Some Considerations on the Roles of Assessment in Foreign Language Teaching

Annotation

Bocharova E.P.

Head of the chair of professionally-oriented foreign languages-professor, Ph.D (pedagogy) Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia

Gorodetskaya E. Ya.

Professor, chair of professionally-oriented foreign languages, Ph.D (philology)

Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia

Some roles of purposeful language assessment and the reasons for selecting the right alternative test in the process of language education are considered. The emphasis is put on the reasons for selecting the right alternative tests as a means of language assessment.

Language assessment is interpreted as the process of using language tests to accomplish particular jobs in language classrooms and programs. The ultimate goal of language assessment is to use tests to better inform teachers and learners on the decisions they should make and actions they should take in language teaching and learning process.

Key words: purposeful language assessment, tests intended test, use, language process, test users, test purposes, impact of the test, evaluation, assessment outcomes, language testing tools.

Some Considerations on the Roles of Assessment in Foreign Language Teaching

Bocharova E.P.

Нead of the chair of professionally-oriented foreign languages-professor, Ph.D (pedagogy) Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia

Gorodetskaya E.Ya.

Рrofessor, chair of professionally-oriented foreign languages, Ph.D (philology)

Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia

It is common knowledge that assessment is a means of identifying our learners’ needs, their progress in a foreign language acquisition, the effectiveness of the programs and other techniques and tools used for teaching a foreign language.

Traditionally, the most common way to measure learners’ achievements and proficiency in language learning has been the test.

Even though alternative forms of assessment are growing in popularity, most teachers still use the tests as the most effective tool for assessment. Some latest publications devoted to the problem of assessment and testing cover common errors made by the teachers in constructing tests that language teachers should avoid [1]. This article may serve as a check list for any teacher who would like to construct fair and reliable tests. Another article by Carmen Perez Basanta titled "Coming to grips with Progress Testing: Some Guidelines for its Design" discusses the role of progress testing in the classroom and the importance of matching testing to instruction

[2. 1995].

Basanta views testing as a tool that can help teachers identify student strengths and weaknesses and evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. In this article Basanta discusses some theoretical requisites to ensure that teachers design or choose tests that are practical, reliable, and valid.

In recent years much has been made of alternative forms of assessment, because language assessment is much more than simply giving a language test; it is the entire process of test use.

Indeed, the ultimate goal of language assessment is to use tests to better inform us on the decisions we make and the actions we take in language education. Recent discussion of so-called "alternative assessment" has highlighted the potential usefulness of a variety of innovating testing procedures, including portfolios, self and peer – assessment, conferencing, diaries and learning logs, and teacher checklists and observations [3 Short.1995]. Increasing attention has also been given to performance -based and task-based language testing in which examinees are required to perform real-world tasks in the target language.

Faced with such an array of language testing alternatives, how are those teachers responsible for language teaching to choose and use tests that are appropriate for their particular needs? Furthermore, on what basis can language teachers evaluate whether language tests are actually doing what they are supposed to be doing?

In the present article the authors make an attempt to offer some recommendations to help language teachers and others select, use, and evaluate language tests and related alternatives in a purposeful manner. These recommendations are to (1) focus on assessment, not simply tests; (2) to clarify the intended use of the test; (3) to evaluate the outcomes of assessment.

I. Focus on assessment, not on tests

Language tests are simply instruments or procedures for gathering particular kinds of information, typically information having to do with students’ language abilities, knowledge and speech skills. Tests may have a variety of formats, lengths, item types, scoring criteria, and media. But deciding which of these test types is better or more appropriate is not easy. Knowing that each uses a unique format to provide different kinds of information does not bring us much closer to selecting one or the other alternative. Unfortunately, we cannot distinguish between good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate solely on characteristics of the test instruments or procedures. Rather, we must focus on language assessment. Language assessment is the process of using language tests to accomplish particular jobs in language classrooms and programs. In language assessment, we first gather information in a systematic way with the help of language testing tools.

For example, we may use an oral interview to gather information about students’ speaking abilities, then make interpretations based on that information. Finally, based on these interpretations, we make decisions or take certain actions within the classroom or program. We may decide that our students need more work on oral fluency that we should therefore devote more class time to fluency-oriented activities.

Indeed, the ultimate goal of language assessment is to use tests to better inform us on the decisions we make and the actions we take in language education. A number of such decisions and actions may call for the use language tests. At the language program level, for example, we use tests to admit and place students into appropriate courses, determine the extent to which course objectives are being achieved, evaluate teacher’s performance, and reflect on the effectiveness of syllabus design and pedagogy.

Within the language classroom we use tests to diagnose areas of learner needs or sources of learning difficulties, reflect on the effectiveness of materials and activities, encourage student involvement in the learning process. This makes it possible to provide students with feedback about their language learning progress for further class-room based applications of language tests. In order to use tests in a purposeful way, language teachers first need to establish exactly which goal should be attained by language assessment within a particular language education context. With this goal in focus, teachers will be better able to select the appropriate language testing tools and to decide how they should be used to obtain the necessary results.

II. Specify intended test use

Intended test use may be defined as the interrelationship between four components of the language assessment process: (a) who uses the test; (b) what information the test should provide; (c) why, or for what purpose, the test is being used; and (d) what consequences the test should have. In considering the interactions among these components, teaches may realize how differently language testing tools are being used within their particular language education contexts. Thus, specifying intended test use presupposes answering the following questions:

1) Who are the test users; 2) What is being tested? 3) What is the purpose of the test? 4) What is the impact of the test?

Who are the test users?

In many language programs, teachers are the primary users of such information; they are typically faced with making decisions and taking actions within the classroom on a daily basis. However, it is important not to overlook others who may use tests to make decisions or take actions. This list may include students, students’ families, school administrators, curriculum planners, funding agencies, future employers, and university admission officers.

Each of these potential users will naturally have particular reason for looking at the information provided by tests, and they may require very different kinds of information from a test, because different test users may look for and understand various aspects of test score reports.

Obviously, then, the range of potential test users should be carefully considered before we select and implement test instruments or procedures. It will also be important to know who is using a test when we want to evaluate how well a test is accomplishing its intended gob

What is being tested?

In addition to knowing who uses test-based information, we need to identify exactly what information a test should provide. The most direct way to specify the information needed from language tests is to think about the kinds of interpretations test users will make. Some common interpretations are students’ global language proficiency, students’ mastery of curricular objectives, students’ grammatical knowledge, and students’ productive language abilities at the end of a course of study, the effectiveness of particular lessons, language learning objectives in need of attention within the classroom, and others. One crucial aspect that we should note at this stage is that the interpretations are always made about someone or something. We should therefore be careful to designate who or what we are interpreting. Once we decide what interpretation we intend to make within the language assessment process, we can then specify exactly the amount and type of information needed to support these interpretations. For example, in order to support the information about students’ productive language abilities at the end of a course of study, we may conclude that we need information about both speaking and writing abilities as well as some information about students’ abilities to perform several different speaking tasks and writing tasks that have been taught within our language curriculum.

With this specified amount and type of information, we should now be able to make a purposeful decision on what language testing tools we will need.

What is the purpose of the test?

It also seems helpful to give further considerations to just how we intend to use language assessment, that is, how we intend to use language tests to contribute to our overall classroom and program goals and our curricular objectives. What kind of language testing will reflect the values underlying our program? Does our intended use of language test contribute to accomplishing the curricular objectives in a manner that is consonant with our values and with the values of our students? How does language assessment in general fit into the big picture that we want our language program to portray? Answers to these questions should help us develop a better understanding of the overall purpose for using language tests within our language education contexts and make it possible for us to select and use language tests appropriate to our purposes.

What is the impact of the tests?

It is evident that the use of language tests affects a variety of individuals and the language classrooms and programs themselves. Individuals who might be affected by using language tests include students, their parents and other family members, teachers, employers and others involved in the assessment process.

Since each of these individuals may be influenced in different ways, we should consider the potential positive and negative consequences of a test. Additionally, the tests may influence other elements of the language education context such as teaching language practices, materials and activities, curriculum, objectives, enrollments, funding, program reputation, and so forth.

Once we have specified the likely results of test use, we can select testing instruments and procedures that will maximize positive consequences and minimize negative ones. Given an explicit statement about who and what the assessment practice should affect and in what ways, we can also have a basis for evaluating the actual consequences for test use.

Evaluate the outcomes of assessment

The in-depth evaluation of test use may involve a number of approaches and methods, including empirical investigations and observations [4 Messick 1989] [5 Shepard 1997]. Fundamentally, to evaluate how well our language testing tools are functioning, we need to reflect on the extent to which our use of language tests helps us to make the decisions and take the actions concerning the jobs of language assessment. Thorough specifications of intended test use will provide a valuable resource.

In evaluating the outcomes of language test use, teachers should first reflect on the specifications of intended use, then decide the following: Were all of the actual test users indentified? What range of interpretations did the test users actually make based on information provided by the language test? Did the testing tools provide the appropriate amount and type of information to support these interpretations? Were test-based decisions accurate and test-based actions appropriate? Were the intended classroom, curriculum, and program purposes fulfilled by using the language test? Finally, and most importantly, what were the actual perhaps positive and negative consequences of using the language test?

Based on the answers to these questions, we may decide that language testing tools are appropriate for our language assessment need or we may decide test instruments and procedures need to be slightly revised, thoroughly overhauled, or thrown out.

Thus, to choose and use the language testing alternatives, most appropriate for their language education contexts, language teachers need to keep in mind the purposeful nature of language assessment, because language assessment is much more than simply giving a language test; it is the entire process of test use. Indeed, the intimate goal of language assessment is to use tests to better informe us on the decisions we make and the actions we take in language education.

References

1. Henning G. English Teaching Forum. Vol. SO No 3, 2012 pp. 33-41

2. Basanta Carmen Perez English Teaching Forum. Vol.33 No 3, 1995

3. Short D. Assessing integrated language and contact instruction. TESOL Journal Quarterly, 27, 1995 pp. 626-656

4. Messick’S. 1989 Validity. In Educational measurement, 3 rd ed. pp. 13-103. Ed. R. Liwn, New York. American Council on Education.

5. Sheppard L. 1997. The centrality of test use and consequences for test validity. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 16,2 pp. 5-13

Annotation

Some Considerations on the Roles of Assessment in Foreign Language Teaching

Bocharova E.P.

head of the chair of professionally-oriented foreign languages-professor, Ph D (pedagogy) Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia

Gorodetskaya E. Ya.

professor, chair of professionally-oriented foreign languages, Ph D (philology)

Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia

Some roles of purposeful language assessment and the reasons for selecting the right alternative test in the process of language education are considered. The emphasis is put on the reasons for selecting the right alternative tests as a means of language assessment.

Language assessment is interpreted as the process of using language tests to accomplish particular jobs in language classrooms and programs. The ultimate goal of language assessment is to use tests to better inform teachers and learners on the decisions they should make and actions they should take in language teaching and learning process.

Key words: purposeful language assessment, tests intended test use, language process, test users, test purposes, impact of the test, evaluation, assessment outcomes, language testing tools.