У статті узагальнено сучасні вимоги до усного іншомовного монологічного мовлення згідно із Загальноєвропейськими рекомендаціями з мовної освіти, а також запропоновано сукупність критеріїв оцінювання одного з жанрів такого мовлення.The paper gives an overview of descriptors for spoken production as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference. A set of assessment criteria for spoken production skills is offered

Parashcuk, Valentyna

Паращук, Валентина Юліївна

Electronic Kirovograd State Pedagogical University Institutional Repository

SPOKEN PRODUCTION SKILLS OF EFL PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS: ASSESSMENT CRITERIAValentyna PARASHCHUK (Kirovohrad, Ukraine)y  cmammi ysazajibneno cynacni bumozu do ycnozo intuoMoenozo mohojiozwhozo Moenenna. 3zidno i3 3aaaRbHoeeponeucbKUMU peKOMendaifmMU 3 uoenoi oceimu, a maxoofc 3anponono6ano cyjcynuicmb Kpumepiie oifiHJoeannx odnozo 3 jfcanpie mamzo MoejieHHX.Kjuouoei cjioea: 3azajibHuu pieenb eojiodinnn. moboto, Kpumepii oifiuioeaHHX, peifenifix Moejiennn, npodyKifix, inmepaKifm, Mediaifm, ycne npodyKyeannsi Moejiennn, euKonannn KouyniKamueHozo 3aedaum, euKopucmanna. mobu.The paper gives an overview o f  descriptors fo r  spoken production as defined by the Common European Fram ew ork o f  Reference. A  set o f  assessment criteria fo r  spoken production skills is offered.K ey words: overall language proficiency, assessment criteria, reception, production, interaction, mediation, spoken production, task fulfillment, language use.Assessm ent is considered to be an integral part o f  the English Language Developm ent Curriculum for Pedagogical (Teacher Training) Universities in Ukraine [1: 30], Speaking skills351B u n y c K 119 Cepin: QiAOAoaiuM HayKU ffl H AYK O B I 3AnMCKMassessment is regarded as essential component of measuring the EFL learners’ overall language proficiency. Therefore, identifying the adequate set o f assessment criteria for these skills is all the more challenging and important.A brief survey o f the findings o f researchers working in the field of language testing/ assessment shows that the testing o f speaking is widely regarded as the most challenging of all language tests to prepare, administer and score [6 : 147]. Possible reasons for speaking skills assessment being so different from other skills testing (e.g. reading or listening) should be sought for in the nature of the speaking skill itself which is very difficult to define [5: 31]. Fluency, accuracy, amount of information conveyed, quickness of response and other qualities of speech are difficult to define, though the speakers’ optimum oral performance is heavily dependent on them.The purpose of this paper is to suggest a set o f criteria which should provide for valid and reliable evaluation of EFL senior students’ achievements in spoken production.The practical aim of the Curriculum for the English Language Development [1] is “ to develop the trainees’ competence and fluency in English so that they can become good models of effective communication, by forming and consolidating their linguistic, communicative and socio-cultural knowledge and skills” [ibid.: 22]. In the broadest sense, communicative competence can be defined as the ability to interact interpersonally in ways that ensure the achievement of one’s goals and the satisfaction of both interactants [4: 61].The repertoire of a competent communicator consists of the following integral parts (but not limited to): 1) the language resources used to create discourse; 2 ) the language skills used to process spoken discourse; 3) the discourse knowledge used to interpret how the meaningful, unified and purposive language as an act of communication is created; 4) the knowledge of the functions of utterances used to understand utterances as social acts; 5) the pragmatic knowledge used to interpret the speaker meaning and the contextual meaning; 6) the knowledge of maxims of oral interaction: the cooperative principle, politeness/ facework used to cooperate with each other and maintain solidarity while communicating; 7) the knowledge how to participate in oral interaction: turn taking, adjacency pairs, preference, repair used to maintain the flow o f speech in communication and tackle possible communication problems; 8) the knowledge of social and cultural norms used to produce discourse appropriately with reference to formality, setting and other contextually defined choices; 9) the knowledge of cultural communicative preferences used to structure persuasive messages [3: 19-24].Michael Byram claims that communicative competence is a model o f the following six competences: 1 ) linguistic competence: the ability to produce and interpret meaningful utterances which are formed in accordance with the rules o f  the language concerned and bear their conventional meaning ... that meaning which native speakers would normally attach to an utterance when used in isolation; 2 ) sociolinguistic competence: the awareness of ways in which the choice o f language forms ... is determined by such conditions as setting, relationship between communication partners, communicative intention, < ...>  sociolinguistic competence covers the relation between linguistic signals and their contextual — or situational — meaning; 3) discourse competence: the ability to use appropriate strategies in the construction and interpretation o f texts; 4) strategic competence: when communication is difficult we have to find ways o f  'getting our meaning across' or o f  'finding out what somebody means'; these are communication strategies, such as rephrasing, asking for clarification etc.; 5) socio-cultural competence: every language is situated in a sociocultural context and implies the use o f a particular reference frame which is partly different from that o f the foreign language learner; socio-cultural competence presupposes a certain degree of familiarity with that context; 6) social competence: involves both the will and the skill to interact with others, involving motivation, attitude, self­confidence, empathy and the ability to handle social situations [2 : 1 0].In The Common European Framework of Reference /CEFR [7], communicative competence is interpreted in terms of knowledge and it includes three basic components -  language competence, sociolinguistic competence and pragmatic competence. The CEFR is based on an action-oriented approach and views users and learners of a language as members of society who may wish to accomplish tasks in a given set of circumstances, in a specific environment and within a particular field o f action: <...Language use, embracing language learning, comprises the actions performed by352ffl H A YK O B I 3AnMCKM Cepin: QiAOAoeium HayKU B u n yc K 119persons who as individuals and as social agents develop a range of competences, both general and in particular communicative language competences. They draw on the competences at their disposal in various contexts under various conditions and under various constraints to engage in language activities involving language processes to produce and/or receive texts in relation to themes in specific domains, activating those strategies which seem most appropriate for carrying out the tasks to be accomplished ...>  [7: 32].The CEFR describe competence mainly along two broad dimensions: the quantity dimension which includes the number of tasks users/ learners can perform successfully by language use, in what number of contexts, in relation to what number of themes, domains etc., and the quality dimension, i.e. how effectively and efficiently the users/ learners can achieve their goals through language use [7: 32].The quantity dimension branches out from overall language proficiency into “Communicative Activities”. Four main types of activities are distinguished: reception, production, interaction, and mediation. In Diagram 1 the Production branch is worked out in more detail. Within Production a spoken and a written branch are distinguished. Finally within the spoken branch several contexts of language use are presented. For each of the boxes in the diagram descriptive scales are available in the CEFR.In the area of spoken production, the CEFR defines a list o f the following discourse modes (genres) particularly relevant to the occupational and educational domains: 1) SUSTAINED MONOLOGUE (Describing Experience); 2) SUSTAINED MONOLOGUE (Putting a Case, e.g. in a Debate); 3) PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS; 4) ADDRESSING AUDIENCES (see Diagram 1) [7; 8].Diagram 1. Overall Language Proficiency componentsEach of the above mentioned discourse modes has their own descriptors. SUSTAINED MONOLOGUE (Describing Experience): the speaker a) can give clear, smoothly flowing, elaborate and often memorable descriptions; b) can give clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects; c) can give elaborate descriptions and narratives, integrating sub themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion. SUSTAINED MONOLOGUE (Putting a Case, e.g. in a Debate): the speaker can develop an argument systematically with appropriate highlighting of353B u n y c K 119 Cepin: QiAOAoeium HayKU ffl H AYK O B I 3AnMCKMsignificant points, and relevant supporting detail. PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: the speaker can deliver announcements fluently, almost effortlessly, using stress and intonation to convey finer shades of meaning precisely. ADDRESSING AUDIENCES (making a presentation on a theme/topic): the speaker a) can present a complex topic confidently and articulately to an audience unfamiliar with it, structuring and adapting the talk flexibly to meet the audience's needs; b) can handle difficult and even hostile questioning; c) can give a clear, well-structured presentation of a complex subject, expanding and supporting points of view at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples.The CEFR defines the following four qualitative aspects of spoken language [8]:1) RANGE: < ...“the speaker a) shows great flexibility reformulating ideas in differing linguistic forms to convey finer shades of meaning precisely, to give emphasis, to differentiate and to eliminate ambiguity; b) also has a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms; c) has a good command of a broad range o f language allowing him/her to select a formulation to express him/ herself clearly in an appropriate style on a wide range of general, academic, professional or leisure topics without having to restrict what he/she wants to say.. .>”.2) ACCURACY: < ...”the speaker: a) maintains consistent grammatical control o f complex language, even while attention is otherwise engaged (e.g. in forward planning, in monitoring others' reactions); b) consistently maintains a high degree o f grammatical accuracy; errors are rare, difficult to spot and generally corrected when they do occur.. .>”.3) FLUENCY: the speaker a) “ < ...>  can express him/herself spontaneously at length with a natural colloquial flow, avoiding or backtracking around any difficulty so smoothly that the interlocutor is hardly aware o f it; b) can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously, almost effortlessly; c) only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a natural, smooth flow of language<...>”.4) COHERENCE: the speaker: a) “ < ...>can create coherent and cohesive discourse making full and appropriate use of a variety of organisational patterns and a wide range o f connectors and other cohesive devices: b) can produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices<...>”.On taking into account the above presented quantitative and qualitative characteristics of spoken production, a set of its assessment criteria can be devised which can be structured into two broad groups. Learners can be assessed on their spoken production performance in relation to 1) task fulfillment, and 2) language use (See the sample scale in Table 1 below).Task Fulfillment means organizing both what is said, and how it is said, with regard to quantity, quality, relevance and clarity of information. Task Fulfillment includes Organization of speech, Methods of delivery, and Style of delivery. Organization of speech demonstrates the speaker’s sub-skills in addressing the audience, revealing the topic of speech and outlining its most relevant information blocks. Organizing his/her speech appropriately, the speaker should demonstrate the knowledge of the factual information on the theme and use supporting materials (examples, statistics, quotations, testimony) which create the speaker credibility and make the speech persuasive. The speaker should also demonstrate his/her ability: a) to speak logically, i.e. to convey thoughts in explicit, clear manner, sticking to the outline o f speech, keeping the main points separate; b) to create a well- structured message; c) to make a relevant conclusion etc (See Table 1).In case of addressing audiences discourse mode, the speaker should use extemporaneous speaking style demonstrating fluency that involves avoiding too much repetition, self-correction or excessive hesitation. Reading from manuscript or reciting from memory in this discourse mode are evaluated as weak points of spoken production. Appropriate style of delivery presupposes the use of adequate kinesics, being audience-sensitive and avoiding mannerisms.Language use means (a) accuracy of language; (b) appropriacy of language use; (c) range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Pronunciation means (a) quality of sounds; (b) ability to use stress, rhythm and intonation appropriately; (c) ability to use a variety of speech patterns in longer utterances.The speaker's actual scores on each criterion are totaled. The total scores for the spoken production task are added. The result is the speaker's grade/ mark for this genre of spoken production. The maximum grade will be 5 or the trainer can assign different scores.354ffl H A YK O B I 3AnMCKM Cepin: QiAOAoeium HayKU B u n yc K 119Table 1.SPOKEN PRODUCTION GRADING/ MARKING SHEET(ADDRESSING AUDIENCE: PRESENTATION)Assessment criteria HighestpointsPointsscoredA. TASK FULLFUILMENT highest number of points =3.0ORGANIZATION of SPEECH highest points =2.51.1. The speaker addresses the audience, and reveals the topic ofspeech0.11.2 The speaker previews the body of speech by presenting its outline (e.g. Today I  am going to speak about/of..., Firstly, I  will address the problem  ...)0.20  1.3. The speaker demonstrates the knowledge of the factual information on the theme and uses supporting materials: 1) examples, 2) statistics, 3) quotations, testimony0.50  1.4. The speaker demonstrates his/her ability to speak logically, i.e. to convey thoughts in explicit, clear manner, sticking to the outline of speech, keeping the main points separate: EXPLANATION SKILLS0.50  1.5. The speaker demonstrates well-structured, cohesive speech: uses attention attraction markers, internal summaries, signals the end of speech (My presentation is over. Thank you fo r  your attention)0.50  1.6. The speaker reinforces the central idea (restates the main points) and makes a relevant conclusion0.20  1.7. Interactive style o f presentation: the speaker asks rhetorical and direct questions to the audience to monitor their understanding of speech0.31.8. The speaker balances the amount of time devoted to the main points0.22. METHODS OF DELIVERY highest points = 0,42.1 The speaker performs extemporaneous speaking style with elements o f reciting from memory0,22.2 The speaker demonstrates fluency that involves avoiding too much repetition, self-correction or excessive hesitation0.22.3 The speaker reads from manuscript or recites from memory -0,12.4 The speaker presents an impromptu speech 03. STYLE OF DELIVERY highest points = 0,13.1. Adequate use of contact code: audience sensitive; Adequate use o f proxemics:0,1B. LANGUAGE USE highest points= 2.05 0  Language use1) accuracy o f  language: the speaker avoids pronunciation, grammar and lexical mistakes ;2) the speaker uses a wide range o f vocabulary and grammar structures.1.01.0Total 5If the grading scale is from 0 (minimum score) to 5 (maximum score), the following Point-to-grade Conversion Table can be used:4.75-5.0 points A 3.25-3.74 D4.25- 4.74- B 3.0-3.24 E3.75-4.24 C 2.5-2.99 FX2.0-2.49 F355B unycK 119 Cepin: (piAOAoaium nayKU ffl HAYKOBI 3AI1HCKHIn sum, the speakers' overall language proficiency is actualized in four comm unicativeactivities: reception, production, interaction, and mediation. In their turn, each o f  these activities have com plex nature, manifest them selves in different discourse modes and possess specific  revealing qualities. Spoken production as a com m unicative activity has a few  central discourse modes relevant for occupational and educational domains o f  communication: sustained m onologue, public announcements, addressing audience (making a presentation on a theme/topic). Theassessment criteria for spoken production in addressing audience discourse mode can include tw o  macro groups: T ask fulfilment and Language use criteria. T ask fulfillm ent criteria embrace organization o f  speech, methods o f  delivery and style o f  delivery criteria, while language use criteria can assess the speaker's accuracy and range o f  language usage.BIBLIOGRAPHY1. IlporpaMa 3  aHrjimcbKoi' mobh /jjih yHiBepcHTeTiB/mcTHTyriB (n’aTHpinHHH Kypc HaBHaHHa): IlpoeKT/ Kojickthb aBT.: C.K). HiKOJiaeBa, M.I. CojioBeH (KepiBHHKH). - Khib. aqm. yH-T., 2001. -  245 c.2. Byram M. Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. / Michael Byram. -  Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 1997. -  124 p.3. Celce-Murcia M., Olshtain E. Discourse and context in language teaching: a guide for language teachers. / Marianne Celce-Murcia, Elite Olshtain. -  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. -  279 p.4. DeVito, Joseph. The Communication handbook: a dictionary. -  New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1986. -  337 p.5. Hingleand Ishbel, Linington Viv. English Proficiency Test: the Oral Component of a Primary School. / Ishbel Hingleand, Viv Linington // English Teaching Forum. -  Volume 43. -  No. 1. -  2005. -  [Electronic resource]. -  Access mode: http ://americanenglish. state. gov/files/ae/resourcefiles/O 5 -43 -1 -f.pdf6. Madsen H. S. Techniques in testing. / H. S Madsen.- New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. -  212 p.7. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. -  [Electronic Resource] -  Access mode: http://www.teemeurope.eu/documents/CEFR.DOC8. The CEFR Grid for Speaking [Electronic Resource] -  Access mode: http://www.coe.mt/t/dg4/Hnguistic/Source/ALTE%20CEFR%20Speakmg%20Qid%2Q]Nput51.pdfBIAOMOCTI n p o  ABTOPABajieHTHHa IlapamyK -  KaH/jH/jar <j)ijiojioriHHHX HayK, /joijeHT Kac^ e/jpH repMaHctKoi <))ijiojiorii KipoBorpa/jctKoro /jep^ icaBHoro ne/jaro rinH oro  ymBepcHTeTy iMem Bojio/jHMHpa BnHHHHeHKa.HayKoei inmepecu: HaBHamra aHrjimcticoi mobh 4>axy.

Spoken production skills of efl pre-service teachers: assessment criteria

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Spoken production skills of efl pre-service teachers: assessment criteria

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