Testing -MT- Chapter 1, 2, 3 Flashcards
Backwash or Washback
The effect of testing on teaching and learning
Harmful washback
(When…)
Test content + Testing Techniques = Variance w/ Course Content
Beneficial washback
(When..)
Test content + Testing features = Objectives of Course
teaching + testing
partnership
Inaccurate test
(definition)
Fails to measures what it is supposed to measure
Innacurate tests
(reasons)
- Test content and test techniques (eg.MC not writing skill)
- Lack of Reliability
Unreliability
(2 reasons)
- features of the text itself (unclear, ambiguous)
- the way it is scored
Testing as Problem solving
- No Best Test or Test Techniques
(all good relatively to context)
- Tester job is give best solution to proble
(each sit. unique)
Arms of Book (Problem Solving)
- basic knowledge + technique to solve problems
- evaluate solutions
- argue for improvement
Create tests that will (book)
- Provide accurate measures of constructs we want
- Beneficial effect on teaching
- Economical
Purposes of testing (book)
- Measure language proficiency regardless of other courses
- Discover how far are students
- Diagnose (what known or not)
- Placement of Ss acc. tu ability
Test number of distinctions
- Direct vs. Indirect
- Discrete point vs. Integrative Tests
- Norm-Referenced vs. Criterion-Referenced
- Objective vs. Subjective
Types of Tests
- Proficiency (tests all)
- Achievement (+Progress ach. test middle)
- Diagnostic
- Placement
Proficiency Test
- Measures people’s ability in a Language
- Based on what learners need to be able to do to be proficient
- Not created on course taken (the other way around)
Achievement Test
- Est. Successfulness of Ss or the Course (ach. Objectives)
- Directly related to language course taken by learners
- Includes Final tests
Syllabus based approach
Directly based on Syllabus
- Fair (maybe to much)
i. e. to indicate succ. ach.
Better ON COURSE OBJECTIVES
Pop-quiz (benefits)
- keep Ss on their toes
- Check ss Progress
Diagnostic Tests
- Pp: To acertain what future teaching is necessary
- Indentify Strengths and Weaknesses
- Profile of Ss Abilities
Placement tests
- Pp: Assing Ss to classes at diff. levels
- Help place Ss to teaching appropriate for abilities
Direct Testing
When requires t-takers to perform precisely the skill to measure
- Better for Speaking and Writing
Direct Testing (positive)
1 - Clear about abilities to measure (create conditions to judge)
2 - Productive Skills (Sp. Wr. - Straightfoward)
3 - Washback++ (skills practiced, improved)
Indirect testing
Attempt to measure ability which underlie skill interested
- representative sample of finite abililies (infinite manif.)
Indirect Testing (problem)
- Generalizable results
- Test not performance of skill asked
- Less Accurate estimate
- Harder to construct
Discrete-point
- Test one element, one item, at a time.
- indirect (often)
Integrative testing
- Requires combination of many lang abilities (const.)
- Direct (often)
Norm-Referenced
- Relates one candidate’s performance to that of other’s candidate
Criterion referenced
Classify people able/not to perform task
pass-fail
Criterion-Reference
(positive)
- Set standards meaningful of what can do
- Motivates Ss to attain those standards
Objective Testing vs. Subjective Testing
Difference is method of scoring
MC no judgement from scorer
