Language Testing

REFLEXION OF LANGUAGE TESTING SUBJECT

Lecturer:

M. Ashuri, M.Pd

By:

ENI TRIMAWATI

09050118

V.B of ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

SEKOLAH TINGGI KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN

MUHAMMADIYAH PRINGSEWU LAMPUNG

(STKIP MPL)

2012

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

            Language Testing is one of the subjects that should be taken by the writer in studying at STKIP MPL. It began held on September 29^th, 2011. It discussed about how to make, give, and score the test of language correctly. The purpose of the writer makes this paper is for reflecting or reviewing what these lecture activities are like.

There are three problems in joining this lecture that faced by the writer. First, the writer always felt that language testing is a very difficult and serious subject. It made the writer bored to study hard in this subject even read the references with its high level English. Second, the writer thinks that not all of the students understand what the lecturer discussed about. It could be proved in the first quiz which a lot of students who did not get good enough score. Third, the class activities were dominated by lecturer. It made the students passive then did not take a part of the class activities. It is clear that there are three problems of the writer in joining the language testing class.

In order to overcome these problems, the writer defines that there are three ways to solve the main problems in joining the language testing class. First, the students should have much motivation either from internal or external side. Internal motivation means that the motivation is from the students themselves. They should aware that this lecture is very important to the future when they become an English teacher or a team of testing specialist. On the other hand, external motivation means that the motivation can be built by the lecturer. The lecturer should give motivation to the students in every meeting, so the students will be motivated to study hard and enjoy read the references. Second, the lecturer should give post test after giving the material. It will show the comprehension of the students in receiving the material. If the students do not answer the questions of the post test correctly, it means that there something wrong whether from the lecturer explanation, students concentration, or the class situation that do not support the class activities. Third, the lecturer should as maximal as possible give chance to the students to be involved in the lecture activities. That is all the solutions that can be done by the lecturer and the students to make enjoy but focus in joining the language testing subject.

CHAPTER II

THE MATERIAL ACQUIRED

During joining the language testing subject, the writer got many materials that give benefit, at least in expanding knowledge about the testing. There are materials are:

      Purposes and Method of Language Testing

      Teaching and Testing

      Kinds of Test and Testing

      Testing Grammatical structure

      Testing Writing

      Testing Listening

1.    Purposes and Method of Language Testing

It is the first chapter that is discussed in Language Testing lecture. It discussed about what the test make for does and what the method that used are. From this chapter, the writer knows that there are two types of the tests. First, teacher made test. That is, the test that is prepared, administrated, and scored by one teacher which uses course objective and specific course content. Otherwise, there is the standardize test. It is a test that is prepared, administrated, scored and interpreted by a team of testing specialists. This test also does not give chance for the examiners to test the examinee directly.

This chapter also discussed about the principal educational uses of language tests. That is the categories of the tests that is consisted of aptitude, general proficiency and achievement tests.

      Teaching and Testing

Inaccurate test

Teaching and Testing

Backwash

Beneficial

Harmful

 

            Teaching and testing is a unity. They can not be separated. If there is a teaching, a testing should be done, and otherwise. In fact, there are problems that are related to the teaching and testing. Sometimes, there are a language teacher who teaches but do not give testing anymore. It is of course become a big problem. On the other hand, there is a language teacher who always gives testing whereas that is not suitable or appropriate with the materials that is given.

In testing there is called backwash. That is the effect of the testing on teaching. Backwash is divided into two types. First, harmful backwash, if there are the incoherence between teaching material and testing techniques. For example is testing speaking through multiple choices. It is possible to be done but the test does not accurate with the objective course. Another example is, there are the ambiguous questions that can make the examinees confuse to answer.

Second, beneficial backwash, it means that when the testing contents were taught before the test is done. For example, when a teacher wants to test his students about writing a descriptive paragraph, he should teach adjective, present tense, conjunction and others before giving them testing. Then if the result of the testing is better that before, it means that the testing gives good effect or beneficial backwash.

      Kinds of Test and Testing

KINDS OF TESTS

            There are fours type of the tests and testing. They are; proficiency, achievement, diagnostic, and placement test. All of them have their own purpose and place.

First, proficiency test, it is made for measuring the examinees’ ability. This test is usually used in a particular purpose such as SNMPTN and the job vacancy test.

Second, achievement test, this test is for measuring the ability of the examinees in holding the objectives of the teaching. This test is divided into two types, there are final and progress achievement test. Final achievement test is a test that is made in the last session of the course. For example is the National Examination. Meanwhile, the progress achievement test is a test that needs the progress of the score in the next term. For example is TOEFL test.

Third, diagnostic test is a test for knowing the strength and weaknesses of the students. After a teacher knows the weaknesses of the students, he can improve his teaching method to make the students have good progress in the next term.

Fourth, placement test, this test is for placing the examinees in the appropriate class. In this test, there is not fail and pass, because of this test in only take part in placing who should be in A, B, or C class as the description.

That is all about the kinds of the test, all of them can be done in appropriate needed. To getting the maximal result, there are two approaches in holding the tests. Those are direct and indirect tests. Direct test means that the examinees should meet or face the examiner directly. It is often called as interview test. Meanwhile the indirect test is the test that does not require the examinees to meet or face the examiner. For example is TOEFL test. After knowing about direct and indirect test, we should consider about the discrete and integrative testing. Discrete testing means that the materials are tested in chapter by chapter like quiz. Meanwhile, integrative test is a test that requires all of chapter in one occasion like national examination.

      Testing Grammatical structure

There are seven items types in testing grammatical structure. They are; completion, sentence alternatives, sentence interpretation, scrambled sentence, completion, conversion, and the last is paraphrase.

First, completion, this type of testing is in multiple choices. It provides a sentence which one or more words are missing. For example:

      Victor ____ Sydney with his parents last week

a.       Go to

b.       Goes to

c.       Went to

d.       Has gone to

Second, Sentence alternatives (multiple choices), in this type, all of the alternatives are written completely then the examinees should choose which one is the correct answer. For example:

      Which one is the correct answer

a.       Victor goes to Sydney with his parents last week

b.       Victor went to Sydney to Sydney with his parents last week

c.       Victor has gone to Sydney with his parents last week

d.       Victor will go to Sydney with his parents last week

Third, sentence interpretation, in this type of question, requires the examinees to interpret the answer. For example:

      “Kalpana is a title of one of the best Indian movie in 2010. It involves Amir Khan and Kareena Kapoor as the main character” it refers to

a.       Kalpana

b.       India

c.       Amir Khan

d.       Kareena Kapoor

Fourth, scrambled sentence, this is the most difficult question either in making or answering. Look at the question below:

      “When the teacher explain about photosynthesis, rio whisper to his close friend who sit down in front of the teacher who wear glasses…”

Who use glasses…

a.       Rio

b.       Teacher

c.       His close friend

d.       Both his close friend and the teacher

Fifth is completion (supply type) which requires the examinees to complete the sentence by writing. For example:

      Complete the sentence by rewriting a form of verb in the bracket

Victor …(go) to Sydney last week

            Sixth, conversion (supply type) that is, the question that requires the examinee to convert the form whether from singular to plural, active to passive and so on. For example:

      Change this sentence into passive voice form

Sarah, the president of Glow tv legalized the new local station in Borneo

Seventh, paraphrase, that requires the examinee to write down an equal meaning by considering to the sentence that is given.

      Testing passive, past future tense

After my father arrived at home, he would invite me to go to cinema when Bruno was not at home

When Bruno was not at home and after my father arrived at home, I…

      Testing present perfect with for

It is It have waited you for three months

   Testing vocabulary

     Synonym

     Definition

     Completion

     Paraphrase

   Testing oral ability

     Dialog

     Context

     Ideational meaning

     Interpersonal meaning

      Testing writing

Testing writing is the test that requires the examinee to write.  There are there parts of general form of testing writing. First, we have to set writing tasks that are properly representative of the population of tasks that we should expect the students to be able to perform. Second, the tasks should elicit samples of writing which represent the students’ ability. Third, it is essential that the samples of writing can and will be scored reliability

In testing writing we should consider to five general components of writing test:

1.      Content: the substance of the writing; the ideas expressed

2.      Form: the organization of the content

3.      Grammar: the employment of grammatical forms and syntactic patterns

4.      Style: the choice of structures and lexical items to give a particular tone or flavor to the writing

5.      Mechanics: the use of the graphic conventions of the language

Comparison of Composition and Objective Tests of Writing

1.      Composition tests require students to organize their own answer, expressed in their own words. Thus composition tests measure certain writing abilities. (e.g., ability to organize, relate, and weigh materials) more effectively than do objective tests.

2.      Composition tests motivate students to improve their writing; conversely, if examinations do not require writing, many students will neglect the development of this skill.

 

 The specification of content in writing tests

       Operations: expression of

•      Thanks 

•      Requirements

•      Opinions

•      Comment

•      Attitude

•      Confirmation

•      Apology

•      Want/need

•      Information

•      Eliciting :

§  Information

§  Directions

§  Service

§  (and all areas above)

      Text Type

Form

·         Letter

·         Postcard

·         Note

·         Forms

Type

·         Announcement

·         Description

·         Narration

·         Comment

holistic or analytic?

•      The choice between holistic and analytic scoring depends in part on the purpose of the testing. If diagnostic information is required, then analytic scoring is essential.

•      The choice also depends on the circumstances of scoring. If it is being carried out by a small, well-knit group at a single site, then holistic scoring, which is likely to be more economical of time, may be the most appropriate.

•      But if scoring is being conducted by a heterogeneous, possibly less well trained group, or in a number of different places, analytic scoring is probably called for.

•      Whichever is used, if high accuracy is sought, multiple scoring is desirable.

      Testing listening

    Content           :

a.       macro skills     :

-     Listening for specific information

-         obtaining gist

-         following direction

-         following instruction

b.       micro skills      :

-          interpretation of the intonation

-         recognition of function of structure

-         distinguishing the similar phonemes

      Type of text: monolog, dialog, multi participant, announcement, talk or lecture, instruction, direction.

      Scoring the listening test

In listening the comprehending of grammar is not necessary, the important thing is the ability of the examinee to understand the meaning and can response what they heard.

CHAPTER III

CLOSSING

There are many advantages that the writer got in this lecture. The writer knows about what the purpose to give test is and how to test language correctly. The writer hopes this lecture will be better next time. There are some points that should be considered to make this lecture be better. First the class activities should more active. All of student should be involved to the lecture activities. Second, the student ought to have the material first before joining the class. Third, the lecturer should teach the discipline in the class. When there is a student who comes late, she can not join the class.