APPROACH
1. Tests were heavily loaded with literary content
2. The test structure were mostly open-ended items of
• Reading comprehension
• Essay writing
• Dictation
• Precise
• Translation

II. STRUCTURALIST APPROACH
A. Background
 It is also called discrete-point stage
 Application of psychometric principles is dominant
 Teachers are required to be trained in linguistics &
measurement principles
 Development of objective items is advocated
 The approach is rooted in structuralism & behaviorism

II. SRTUCTURALIST APPROACH
B. Characteristics of DP Tests
 Language abilities are tested through subtests
Language skills are cut up into discrete points for testing
Each item is to measure one language point each time
Language is divided into (sub)skills & components
DP Tests should be highly reliable & objective
DP tests are mostly
 decontextualized
 in multiple-choice format
 appropriate for diagnostic purposes
 quantifiable in terms of results

Language Skills and ComponentsLanguage Skills and Components
componentscomponents
Language skillsLanguage skills
ListeningListening SpeakingSpeaking ReadingReading WritingWriting
Phonology,Phonology,
orthographyorthography
VocabularyVocabulary
StructureStructure

III. INTEGRATIVE APPROACH
A. Background
 John W. Oller is the originator
 It integrates linguistic & extra-linguistic aspects
 It is rooted in cognitivism & generativism
 It regards language ability indivisible
 It tends to test language skills integratively
B. Characteristics of IN Tests
 Integrative tests
 assess language in meaningful , contextualized contexts
 provide real-life situations in tests

III. INTEGRATIVE APPROACH
 tend to integrate linguistic & extra-linguistic aspects
 Adopts a holistic / global view of language t and testing
 Measure several levels & components simultaneously
Are concerned for communicative effect of discourse
Assess the ability to use 1 or 2 skills simultaneously
Are in the forms of
Cloze passages
dictation
Oral interview
Translation
Essay writing

III. Pragmatic Approach
Background
 PR tests are
 rooted in Pragmatics & Psycholinguistics
 adopt a holistic pragmatic approach
 are concerned with pragmatic mapping
o Emphasize correspondence between linguistic & extra-linguistic
aspects of language

o Characteristics of PR Tests
oPR tests tend to
oTest language in meaningful , natural context
o meet naturalness criteria by requiring learners
• To utilize normal contextual clues in the language
• To comprehend linguistic & extra-linguistic contexts
• To map pragmatically linguistic features with extra-
linguistic aspects
oHave learners employ their pragmatic expectancy
grammar

IV. Communicative Approach
 Background
o Communicative tests
 are rooted in Social constructivism & Functional view of
language
 Focus on social interaction & transaction
Emerged after functional-notional approach to TEFL
Tend to assess communicative competence
• Grammatical Competence( linguistic aspects)
• Textual Competence( cohesion & coherence)
• Illocutionary Competence( functional use of language)
• Sociolinguistic Competence ( extra-linguistic aspects)

 Characteristics of Communicative Tests
oCommunicative tests tend to
 Measure language ability in meaningful, communicative
context
 Are concerned with real life ,communicative use of language
 Focus on tapping language use rather than language usage
oAdopt the Divisibility Hypothesis by
• obtaining Learner’s language proficiency profiles
• Matching and tailoring instruction with the learner’s needs
o be culturally loaded
o use authentic language in tests
oShow a Preference for qualitative (rather than quantitative)
modes of assessment
oTo be in the forms of :
• Oral interview
• Essay writing
• Comprehension questions on an authentic passage
• Reading an article and reacting to it
• Listening to a lecture & reacting to it 21M. Pazhouhesh Khayyam University

 Characteristics of a communicative test
 It should be interactive.
 It should be direct in nature with tasks reflecting
realistic discourse processing activities.
 Texts and tasks should be relevant to the intended
situation.
 Ability should be sampled within meaningful and
developing contexts.
 The test should be based on an a priori specification, so
what is to be tested and how it is to be tested should be
laid down at the test design stage. [Adapted from Weir, 1993]

Approaches to Language Testing

Approaches to Language Testing

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