COMMON TEST TECHNIQUES

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COMMON TEST TECHNIQUES

• FROM TESTING FOR LANGUAGETEACHER

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Test techniques

• Means of eliciting behavior from candidates that
  will tell us about their language abilities.
• We need techniques that
• will elicit behaviour which is reliable and
  valid indicator of the ability in which we are
  interested
• will elicit behaviour which can reliably
  scored
• are as economical of time and efforts as
  possible
• will have a beneficial backwash effect, where
  this is relevant.

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Multiple Choice

• Basic pattern
• Enid has been here .. Half an hour
• a. during b. for c. while d. since
• B is the answer
• A, C,D are called distractors

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The Difficulties with Multiple Choice

• The tecniques test only recognition knowledge
• Guessing may have a considerable but unknowable
  effect on test scores
• The techniques severly restricts what can be
  tested
• It is very difficult to write succesful items
• Backwash may be harmful
• Cheating may be facilitated

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YES/NO and TRUE/FALSE items

• The test taker has merely to choose between YES
  and NO, or between TRUE and FALSE, are
  effectively multiple choice items with only two
  options.

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Short-answer items

• Items in which the test taker has to provide a
  short answer are common, particularly in
  listening and reading tests.
• Examples
• (1) what does It in the last sentence refer
  to?
• (2) how old was Hannibal when he started
  eating human beings?

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The advantages of Multiple Choice

• Scoring can be perfectly reliable, rapid and
  economical
• Guessing will (or should) contribute less to test
  scores
• The techniques is not restricted by the need for
  distractors
• Cheating is likely to be more difficult
• Though great care must still be taken, items
  should be easier to write.

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The Disadvantage of Multiple Choice

• Responses may take longer and so reduce the
  possible number of items
• The test taker has to produce language in order
  to respond
• Scoring may be invalid or unreliable, if
  judgement is required.
• Scoring may take longer

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GAP FILLING ITEMS

• Pattern
• Hannibal particularly liked to eat brains
  because of their texture and colour.
• The answer can be found in the text
• Gap filling items for listening or reading work
  best if the missing words are to be found in the
  text or are straightforward, high frequency words
  which should not present spelling problems

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Gap Filling Items

• Also used for tests of grammar and vocabulary
• Examples
• He asked me for money, . Though he knows I
  earn a lot less than him.

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Gap filling Items

• The advantage
• it has the advantages of the short answer
  techniques