HOME

TEACHING

NEXT

Index to Language Testing Objectives

  1. click here - What basic questions should a teacher/tester ask himself/herself before setting a test?
    ------------------------[why / whether / what / how / quality / consequences]

  2. click here - What are the relationships between learning, teaching & testing?
    ------------------------[purposes / content specification / influence]

  3. click here - What are the main reasons for testing?
    ------------------------[name the different test types in terms of their purposes]

  4. click here - What are the essential differences between a classroom test and an external examination?
    ------------------------[why do most external exams 'grade', 'pass' or 'fail' candidates?]

  5. click here - Briefly describe the following types of test in terms of their objectives: a) aptitude b) placement c) diagnostic d) achievement e) proficiency.
    ------------------------[can you name examples of these types from your knowledge and experience of tests & exams]

  6. click here - How far is it possible to predict student success in language learning?
    ------------------------[For what purposes is language needed? Is linguistic performance the only ingredient of success?]

  7. click here - Can one measure a student's progress in learning a L2? What are the difficulties?
    ------------------------[clarity of the syllabus spec / quality of test / 'outside' factors]

  8. click here - How does one specify test objectives? How far does the way objectives are defined influence subsequent assessment?
    ------------------------[why test? / what to test? / consequences?]

  9. click here - What are the main language skills and their components? Are there other skills that should be tested?
    ------------------------[the 4 skills, sub-divisions of them e.g. different purposes, how tasks draw on mixes of skills]

  10. click here - What are discrete-point tests? What are tests of integrative skills? Discuss their relative advantages and disadvantages. Is the distinction valid?
    ------------------------[Illustrate how language can be broken down / Compare with tests which depend on the completion of tasks]

  11. click here - What factors influencing language learning should be tested? How?
    ------------------------[constituents of language aptitude? / factors other than aptitude?]

  12. click here - How has language testing been influenced by varying contemporary views on language and language learning?
    ------------------------[name some of the new approaches which have followed discrete point testing]

  13. click here - What is (a) objective and (b) subjective testing?
    ------------------------[consider the scope to vary the answer]

  14. click here - What are the main subjective testing techniques?
    ------------------------[consider ways of marking work where a single given answer - 'right' or 'wrong' - does not gain the mark]

  15. click here - What are the main objective testing techniques?
    ------------------------[review the 'closed' test-types where a single given answer gains the mark. Are such tests a good indicator of how a candidate really performs in a given language?]

  16. click here - What are standardized tests: psychometric objective & linguistic realistic?
    ------------------------[Explain each of the terms in the question and how they connect.]

  17. click here - What are the main requirements of an efficient test?
    ------------------------[ways a test could be efficient to an educational institution while serving its purpose]

  18. click here - The problem of test rubric: How far do format and instructions affect assessment?
    ------------------------[How might a 'listening test' be compromised by long written questions followed by A B C or D?]

  19. click here - What is test discrimination? When is it not needed?
    ------------------------[Name some test-types for different purposes before answering!]

  20. click here - What is item analysis? What is the facility value of an item? What is its discrimination index?
    ------------------------[Explain the need to try out this form of test on a large sample of people.]

  21. click here - What are the main difficulties and limitations of language testing?
    ------------------------[Explain the folly of using Multiple Choice Tests on students training to be teachers of English in terms of 'validity/reliability tension']

  22. click here - What are the problems of assessing communication in a L2?
    ------------------------[administrative / nature of language / behavioural outcomes]

  23. click here - What are norm-referenced tests? Criterion-referenced tests?
    ------------------------[Describe the usual purposes to which IQ tests are put e.g. 11-plus examination]

  24. click here - What is test reliability? What are the aspects of reliability that are most important for the teacher/tester?
    ------------------------[Explain the concept of measuring with a 'tape measure' rather than a 'piece of elastic']

  25. click here - How can the reliability of a test be established? What can be done about the findings?
    ------------------------[Justify the use of 'objective formats' rather than asking a student's teacher how good he or she is.]

  26. click here - What is test validity? What are the most important aspects of validity for the teacher/tester?
    ------------------------['Face validity' means 'the test looks good'. What does 'content validity' mean?]

  27. click here - How can the validity of a test be established? What can be done about the findings?
    ------------------------[Why does the validity of an educational body's tests depend on great care being taken earlier on in syllabus design, content and specification of aims]

    See detailed examples of my own attempts to calculate validity in relation to the following test-types:

HOME

TEACHING

NEXT