LANGUAGE TESTING FOR THE ESL CLASSROOM

Global regional review, 2019

This conceptual paper reviews literature on the most common practices of language tests in ELT contexts around the world. The detailed discussion of various types of language tests is followed by its various aims and objectives which are linked to the qualities or characteristics of different language tests. The review of the literature reveals that language tests and its purposes vary from context to context and there is a wide range of practical constraints that test designers, test-takers, and test administrators encounter. Particularly, in the Saudi EFL context, EFL teachers lack a voice in the process of language assessment and there is a serious dearth of professional development training to raise EFL teachers' awareness of language tests and develop their assessment literacy. The review of the literature suggests that in various EFL/ESL contexts, more top-notch assessment methods need to be introduced and in the Saudi setting.

Global Language Review, 2021

The purpose of the current study was to examine language assessment practices of ESL teachers at the undergraduate level in Punjab (Faisalabad and Lahore). Objectives of the study were to evaluate current second language assessment methods used by teachers at the undergraduate level, to identify any difference between perceptions of teachers about their assessment skills and actual practices of teachers for second language assessment at the undergraduate level, to explore the factors affecting ESL assessment practices of teachers at the undergraduate level. To achieve the objectives of the study, a mixed-method research design was used, a variety of instruments were administered to collect quantitative data survey, and a language assessment knowledge test adapted from (Muhammad 2019)was used. The survey was divided into four parts first part inquired participants about their demographic information, second part inquired them about different assessment techniques they use to assess l...

Language Education and Technology (LET Journal), 2022

As with all forms of testing, language testing performs a variety of roles, from representing levels of performance to social gatekeeping functions (McNamara, 2000). This paper will present a summative test for a specific group of learners in context. Moreover, the paper will provide the justification behind the choices made in item and task selection for the test. Hughes (2003) presents essential procedural guidelines for test construction, the first of which notes that the test purpose and type must be clearly defined. The test presented in this paper was an achievement test designed for first year Japanese polytechnic students in Kyoto, Japan, aged 18-20 who were studying English as either an elective subject or as a mandatory component of their first-year studies. The test contains four sections: Listening, Vocabulary, Grammar, and Writing. The test items are intended to expand, both in theme and content, on textbook and classroom activities; thus making them familiar enough to students to reduce test day anxiety, but challenging enough to make a valid assessment.

The objective of formally teaching English as a second language at any level through institutionalized General English curriculum is to produce learning. English language learning means the acquisition of language skills (both macro-and micro-skills) and study skills for use in the various domains and departments of life. Testing is part of the teaching-learning process. The aim of language testing is to inform the learner their competency level so that the teacher/learner could take remedial measures for further learning. Further, testing should reflect the objectives of teaching/learning that are transacted through the prescribed syllabus which is only a means for realization of course objectives. In reality, learners are tested in their knowledge of the syllabus and its contents, and not the course objectives. Many students do not even know the objectives of the language courses that are mandatory for graduation. And many teachers treat/teach the syllabus in such a fashion that they too do not seem to be aware of the existence of learning objectives. Critical self-assessment of their learning by learners could also form part of testing. The present paper proposes to examine the existing methods of testing English language skills, explore the possibility of critical self-assessment by learners themselves and teachers' attitudes towards such an attempt, and finally, to analyse the feasibility of alternative assessment in the context of the institutional challenges to develop tests that provide a reliable, accurate, and comprehensive assessment of an individual's English proficiency.

Testing is a multifaceted, overarching concept which helps research into ways of improving learning and unifies a number of different perspectives. Unfortunately, it has hardly been well thought out in English as a Second Language (ESL) learning in Pakistan. The aim of this paper is to underpin the significance of the effects of tests on teaching, bring about changes in ESL testing and help ESL teachers measure their students’ language proficiencies with improved understanding of the modern language testing approaches. Drawing on the frameworks of Shomay, et al. (1996), Alderson & Hamp-Lyons (1996) and Cheng (1999), I observed classes of eighteen ESL teachers of a university in Karachi in 2007, evaluated their term papers, and analysed the ESL situation as a whole in conjunction with the aims of the programme, course objectives and course contents. The findings suggest that a number of changes are absolutely imperative to create positive effects of testing on classroom learning.

Language testing at any level is a highly complex undertaking that must be based on theory as well as practice. A language assessment system focusing only on Reading and Writing is outmoded and need to be modified, especially in this electronic era when the oral skills are dominating other skills.This paper analyses various techniques employed in language testing and examines the guiding principles of assessment. It investigates the assessment systems followed at CBSE, SSC, ICSE, IGCSE and the undergraduate levels. It advocates the urgency of assessing all the four skills which will be beneficial for students of different levels of intelligence. The Four Skill Assessment and Alternative Assessments are suggested remedies for improving the standard of English amongst the students. When students learn English as a Second Language, they face various problems. These problems can be partially categorised as problems caused by mother tongue interference and partially those caused by the method of language teaching and assessment. The greatest curse of the modern educational system is the lack of harmony between what is taught and what is tested. Up-to-date methods are implemented, curriculum is innovated but the questions remain traditional to the core. Most of the questions asked in the Communicative English paper focus on the rules and regulations; practical oriented questions are ignored. Students naturally study with the purpose of scoring good grades in the exam. They are not concerned about the practicality of what they are studying. In this

2001

Language assessment and test preparation in English as a foreign language (EFL) education, 2021

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), 2015

Language testing and assessment is a discipline within the broader field of applied linguistics where much has already been written on the subject. In his article 'Textbook Trends in Language Testing,' Alan Davies (2008) highlighted the abundance of publications on this topic. The recent guidebook, The Routledge Handbook of Language Testing (Fulcher & Davidson eds., 2012) also surveyed the area comprehensively. The question could then be asked as to what could another general guide to the discipline hope to achieve? This sister publication, from the Routledge Introductions to Applied Linguistics, Language in Action series, is another introductory guide that has, however, foregrounded practical concerns. Many research-oriented guidebooks to language testing have placed emphasis on theory over practice. The author here, though, has decided on a 'back-to-front' organization by initially focussing on practice and then moving on to related theory. This is its main differentiating feature from other introductory guides to language assessment. The author has also given particular emphasis to practising ESL/ELT teachers and Masters students in Applied Linguistics or Language Education.