Language Testing :

Approaches and Techniques

GAVERELL M. CARIAL ENG 204
1 S T REPORTER FEBRUARY 13, 2021
 What is a test?
-A test in simple terms, is a method of measuring a person’s ability,
knowledge or performance in a given domain.

-A test is a method It is an instrument – a set of techniques,

procedures, or items that requires performance on the part of the test
taker. A method must be explicit and structured.

-Test measures an individual’s ability knowledge or performance.

What is a language test?

- When it comes to right down to it, a test is a

measuring device, no different in principle of a
ruler, a weighing scale, o a thermometer.

◦ A language test is an instrument for measuring

language ability.
Language testing includes:
Communicative Testing-
Assessing the ability to use language for
communication in specific context, involving
productive language either through meaningful
output generated by the test takers.
Structuralist Approach-
Which involved analyzing the language
into its components and parts –
phonemes, morphemes, syntactic forms.
Communicative competence
Or the ability for language use (Hymes
1972) which involves judgements about
what the grammar will allow one to say,
and what about what is socially
appropriate to say in a given situation.
 Formative and Summative Assessment

The formative assessment is to provide learners

information about their progress which they can use to
guide their continuing learning, or to provide teachers
with information which they can use to guide course
development and lesson planning.
◦ The summative assessment on the other hand, is usually
carried out at the end of a course of study to measure
achievement
Washback
Washback has been discussed in language
testing largely as the direct impact of
testing on individuals, and it is widely
assumed to exist.
  
The Most Important Consideration in Designing Language
Testing

Reliability- can be defined as consistency of

measurement; inconsistency is a variation in
test scores that is due to factors other than the
construct we measure.
Construct validity-
pertains to the meaningfulness and
appropriateness of the interpretations
that we make on the basis of test
scores.
Authenticity
– it provides a link between test
performance and the TLU tasks and domain
to which we want to generalize.
Interactiveness-
is an important test quality because it
pertains to the degree in which the
constructs we want to assess are critically
involved in accomplishing the test tasks.
Impact-
- can be defined broadly in terms of the
various ways in which test use affects
society, an education system, and the
individuals within these.
Practicality
pertains to the ways in which the test will
be implemented in a given situation, or
whether the test will be used at all.
APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE
TESTING
Approach – a set of assumptions about language testing
which involve the nature of language, learning, teaching
(Edward Anthony 1963)
Language testing approach- used to measure language
learners’ ability to use the target language in authentic
situations.
 
Discrete- Point Testing Approach

Discrete point test is constructed on the

assumption that language can be divided into
its component’s parts, and those parts can be
tested successfully. the components are the
skill of listening, speaking, reading, writing
and various unit of language of morphology,
phonology, lexicon, syntax.
Integrative testing Approach

This approach involves the testing of

language in context and is thus
concerned primarily with meaning and
the total communicative effect of
discourse. Integrative test attempt to
assess learner’s capacity to use use
many bits all at the same time.
Communicative Testing Approach

Communicative teaching approach

lays more emphasis on the notion
and function, like agreeing
persuading or inviting, that
language means in communication.
Performance Based Assessment

Any assessment can be considered a type of

performance when a student is placed in some
context and asked to show what they know or can do
in that context.
Performance Based Assessment believes that the
students will learn best when they are given a chance
to perform and show what they know according to
their own plan, collect data, infer pattern, draw
conclusions take a stand or deliver a presentation.
Essay Translation Approach

Commonly referred to as pre-scientific stage

of language testing. Test usually consist of
essay writing, translation, & grammatical
analysis .
TEST TECHNIQUES
What is a Test Technique?
is a method that helps identify gaps,errors, or any
kind of missing requirements differing from the actual
requirements.
To evaluate a system or a component with a purpose to
find if it satisfies the given requirement.
Test Techniques

DIRECT VS. INDIRECT

DISCRETE POINT VS. INTEGRATIVE
NORM REFERENCED VS. CRITERION
REFERENCED
OBJECTIVE VS SUBJECTIVE   
 DIRECT TESTING
– requires the candidate to perform precisely the skill that the test wishes to
measure.
Intended to measure the productive skills of speaking and writing.
- It Has a number of attractions.
*relatively straightforward to create conditions
*assessment and interpretations are also quite forward
* there is likely to be helpful backwash effect
 INDIRECT TESTING

- attempt to measure the abilities that

underlie the skills in which the test is
interested.
- Contains underline items which the
student needs to identify as EERONEOUS
or INAPPROPRIATE in formal standard
English
Example
DIRECT INDIRECT

Composition writing to A writing test that

know students’ writing requires students to
skills identify grammatical
errors in sentences.
 

SEMI-DIRECT
Examples:
Tape recorded speaking skills
DISCRETE POINT VS.
INTEGRATIVE TESTING
DISCRETE POINT INTEGRATIVE TESTING
Refers to the testing of one Requires the candidate to
element at a time, item by item combine many language
or series of items each testing a elements in the completion of a
particular grammar structure task.
 

Discrete point will always be indirect

while integrative test will tend to be
direct
examples
DISCRETE POINT INTEGRATIVE TESTING
 Form of a series of items testing a *Writing a composition , making notes
particular grammatical structure while listening to a lecture.
 Diagnostic test of grammar. *Demonstrate your comprehension of the
following words by using them together in
a written paragraph.
*more procedure than the item
NORM -REFERENCED VS. CRITERION -REFERENCED TESTING

NORM- REFERENCED CRITERION -REFERENCED

 Scores are interpreted  Interpretations of scores is

relative to each other in absolute and may be
normal distribution representational
scheme.  Measures students’ ability
 The idea is to spread the against the predetermined
students out on a standard
continuum of knowledge
OBJECTIVE VS. SUBJECTIVE

OBJECTIVE SUBJECTIVE

*Is a kind of test in which If judgement is called for

learners ability or - If the scorer is not
performance are measured looking for any one right
using specific set of answer.
answer, means there are
only two possible answer ,
right and wrong.
PHASES OF EVALUATION
FOUR PHASES OF EVALUATION
1.PREPARATION PHASE
2.ASSESSMENT PHASE
3.EVALUATION PHASE
4.REFLECTION PHASE
PREPARATION PHASE
Teachers decide what is to be evaluated, the type
of evaluation to be used, the criteria upon which
the student learning outcomes will be judged,
and the most appropriate assessment techniques
for gathering information on student progress.
ASSESSMENT PHASE-
Teachers select appropriate tools and
techniques, then collect and collate
information on student progress. Teachers
must determine where, when, and how
assessments will be conducted, and
students must be consulted and informed.
EVALUATION PHASE
Teachers interpret the assessment
information and make judgement about
student progress.
-Students are encouraged to monitor their
own learning by evaluating their
achievements on a regular basis.
REFLECTION PHASE-
-allows teachers to consider the extent to which
the previews phases in the evaluation process
have been successful.
-teachers evaluate the utility equity and
appropriateness of the assessment techniques
used.
STAGES OF TEST CONSTRUCTION

Planning
Preparing
Reviewing
Revising Test Items
 
1. Planning

The first step in constructing a test is to

determine the content, the scope of the test,
as well as the manner in which test items
should be developed.
2. Preparing Test Items
Preparing test items is a very delicate
activity that requires a great deal of
care and expertise. It is a dangerously
oversimplified belief that every teacher
is able to write reasonably acceptable
items.
3. Reviewing Test Items

It is a generally accepted principle that test

construction is a collaborative activity. An
individual, no matter how expert he may be,
is potentially subject to making mistakes.
Therefore, to minimize the pitfalls, test
items should be reviewed by a team of
experts.
 
4. Revising Test Items

This is the step where the test items are

revised before testing in the pre-testing
step. In this step, the item which has
already been corrected or reviewed, are re-
write. So that, in this step, the test item is
called as semi final form
References
Language_Testing_and_Assessment_Elana_Shohamy_Iair_G._Or_Stephen_May.pdf
Fulcher_Davidso_Language_Testing_and_Assessment_An_Advanced_Resource_Book_Routledg
e_Applied_.pdf
Understanding_Language_Testing_Dan_Douglas.pdf
Designing_and_Analyzing_Language_Tests_Carr_NathanT..pdf