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This book aims to provide language testers with a background in the conversation analytic framework.
This book explores how language test-takers with different extraversion and proficiency levels co-construct interaction in group oral tests. It compares interactions across three tasks and between two group sizes. The findings offer useful implications for international language testing by enhancing our understanding of the group test construct.
Oral Exams: Preparing For and Passing Candidacy, Qualifying, and Graduate Defenses provides guidance on how to prepare for oral comprehensive and viva voce exams. Topics discussed include the supervisory committee, preparing the seminar, arranging content, mental preparation, question framing, and the types of questions to expect. At its core, the book prepares students to be the best they can be by offering insights into how to interpret and appropriately respond to explicit and implied oral comps questions. This book benefits faculty by helping them prepare new questions, also providing tips on how to mentor their students in preparation for exams. The training included can be used to prepare for intensive qualifying or certification exams, job interviews, and presentations. - Describes in detail the general format of oral comprehensive exams, viva voce examinations and defenses, what to expect, and what the requirements are that students need to fulfill to pass. - Includes appendices with numerous practice questions sourced from a range of disciplines and countries for individual or group learning - Useful for Early Career academics that are supervising, supporting, and examining PhD students
Defining the construct of interaction for paired assessment purposes has been difficult, despite the evolution of our view of language to include the social perspective of co-construction, and the fact that such discourse is increasingly taught and assessed. In this volume three sequenced studies define interaction in paired oral assessment through the verbal protocols of learners of Spanish and their assessors. Assessors then scale performances from videoed test performance data resulting in the development of an evidence based rating process which includes non-verbal interpersonal communication, interactive listening and interactional management.
This book intends to provide a theoretical overview of examining candidates' oral abilities in different examination formats. In particular, it explores specific partner effects on discourse outcomes and proficiency ratings in the framework of paired-task performance. Two investigations, both set in the context of a proposed Hungarian school leaving examination in English, were carried out in order to contribute to a better understanding of the assumed impact of the chosen variables. Study One investigates discourse differences between examiner-to-examinee interaction and peer-to-peer interaction. Study Two explores the impact of the peer partner's proficiency. The results show that partner effects related to this variable cannot be predicted as either harmful or beneficial since no statistically significant difference was found between 30 candidates' scores in different examination conditions.
This second edition remains the most practical guide to testing language. It has a new chapter on testing young learners.
The testing and assessment of second language learners is an essential part of the language learning process. Glenn Fulcher's Testing Second Language Speaking is a state-of-the-art volume that considers the assessment of speaking from historical, theoretical and practical perspectives. The book offers the first systematic, comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of the testing of second language speaking. Written in a clear and accessible manner, it covers: Explanations of the process of test design Costing test design projects How to put the test into practice Evaluation of speaking tests Task types for testing speaking Testing learners with disabilities It also contains a wealth of examples, including task types that are commonly used in speaking tests, approaches to researching speaking tests and specific methodologies that teachers, students and test developers may use in their own projects. Successfully integrating practice and theory, this book demystifies the process of testing speaking and provides a thorough treatment of the key ethical and technical issues in speaking evaluation.
