To make oral test accurately reflect the actual English spoken ability of candidates and play its role in guiding and promoting the improvement of English learners in the teaching, we must ensure that the design of sc...To make oral test accurately reflect the actual English spoken ability of candidates and play its role in guiding and promoting the improvement of English learners in the teaching, we must ensure that the design of scientific questions, the feasibility and validity of judgments to make an accurate and fair measurement of testers' language ability.展开更多
Speaking is the main purpose and most important skill for second language learning.This paper reviews the important validity considerations in designing a test,such as face validity,content validity,on the basis of wh...Speaking is the main purpose and most important skill for second language learning.This paper reviews the important validity considerations in designing a test,such as face validity,content validity,on the basis of which the author analyzes the oral test paper for the postgraduate entrance interview in Shaanxi University of Technology,thus putting forward some methods to improve the test paper.展开更多
Speaking,as a productive skill,is a priority for many foreign-language learners.They often evaluate their success in language learning on the basis of how much they feel they have improved in their spoken language pro...Speaking,as a productive skill,is a priority for many foreign-language learners.They often evaluate their success in language learning on the basis of how much they feel they have improved in their spoken language proficiency.Consequently,testing of oral skills has hardly been neglected in college English examination.The communicative testing theory in 1970s greatly influenced language testing,especially the oral tests.This essay briefly explores the theory of communicative language testing and discusses the methods of TOEFL oral test and college English oral test and proposes ways to the latter one for further improve ment.展开更多
This paper intends to give a brief overview of oral English testing for non-English major students in Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) University, which is located in a minority autonomous province in the sou...This paper intends to give a brief overview of oral English testing for non-English major students in Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) University, which is located in a minority autonomous province in the southern part of P.R. China. It arises from the concrete problems facing Chinese teachers of English who feel troubled when offering an oral English test to an ever increasing number of non-English major students at the end of each semester. The frustration comes not only from the labor intensive and time consuming activity but also from the surrounding ethical issues of subjectivity by the teachers and of injustice to the students to give and receive fair marks. Moreover, there is a conflicting gap between the criteria used by the foreign native English speaking teachers and Chinese teachers of English because of their different cultural background and concept of testing. Nevertheless, an oral English test was designed and the procedures were devised, adopted, and administered to assess the student’s performance. The test and procedures, based on the national course syllabus for testing non-English majors, the level of attainment in oral English of the students, and the limited number of teaching personnel in the TCM University, utilized two different approaches. The native English speakers follow their own concept of devising formats of group testing procedures and assessment criteria forms highlighting communicative interaction. Meanwhile, the Chinese teachers of English emphasize individual rehearsed presentations and ask the student to follow up questions, to make further comment, and inquire about learning experience from the passage in order to make assessment and evaluation. Final student scores were calculated by combining daily participation of the student, the assessment foreign teacher, and the evaluation of Chinese teachers.展开更多
The purpose of this study was to investigate how washback effect of a reformed test influenced students'perspectives in their spoken English learning. This study was expected to enrich the existing literature in t...The purpose of this study was to investigate how washback effect of a reformed test influenced students'perspectives in their spoken English learning. This study was expected to enrich the existing literature in testing washback in English as a foreign language context.Findings indicate that the adding of oral part in achievement test does have a positive washback effect on students'learning. However, such a washback effect on students'learning is quite superficial and limited.展开更多
In 2004,Guangzhou Education Bureau introduced an English oral test into its existing Guangzhou Senior Secondary School Entrance Examination(hereafter,SSSEE)with the intention of shifting from grammar-based English tea...In 2004,Guangzhou Education Bureau introduced an English oral test into its existing Guangzhou Senior Secondary School Entrance Examination(hereafter,SSSEE)with the intention of shifting from grammar-based English teaching at junior secondary school to a communication-based teaching approach.This paper presents preliminary research findings related to the washback effects of the oral test on teaching.The data were collected via focus groups and questionnaires.The nature of the washback effects of the SSSEE English oral test is discussed from six dimensions.The study shows that washback is a complex phenomenon and it can be conceptualised via a multidimensional model.展开更多
The paper analyzes the characteristics of the spoken English class and proposes the suggestions to the teachers in term of how to design the spoken English class, organize and administrate the class and assess the lea...The paper analyzes the characteristics of the spoken English class and proposes the suggestions to the teachers in term of how to design the spoken English class, organize and administrate the class and assess the learners' oral English ability. The paper introduces the various classroom activities and how to conduct them in teachers' teaching process as well.展开更多
文摘To make oral test accurately reflect the actual English spoken ability of candidates and play its role in guiding and promoting the improvement of English learners in the teaching, we must ensure that the design of scientific questions, the feasibility and validity of judgments to make an accurate and fair measurement of testers' language ability.
文摘Speaking is the main purpose and most important skill for second language learning.This paper reviews the important validity considerations in designing a test,such as face validity,content validity,on the basis of which the author analyzes the oral test paper for the postgraduate entrance interview in Shaanxi University of Technology,thus putting forward some methods to improve the test paper.
文摘Speaking,as a productive skill,is a priority for many foreign-language learners.They often evaluate their success in language learning on the basis of how much they feel they have improved in their spoken language proficiency.Consequently,testing of oral skills has hardly been neglected in college English examination.The communicative testing theory in 1970s greatly influenced language testing,especially the oral tests.This essay briefly explores the theory of communicative language testing and discusses the methods of TOEFL oral test and college English oral test and proposes ways to the latter one for further improve ment.
文摘This paper intends to give a brief overview of oral English testing for non-English major students in Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) University, which is located in a minority autonomous province in the southern part of P.R. China. It arises from the concrete problems facing Chinese teachers of English who feel troubled when offering an oral English test to an ever increasing number of non-English major students at the end of each semester. The frustration comes not only from the labor intensive and time consuming activity but also from the surrounding ethical issues of subjectivity by the teachers and of injustice to the students to give and receive fair marks. Moreover, there is a conflicting gap between the criteria used by the foreign native English speaking teachers and Chinese teachers of English because of their different cultural background and concept of testing. Nevertheless, an oral English test was designed and the procedures were devised, adopted, and administered to assess the student’s performance. The test and procedures, based on the national course syllabus for testing non-English majors, the level of attainment in oral English of the students, and the limited number of teaching personnel in the TCM University, utilized two different approaches. The native English speakers follow their own concept of devising formats of group testing procedures and assessment criteria forms highlighting communicative interaction. Meanwhile, the Chinese teachers of English emphasize individual rehearsed presentations and ask the student to follow up questions, to make further comment, and inquire about learning experience from the passage in order to make assessment and evaluation. Final student scores were calculated by combining daily participation of the student, the assessment foreign teacher, and the evaluation of Chinese teachers.
文摘The purpose of this study was to investigate how washback effect of a reformed test influenced students'perspectives in their spoken English learning. This study was expected to enrich the existing literature in testing washback in English as a foreign language context.Findings indicate that the adding of oral part in achievement test does have a positive washback effect on students'learning. However, such a washback effect on students'learning is quite superficial and limited.
文摘In 2004,Guangzhou Education Bureau introduced an English oral test into its existing Guangzhou Senior Secondary School Entrance Examination(hereafter,SSSEE)with the intention of shifting from grammar-based English teaching at junior secondary school to a communication-based teaching approach.This paper presents preliminary research findings related to the washback effects of the oral test on teaching.The data were collected via focus groups and questionnaires.The nature of the washback effects of the SSSEE English oral test is discussed from six dimensions.The study shows that washback is a complex phenomenon and it can be conceptualised via a multidimensional model.
文摘The paper analyzes the characteristics of the spoken English class and proposes the suggestions to the teachers in term of how to design the spoken English class, organize and administrate the class and assess the learners' oral English ability. The paper introduces the various classroom activities and how to conduct them in teachers' teaching process as well.
