Measures of narrative performance in Spanish-speaking children on the test of narrative language-Spanish

textIn the field of speech-language pathology, there is an increasing need for valid and appropriate assessment measures for Spanish-speaking students that can reliably be given by examiners with a wide range of Spanish knowledge and scoring experience. In order to determine the level of detail needed to reliably score a standardized measure of Spanish narrative ability, 15 participants, ranging in Spanish proficiency and experience levels, scored six samples of the experimental version of the Test of Narrative Language-Spanish (TNL-Spanish). Consistency and accuracy of scores were compared with Spanish proficiency levels, comfort levels, and presentation method (written transcript and audio-recorded samples). Results indicated no significant effect for any factor, indicating that examiners of varying levels of Spanish proficiency and experience level can reliably and efficiently score an assessment in Spanish when provided with clear and specific scoring procedures and information regarding the kinds of errors present in language disorders in Spanish.Communication Sciences and Disorder

Investigating examiner interventions in relation to the listening demands they make on candidates in oral interview tests

Examiners intervene in second language oral interviews in order to elicit intended language functions, to probe a candidate’s proficiency level or to keep the interaction going. Interventions of this kind can affect the candidate’s output language and score, since the candidate is obliged to process them as a listener and respond to them as a speaker. This chapter reports on a study that examined forty audio-recorded interviews of the oral test of a major European examination board, with a view to examining examiner interventions (i.e., questions, comments) in relation to the listening demands they make upon candidates. Half of the interviews involved candidates who scored highly on the test while the other half featured low-scoring candidates. This enabled a comparison of the language and behaviour of the same examiner across candidate proficiency levels, to see how they were modified in response to the communicative competence of the candidate. The recordings were transcribed and analyzed with regard to a) types of examiner intervention in terms of linguistic and pragmatic features and b) the extent to which the interventions varied in response to the proficiency level of the candidate. The study provides a new insight into examiner-examinee interactions, by identifying how examiners are differentiating listening demands according to the task types and the perceived proficiency level of the candidate. It offers several implications about the ways in which examiner interventions engage candidates’ listening skills, and the ways in which listening skills can be more validly and reliably measured when using a format based on examiner-candidate interaction

EVALUATING ORAL PROFICIENCY SKILL THROUGH ANALYTICS AND HOLISTIC WAYS OF SCORING

Purpose: Evaluating speaking skill is an exceedingly difficult and intricate subject. Two methods of testing oral proficiency are usually used: holistic and analytic scoring. To this end, this study aimed to compare analytic and holistic techniques for scoring in evaluating oral proficiency skills. Methodology: The participants of this study were 70 second-grade university EFL students who were studying English Language Teaching at a university in Iran. The participants in this research were both male (n=40) and female (n=30) with the age range from24 to 25. Main Findings: The results showed a statistically considerable diversity between analytic and holistic methods of evaluation considering that the p-value was estimated at 0.002 (P < 0.05). Applications: The findings confirmed that employing these two scoring techniques in the procedure of evaluation may be considered proper as they seem to complement each other, one augments the other and lead to more inclusive evaluation. Novelty/Originality: This study is new since it is the first time in an Iranian university context; oral proficiency skill was evaluated through holistic and analytic scoring

Indonesian EFL Students’ Proficiency in Writing and Ability in Speaking across Personality Learning Styles

This research aimed at examining Indonesian EFL students’ proficiency in writing and ability in public speaking across personality learning styles: extroversion and introversion. It involved 74 undergraduate students who took an Essay Writing course in the English Department of Universitas Negeri Malang, one of the leading universities in Indonesia. The students were distributed into three classes. They were taught how to write essays. Then, the students were made aware that they had to complete two tasks: writing and presenting a cause and effect essay on topics related to English language teaching. The students’ cause and effect essays were scored to know their proficiency in writing and their presentation was assessed to know their ability in speaking. Two scoring rubrics were used and two raters were involved in the scoring process for interrater reliability. The results of the research showed that the Indonesian EFL students’ proficiency in writing is strongly related to their ability in speaking for both groups of students. In addition, the Indonesian extrovert EFL students’ proficiency in writing is strongly related to their ability in speaking. The Indonesian introvert EFL students’ proficiency in writing is also strongly related to their ability in speaking. However, there is no significant difference of the proficiency in writing and ability speaking between the extrovert and introvert students

Investigating the Beliefs on English Grammar Instruction among Norwegian Students and Teachers in High School. The beliefs of Norwegian L2 learners of English on grammar instruction, and the correlation between grammar knowledge and learner beliefs

The objectives of the present study were to gain insight into the beliefs of high-level English second language (ESL) students and teachers from a Norwegian high school on grammar instruction as well as to investigate if grammar knowledge had an influence on these beliefs. To do this, a questionnaire was designed to measure the participants’ preferred grammar instructional method out of the four construct pairs: meaning- versus form-focused instruction, focus on form (FonF) versus focus on forms (FonFs), implicit versus explicit instruction, and inductive versus deductive instruction. Additionally, I tested the participants’ grammar knowledge and proficiency in English by having them complete a proficiency test and a grammaticality judgement test. After analysing the data from the proficiency and grammaticality judgement test, the students were divided into two groups: The high scoring group (those who scored above the mean score in both tests) and The low scoring group (those who scored under the mean score in both tests). Overall, the participants in the high scoring group showed a preference for meaning-focused and inductive instructional approaches (as did the teachers) and the participants in the low scoring group reported to prefer focus on form and deductive instructional approaches. What this suggests is that there is in fact a correlation between grammar knowledge and one’s instructional method preference

French proficiency at the secondary and post-secondary levels

As a general rule, It is claimed that the four years of foreign language courses taken In high school are equivalent to the first four semesters of foreign courses taken at the university level. In fact, most universities grant college credit for scoring well on the foreign language Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams taken by students following the completion of thelr study of a foreign language In high school. This claim prompts an exploration of proficiency levels achieved by students studying French at the secondary and post-secondary levels through evaluations of the French AP, 18, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC), and Praxis curricula guidelines, exams, and score descriptions. The proficiency levels are based on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) guidelines

Estimating intra-rater reliability on an oral english proficiency test from a Bilingual Education Program

Este estudio tiene como objetivo presentar los resultados de una investigación la cual pretendía estimar el nivel de confiabilidad intra-evaluador en un examen de suficiencia oral en inglés, y determinar los diferentes factores internos y externos que afectan la consistencia del evaluador. Los participantes involucrados en el desarrollo de este estudio fueron dos profesores encargados de evaluar la sección de habla de un examen de suficiencia administrado en la Licenciatura en Bilingüismo con énfasis en inglés. Se calculó un coeficiente de correlación con el fin de establecer la consistencia de los evaluadores mientras que un protocolo verbal retrospectivo fue llevado a cabo para recopilar información acerca de los factores que influyen en la confiabilidad del evaluador. Los resultados sugieren que hay un alto nivel de confiabilidad intra-evaluador en el examen de suficiencia en cuanto el coeficiente de correlación arrojó valores superiores a .80. No obstante, aspectos relacionados con la falta de adhesión a los criterios de la rúbrica, la relación evaluador-estudiante, las condiciones físicas, y la presión y responsabilidad del evaluador para dar una nota precisa fueron identificados como factores que afectan la consistencia del evaluador. Finalmente, se proporcionaron algunas implicaciones procedentes de esta investigación

Certificate of proficiency in English course evaluation and students’ preparation to writing in real-life situations – descriptive study

The aim of this article is to present results of a case study carried out as a partial fulfilment for a Master Thesis. The case study referred to one of the parts of Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English. The Paper 2 includes Part 1, where a learner is required to complete a compulsory task such as an article, essay or a letter, and Part 2, in which a candidate is free to choose from four questions with diversified text types. Moreover, in CPE Paper 2 one can find a reflection of the social approach and as in all questions role of the reader is specified. Thus, a candidate knows to what type of a discourse community they have to write. What is also determined is the role of the writer and the purpose of writing in a breadth of task types. A candidate and their linguistic competence at this level could be compared to the ones of an educated native speaker. Therefore, they should be able to adjust their language register to a variety of culturally appropriate ways required to fulfil every task. Thus, the aim of the study was to observe whether a Certificate of Proficiency in English course prepares students to real-life writing outside a classroom context. For the purpose of MA dissertation a case study was conducted on a small group of students participating in a course at a private school of foreign languages

Outlining International English language proficiency tests: A survey-based study on its need, purpose and scope in the backdrop of Migration

English as an international language and its proficiency is a gateway for Career, Education and Migration. In order to ensure the same, there are many international English language tests are conducted by different organizations worldwide. Their results and score are considered as a mandatory eligibility criterion for job, education and migration by different organizations and institutions. All these tests are primarily testing the ability of a candidate in the four skills of English Language. This article refers various international English language proficiency tests, its features, question and scoring pattern. The commonly used tests are IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo English Test, OET, CPE (C2 Proficiency), CAE (C1 Advanced), PTE (Pearson Test of English Academic), TOEIC, iTEP, CELPIP, CAEL, MTELP. It also describes how these tests are differ each other in purpose and patten. The researcher conducted a short survey among UG freshers to analyze their awareness and confidence in English language proficiency tests. The results show that many of the UG learners wish to migrate to foreign countries for higher studies but they don’t have enough awareness regarding the proficiency tests. One of the predominant problems for many non-native speakers of English to secure a good job and failed to be recognized and rewarded in accordance with their skill, is the inefficiency to use English language. Therefore, coaching centers for these tests and its rigorous preparation is a lucrative business in non-European countries especially in a scenario where migration is encouraged. Often, the lack of awareness about these tests and its purpose will mislead the test takers. It is also important to choose the right test as per the field and purpose as the scores of the test