The aim of this paper is to investigate from a discourse analytic perspective task authenticity in the speaking component of the Occupational English Test (OET), an English language screening test ...for clinicians designed to reflect the language demands of health professional- patient communication. The study compares the OET speaking sub-test roleplay performances of 12 doctors who were successful OET candidates with practice Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) roleplay performances of 12 international medical graduates (IMGs) preparing for the Australian Medical Council clinical examination. The premise for the comparison is that the OSCE roleplays can represent communication practices that are valued within the medical profession; therefore a finding of similarity in the discourse structure across the OET and the OSCE roleplays could be taken as supporting the validity of the OET as a tool for eliciting relevant communication skills in the medical profession. The study draws on genre theory as developed in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) in order to compare the roleplay discourse structure and the linguistic realizations of the two tasks. In particular, it examines the role relationships of the participants (i.e. the tenor of the discourse), and the ways in which content is represented (i.e. the field of the discourse) by roleplay participants. The findings reveal some key similarities but also important differences. Although both tests inevitably fall short in terms of authentic representation of real world interactions, the findings suggest that the OET task, for a range of reasons including time allowances, training of test interlocutors, and the limits of contextual information provided to candidates, constrains candidate topic exploration and treatment negotiation, compared to the OSCE format. The paper concludes with proposals for mitigating these limitations in the interests of enhancing the OET's capacity to elicit more professionally relevant language and communication skills. Author abstract
Leistungsmessung Heine, Lena
Zeitschrift für interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht,
10/2015, Volume:
20, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
In dem Beitrag werden Instrumente zur Leistungsmessung im CLIL-Unterricht sowie die Frage nach der Gewichtung und Trennung sprachlicher und fachlicher Kompetenzen bei der Leistungsfeststellung und ...-beurteilung thematisiert. (Verlag, adapt.).
Assessing Writing Abilities Kroll, Barbara
Annual review of applied linguistics,
03/1998, Volume:
18
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
A review of research on the assessment of second-language writing focuses on these areas: critical variables in writing assessment; types of writing assessment scales (holistic and analytic); the ...scope of writing assessment (single-campus and large-scale), issues in use of portfolios for assessment (portfolio content, constraints); and the relationship of writing assessment to general language assessment. (MSE)
This review of research on testing of second-language reading addresses: general areas of interest in reading research, assessment; adaptation of a suitable first-language reading comprehension model ...for second-language assessment; reliance on a top-down model of reading comprehension; validity of multiple-choice reading comprehension tests; research on behavioral anchoring; and reading comprehension testing in a computer-adaptive testing context. (Author/MSE)
This review of research on assessment of second-language listening abilities looks at some testing issues and challenges (assessing higher-level skills, confounding of skills, assessing listening in ...oral interaction, authenticity), discusses assessment methods and techniques (test administration, item formats), and considers potential applications of new computer and video technology. (MSE)
Assessing Speaking Turner, Jean
Annual review of applied linguistics,
03/1998, Volume:
18
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
This review of research on second-language oral testing outlines the nature of early research in interview-format proficiency testing, then reports on new directions in investigation of construct ...validity of interview-format and other oral skills tests through examination of examinee, interviewer, and rater performance. Research on empirically driven rating scales and testing for specific environments are also discussed. (MSE)
Much dissatisfaction has been growing over the sole use of achievement tests for determining the success of written and/or oral language development in children. At the same time, the public ...continues to clamor for evidence that children are learning, and therefore that teachers are teaching and the schools are functioning as intended. Means must be developed that describe and identify learning outcomes. What are some promising practices that can do this, and how can they be utilized as alternatives to only testing for achievement, particularly in the area of assessing written and/or oral language development?
LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT: WHERE, WHAT AND HOW Cazden, Courtney B.; Bond, James T.; Epstein, Ann S. ...
Anthropology & education quarterly,
19/May , Volume:
8, Issue:
2
Journal Article
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