IELTS Research Reports: 1. An ethnographic study of classroom instruction in an IELTS preparation program PDF Download

Author: Robyn Tulloh
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780977587551
Category : English language
Languages : en
Pages :

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Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 43

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This study considers the possibility of introducing an element of more naturalistic, two-way interaction into the IELTS Speaking Test (IST). The research aimed to evaluate the effect of an intervention, namely the addition of a fourth part into the structure of the IST. This was intended as a two-minute section in which the candidate asked questions on a typical IST topic to the examiner, who then replied. Asking questions is a skill that university students have to develop, and such sequences could potentially provide useful rating data and a two-way interactional element. This four-part test was trialled by 18 candidates and three (3) examiners under six (6) conditions which enabled evaluation of the best format and location for the new part. The study evaluated whether candidate-led question-answer sequences are actually produced and whether value is added to the test in any way. The tests were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a CA approach. Both candidates and examiners were interviewed about the intervention. The new Candidate Question (CQ) part did generate candidate-led question-answer sequences as anticipated, even with weak candidates. The research suggests that the âexaminer leading statementâ format after the existing part 2 would be optimal. The CQ part does add value in a number of ways, according to both examiners and candidates, creating a context for more naturalistic, two-way interaction. Higher-scoring candidate. took a more active role, developing topic and making other kinds of speech moves outside the question-answer lockstep. Examiners felt that candidate questions provided useful extra information for rating purposes. Potential disadvantages are increased test duration and variation in amount and type of examiner talk. [Abstract].

Author:
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ISBN:
Category : English language
Languages : en
Pages :

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Languages : en
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Languages : en
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Author: Jenny Osborne
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780977587582
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 47

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Computer-based (CB) assessment is becoming more common in most university disciplines, and international language testing bodies now routinely use computers for many areas of English language assessment. Given that, in the near future, IELTS also will need to move towards offering CB options alongside traditional paper-based (PB) modes, the research reported here prepares for that possibility, building on research carried out some years ago which investigated the statistical comparability of the IELTS writing test between the two delivery modes, and offering a fresh look at the relevant issues. By means of questionnaire and interviews, the current study investigates the extent to which 153 test-takersâ cognitive processes, while completing IELTS Academic Writing in PB mode and in CB mode, compare with the real-world cognitive processes of students completing academic writing at university. A major contribution of our study is its use â for the first time in the academic literature â of data from research into cognitive processes within real-world academic settings as a comparison with cognitive processing during academic writing under test conditions. The most important conclusion from the study is that according to the 5-facet MFRM analysis, there were no significant differences in the scores awarded by two independent raters for candidatesâ performances on the tests taken under two conditions, one paper-and-pencil and the other computer. Regarding analytic scores criteria, the differences in three areas (i.e. Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy) were not significant, but the difference reported in Lexical Resources was significant, if slight. In summary, the difference of scores between the two modes is at an acceptable level. With respect to the cognitive processes students employ in performing under the two conditions of the test, results of the Cognitive Process Questionnaire (CPQ) survey indicate a similar pattern between the cognitive processes involved in writing on a computer and writing with paper-and-pencil. There were no noticeable major differences in the general tendency of the mean of each questionnaire item reported on the two test modes. In summary, the cognitive processes were employed in a similar fashion under the two delivery conditions. Based on the interview data (n=30), it appears that the participants reported using most of the processes in a similar way between the two modes. Nevertheless, a few potential differences indicated by the interview data might be worth further investigation in future studies. The Computer Familiarity Questionnaire survey shows that these students in general are familiar with computer usage and their overall reactions towards working with a computer are positive. Multiple regression analysis, used to find out if computer familiarity had any effect on studentsâ performances on the two modes, suggested that test-takers who do not have a suitable familiarity profile might perform slightly worse than those who do, in computer mode. In summary, the research offered in this report offers a unique comparison with realworld academic writing, and presents a significant contribution to the research base which IELTS and comparable international testing bodies will need to consider, if they are to introduce CB test versions in future. [Abstract].

Author: Antony John Kunnan
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1394179618
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 725

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The Concise Companion to Language Assessment provides a state-of-the-art overview of the crucial areas of language assessment, teaching, and learning. Edited by one of the foremost scholars in the field, The Concise Companion combines newly commissioned articles on innovations in assessment with a selection of chapters from The Companion to Language Assessment, the landmark four-volume reference work first published in 2013. Presented in eight themes, The Concise Companion addresses a broad range of language assessment methods, issues, and contexts. Forty-five chapters cover assessment conceptualization, development, research, and policy, as well as recent changes in language assessment technology, learning-oriented assessment, teacher-based assessment, teacher assessment literacy, plurilingual assessment, assessment for immigration, and more. Exploring the past, present, and future possibilities of the dynamic field, The Concise Companion to Language Assessment: Contains dedicated chapters on listening, speaking, reading writing, vocabulary, pronunciation, intercultural competence, and other language skills Describes fundamental assessment design and scoring guidelines, as well as advanced concepts in scenario-based assessment and automated performance scoring Provides insights on different assessment environments, such as classrooms, universities, employment, immigration, and healthcare Covers various qualitative and quantitative research methods, including introspective methods, classical reliability, and structural equation modeling Discusses the impacts of colonialism and discrimination on the history of language assessment Explores the use of AI in writing evaluation, plagiarism and cheating detection, and other assessment contexts Sure to become a standard text for the next generation of applied linguistics students, The Concise Companion to Language Assessment is an invaluable textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in applied linguistics, language assessment, TESOL, second language acquisition, and language policy.

Author: Nuray Alagözlü
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527556700
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 397

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This book brings together current perspectives and up-to-date research on vocabulary teaching and the learning of a foreign or second language. It will serve as a basis for academic studies and can be used as a supplementary source for vocabulary courses in English language teacher training programs. Featuring contributors from Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey, who detail their experiences of language teaching in different cultural contexts, this collection is valuable as it reflects theory and practice at work in different settings on vocabulary acquisition, teaching vocabulary to young learner, and vocabulary teaching and learning strategies. The volume also provides insights into the use of technology in vocabulary teaching, and details various forms of vocabulary testing.

Author: Rosalind Horowitz
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 042979570X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 915

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This scholarly research Handbook aggregates the broad-ranging, interdisciplinary, multidimensional strands of writing research from scholars worldwide and brings them together into a common intellectual space. This is the first such international compilation. Now in its second edition, the Handbook inaugurates a wide scope of international research advancement, with attention to writing at all levels of schooling and in all life situations. It provides advanced surveys of scholarship on the histories of world and child writing and literacy; interconnections between writing, reading, and speech; digital writing; writing in communities; writing in the sciences and engineering; writing instruction and assessment; and writing and disability. A section on international measures for assessment of writing is a new addition to this compendium of research. This Handbook serves as a comprehensive resource for scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates in writing studies and rhetoric, composition, creative expression, education, and literacy studies.