Language exams and other large-scale assessment of language proficiency

Peer reviewe

Kielitaidon arvioinnin metodologisia vaihtoehtoja

Non peer reviewe

Developing Automated Feedback on Spoken Performance : Exploring the Functioning of Five Analytic Rating Scales Using Many-facet Rasch Measurement

Peer reviewe

Oppimista tukeva arviointi kieltenopetuksessa

The aim of this special issue is to present current research on assessment that supports language learning. The aim of all assessment is to stimulate learning although this customarily applies to formative and dynamic assessment. By using multifaceted assessment practices, language teachers can support students’ learning in myriad ways. This is also a key aspect of assessment literacy. However, little is known about assessment that supports language learning in the Finnish context. Therefore, this special issue provides an overview of how assessment can be used to enhance language learning in Finland. The publication starts with an introductory article on formative and dynamic assessment.Peer reviewe

Urban Power Line Corridors as Novel Habitats for Grassland and Alien Plant Species in South-Western Finland

Regularly managed electric power line corridors may provide habitats for both early-successional grassland plant species and disturbance-dependent alien plant species. These habitats are especially important in urban areas, where they can help conserve native grassland species and communities in urban greenspace. However, they can also provide further footholds for potentially invasive alien species that already characterize urban areas. In order to implement power line corridors into urban conservation, it is important to understand which environmental conditions in the corridors favor grassland species and which alien species. Likewise it is important to know whether similar environmental factors in the corridors control the species composition of the two groups. We conducted a vegetation study in a 43 kilometer long urban power line corridor network in south-western Finland, and used generalized linear models and distance-based redundancy analysis to determine which environmental factors best predict the occurrence and composition of grassland and alien plant species in the corridors. The results imply that old corridors on dry soils and steep slopes characterized by a history as open areas and pastures are especially suitable for grassland species. Corridors suitable for alien species, in turn, are characterized by productive soils and abundant light and are surrounded by a dense urban fabric. Factors controlling species composition in the two groups are somewhat correlated, with the most important factors including light abundance, soil moisture, soil calcium concentration and soil productivity. The results have implications for grassland conservation and invasive alien species control in urban areas.</p

Aikuisten maahanmuuttajien kotoutumiskoulutuksen tulosten ennustaminen lähtötason arviointien perusteella

Artikkelissa selvitetään aikuisten maahanmuuttajien kotoutumiskoulutuksessa saavuttamaa suomen kielen taitoa ja sitä, ennustaako koulutuksen alussa tehtävä lähtötason arviointi saavutettua kielitaitoa. Tutkimukseen osallistuneet maahanmuuttajat (N = 286) osallistuivat lähtötason arviointiin Testipisteessä. Sen jälkeen he suorittivat kotoutumiskoulutuksen opinnot peruspolun tai hitaan opintopolun mukaisesti muutamassa pääkaupunkiseudun oppilaitoksessa. Testipisteen mallin mukaisessa lähtötason arvioinnissa selvitetään maahanmuuttajan suomen kielen taitoa ja opiskeluvalmiuksia testeillä ja taustatietoja keräämällä. Niiden pohjalta maahanmuuttaja ohjataan sopivimmalle opintopolulle ja kielitaitomoduuliin. Havaitsimme, että vain osa maahanmuuttajista saavuttaa kotoutumiskoulutuksen tavoitteen, B1.1-tason kielitaidon kaikilla osa-alueilla. Puhumisessa 60 prosenttia peruspolun opiskelijoista ja vajaat 20 prosenttia hitaan polun opiskelijoista yltää tavoitetasolle. Valtaosa saavuttaa A2.2-tason. Ikä, sukupuoli, matematiikan osaaminen ja kielitaidon osa-alueen mukaan muut opiskeluvalmiuksia mittaavat testit ennustavat koulutuksessa saavutettua kielitaitoa. Tulokset viittaavat vahvasti siihen, että huomattava osa ei saavuta virallista kielitaitotavoitetta. Tarkempi kuva saavutuseroista ja niiden syistä edellyttää tutkimusta, jossa tieto kurssien sisällöistä ja työtavoista, opiskelijoiden työelämäharjoittelusta ja vapaa-ajan kielenkäytöstä yhdistyy oppimistulosten analyysiin

Towards the phonetic basis of spoken second language assessment : temporal features as indicators of perceived proficiency level

This study investigates whether temporal features in speech can predict the perceived proficiency level in Finnish learners of Swedish. In so doing, seven expert raters assessed speech samples produced by upper secondary school students using the revised CEFR scale for phonological control. The effect of temporal features was studied with a cumulative link mixed model, and the assessments were further analyzed to study inter-rater variation. The results indicate that articulation rate and certain types of disfluencies in speech can predict the perceived proficiency level. Furthermore, assessors seem to weigh temporal features differently depending on the speech type and their individual focus.Peer reviewe

Laajan koululaisaineiston tutkimuseettiset haasteet

The article focuses on the ethical practices involved in collecting and organizing large datasets, which can also impact the quality of the data and the study as a whole. We report our experiences in the DIALUKI project (Diagnosing reading and writing in a second or foreign language), in which we visited over a hundred schools to obtain a dataset of over a thousand variables from nearly a thousand pupils. Such a project is interesting from the ethical perspective, as data collection for such a large project requires special attention to ethical standards and issues throughout the project, from planning and recruiting the participants to organizing, storing, analyzing and interpreting the data. As the project involved tests in several languages as well as participants from a Russian-speaking minority, ethical issues had to be considered in informing the participants and developing different language versions of the research instruments. We conclude by reflecting on the different roles of the researcher during such a project from an ethical perspective