BRITISH COUNCIL SIGNATURE EVENT: English in Development--focus on the impact of testing in developing countries
Our Signature Event this year takes place on Friday 9 April from 1715 to 1815 and looks at one of the British Council's priority areas - the role of English in Development. For our session we are going to focus on one particular aspect of this theme:
The impact of testing on the teaching and learning of English in developing countries.
We aim to bring together teachers with an interest in how teaching and testing interact in the classroom. The session will start with a presentation of case studies outlining some of the research carried out to date. We will have people with experience in this field to answer your questions, stimulate debate and through this session build a community of people interested in this aspect of testing.
We are also keen to identify new areas within which we may commission Action Research and hold follow-up events and debates.
To start off discussions, we would like to hear from you about any burning issues that you may have and we have outlined a set of questions to trigger debate (please see below). Which of these questions are most pertinent for you? What other questions would you be interested in raising? We have also attached some website addresses for online resources which you may find helpful. We will add reference to case studies carried out globally. If you know of other sources of information and/or articles and papers, please let us know through the discussion thread and we will add them to the list.
We look forward to the discussions!
Questions on testing themes
Meeting the needs of the teaching and learning community
1. What do teachers and learners want out of language tests?
2. Do tests reflect the skills and language levels of the learners?
3. How can testing aid with the development of a skilled workforce?
The impact on teaching and learning
4. How well are teaching and learning and assessment aligned?
5. Do tests reflect the contexts in which the learners will use English?
6. Does "teaching to the test" promote or hinder learning?
7. How will on-line testing influence classroom delivery?
The impact on the community and its individual members
8. How does the introduction of a test in English impact upon local languages?
9. Do international tests disempower speakers of varieties other than the English spoken in e.g. the UK, North America and Australia?
10. Are tests inclusive or do they discriminate against groups of learners, e.g. the poor and people with learning difficulties and disabilities?
11. Should countries design their own English tests, or is it better to rely on the expertise and standardisation of international English language tests?
1 April 2010
2 years 6 weeks
Hi everyone
We're looking forward to seeing you at our discussion on the impact of testing. We'll have case studies presented by Philida Schellekens, a consultant/researcher, ELT writer, inspector and teacher.
Do let us have any more questions that you'd like to raise around this topic.
I'll attach in my next comment some useful e-mail addresses for you.
Hope to see you there!
Melissa Cudmore
5 April 2010
2 years 5 weeks
www.alte.org
Hello again,
As promised, here are some key testing online resources, compiled by Philida Schellekens:-
www.alte.org
The Association of Language Testers in Europe . ALTE is an association of providers of foreign language examinations. The website has details of the association’s member organisations, acode of practice, publications, courses and projects.
www.beds.ac.uk/baalteasig
The BAAL Testing Evaluation and Assessment Special Interest Group. TEA SIG is a newly established special interest group within BAAL, the British Association for Applied Linguistics.
www.ealta.eu.org
The European Association for Language testing and Assessment. EALTA is a professional association for language testers in Europe. The website has details of the member organisations, resources and guidelines for good practice.
http://tea.iatefl.org/
The IATEFL Testing Evaluation and Assessment Special Interest Group. TEA SIG draws together people who have an interest in the teaching and assessment of English.
www.iltaonline.com
The International Language Testing Association. ILTA is an international group of language testing and assessment scholars and practitioners. The website has details of member and affiliate organisations, a list of publications on testing as well as a bibliography of PhDs in language testing. It also has a code of ethics.
www.languagetesting.info
The language testing resources website managed by Glenn Fulcher. It has a good selection of publications which can be downloaded freely and links to language testing journals.
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/elt-research
The British Council’s directory of UK ELT Research 2005-08 compiled by Shelagh Rixon and Richard Smith. The directory is fully searchable and contains 850 research outputs from 52 institutions.
Hope the list is of use.
Melissa
6 April 2010
2 years 6 weeks
Hello everyone
While we have been preparing for the British Council Signature event, we have come across some publications which we thought it would be good to share. Many are recent, e.g. studies on China, India, Zanzibar and the UK. If you have any other references that you think would interest colleagues, can you please post them in a new comment? We are hoping to create a bibliography on this area of interest.
Regards
Philida
Bibliography
1. Publications on Testing
Hughes, A. 2002. Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
This book provides a practical and clear overview of the concepts of assessment and testing. It covers aspects such as reliability and validity, testing the four skills, and grammar and vocabulary, as well as commonly used assessment techniques.
Weir, C. 2005. Language Testing and Validation. Basingstoke: Palgrave McMillan.
Chapter 6 provides a useful summary of aspects to consider when designing assessments, such as task setting, learner motivation, and the skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Alderson, J. C., Clapham C., and Wall D. 2006. Language Test Construction and Evaluation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
This book provides a clear overview of the various stages of planning and implementing testing and assessment. Of particular interest are the chapters on monitoring examiner reliability and developing and improving tests.
2. Publications on Geographic Areas
Cheng, L. Curtis, A. eds 2010. English Language Assessment and the Chinese Learner. New York and London: Routledge.
This book sets the Chinese learner and English language testing in a historical and educational context. It looks at testing from the point of view of the test designer and the test user in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as people studying abroad. The structure and use of specific tests are reviewed as well as their consequences, e.g. attitudes to testing and washback. In the conclusion, the editors explore the link between test validity and validation, and test use and its consequences.
Graddol, David. 2010 English Next India: The Future of English in India. London: British Council.
English Next India first sets out the context in which English has been viewed over time, covering Indian society, the economy, communications and the role of India’ s own languages and English. It charts the growth in the demand for English at a time when many learners are the first generation to have access to education. The Right to Education Act, which passed into law in 2009, provides a major opportunity for development. In this context, Graddol identifies the management of change as one of the big challenges in particular the assessment of English language proficiency.
Rea-Dickins, P. Guoxing, Y. and Afitska, O. ‘The Consequences of Examining through an Unfamiliar Language of Instruction and its Impact for School-age Learners in Sub-Saharan African School Systems’ in Language Testing Matters, Studies in Language Testing 31: 190-214.
This paper investigates the impact of teaching pupils in Zanzibar in their first and second language, Kiswahili and English. It focuses on test fairness, social consequences and the effects of classroom language use on learner engagement and achievement in formal examinations. The study shows that ‘educational disadvantage prevails in the majority of classes conducted [in a] language that is not their mother-tongue’. The social and educational consequences for these learners are considerable.
Rubagumya, C. 2004. ‘English in Africa and the Emergence of Afro-Saxons: Globalisation or Marginalisation?’ in Applied Linguistics at the Interface. Eds. Baynham, M. Deignan A., and White G. London: BAAL, & Equinox: 133-144. The focus of this paper is on whether English can help Africa become part of globalisation; or whether it will marginalise the majority of African people even further. The paper quotes data on English language use among the population of 5% in Tanzania, and of 10-20% in countries where English is the second language. Given the current social, economic and sociolinguistic environment, ‘economic marginalisation makes the learning of English very difficult because of lack of adequate resources’. ‘Learning English should not be at the expense of learning African languages, [..] nor of getting meaningful education’.
Schellekens, P. 2009 ‘Cause and effect: The Impact of the Skills for Life Strategy on Language Assessment’ in Language Testing Matters, Studies in Language Testing 31: 103-117.
A review of the Skills for Life strategy, which was launched in England in 2001, and its impact on the testing and teaching and learning of English for migrants and refugees. A major factor has been the use of standards and exams designed for native English speakers to accredit the language skills of migrants and refugees. This has had implications, not all positive, for curriculum design, testing and classroom delivery as well as the collection of data on achievement.
Vigouroux, C. and Mufwene, S. 2008 Globalization and language vitality: Perspectives from Africa. London: Continuum.
The contributors examine how and at what rate globalization affects African languages. Rather than seeing English as the 'killer language', the contributors probe ways in which languages are being used side by side. The result is a diverse canvas of language vitality in the African context, including matters of endangerment and loss, through the lens of globalization in its various interpretations.
8 April 2010
2 years 5 weeks
Alderson and Wall have published a fair amount with respect to washback and impact in language testing, most especially with regard to context, innovation and high-stakes tests and their relevance to washback and impact.
My M. Ed thesis dealt with washback and innovation in testing in Botswana where the old English native speaker O-level was used and then the Botswana equivalent of this introduced in 1998 but because of flaws in test design and more especially because of factors in the local setting did not appreciably change the game in terms of washback and impact. The study also tangentially referred to the Zimbabwean setting and a similar curricular and assessment innovation there. If anybody wants a word document copy of the thesis with some useful references (a bit dated now since I completed it in 2001) just email me at dominicxx2002@yahoo.com or contact me through the comments here.
Cheers Dominic