Tests of Grammar and Vocabulary: Workshop

MELİKŞAH UNIVERSITY, KAYSERI, 29-31 JANUARY, 2014

Dr. Simon Phipps

Outline

! why test grammar and vocabulary !  links to beliefs !  links to curricular specifications !  types of grammar items

!  guidelines for writing m/c items

!  types of vocabulary items !  lexical density

!  considerations when writing items

Why test grammar and vocabulary?

! encourage learners to study - positive backwash

!  face validity – learner expectations

! content validity – easy to select items/easier than skills

!  ease of administration – esp. placement tests

! grammar and vocabulary can be tested directly (unlike testing of skills)

!  knowledge of grammar and vocabulary is a pre-requisite for using language skills

! diagnose learners’ weaknesses/gaps

Links to beliefs about language learning and the role of skills/language

curriculum

testing

Beliefs Language vs skills

Grammar vs vocab

Collocation and lexical phrases

Links to curriculum specifications

!  Grammar specifications "  Achievement and Progress tests "  Placement tests "  Sampling - Proficiency tests

!  Vocabulary specifications #  General indication of size of learner’s vocabulary #  Word lists vs course-books #  Sampling – frequency vs usefulness #  Collocations and lexical phrases #  Lexical density of texts used to test grammar and skills

!  Positive backwash – achievement/progress

!  Testing at recognition vs production level

Types of items for testing grammar

!  discrete point m/c !  gap-fill (with/without m/c options) !  cloze test !  transformation !  sentence completion !  error detection

" Problems with multiple choice (see handout)

Types of items for testing vocabulary

!  gap-fill (with/without m/c options) !  cloze test !  C-test (first letter/part given) !  word-building !  sentence completion !  vocabulary size test

" Formative assessment – vocab journals

Task

! Examples of problems with test items ! (Handout p3)

Considerations

!  Level of learners !  Lexical density of texts

"  http://www.readability-score.com/

"  http://www.lextutor.ca/

"  http://www.online-utility.org/english/readability_test_and_improve.jsp

!  Cognitive processes required to complete the tasks (theory-based validity)

Some useful resources

! English profile http://www.englishprofile.org/

http://vocabulary.englishprofile.org/staticfiles/about.html

! Lexical tutor http://www.lextutor.ca/

! Paul Nation’s vocabulary size tests http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/about/staff/publications/paul-nation/VST-

version-A.pdf

Thank you!