Oral language testing at tay nguyen university  (Page 39/53)

5.1.1.3 standardisation meeting

As discussed in 4.1 – Chapter 4, before TNU oral tests are actually administered, no discussion taking place to reach agreement on how to mark each question/task among the group of assessors is proved to also affect test reliability. It would thus be strongly advisable that the English Section should potentially hold just a short standardisation meeting in order to ensure that enough discussion will take place for all examiners to understand thoroughly the level scale and the procedures for scoring. Of course, at this meeting the level scale (discussed in 5.2.3) and the marking key for each test task (discussed in 5.2.5) are really needed. As such a meeting is possible, it will help to increase test reliability.

5.1.1.4 supportive test taking environment

As mentioned in 4.1 – Chapter 4, most of the speaking tests have taken place in noisy rooms, which surely affects students’ test performance and thus reduces reliability of the tests. Therefore, in order to ensure that a test is reliable, it is crucial to maintain a supportive environment throughout the test. In particular, examiners and administrators should avoid distractions due to temperature, noise, excessive movement, and so on, and provide a comfortable room for those students waiting for their turn. In my opinion, it would be feasible for TNU to maintain such a testing environment.

5.1.1.5 use of test results for teaching evaluation

At TNU, as previously described and analysed, students’ test scores have never been used to either determine the effectiveness of instructional programs or make any improvement in teachers’ teaching methods and materials, which reveals that TNU staff do not exploit test potential and usefulness to improve their teaching as well as their testing. This sub-section hence aims at helping the concerned staff to develop a plan for teaching evaluation based on test scores collected.

In particular, teachers should first keep a list of scores in order to evaluate students’ achievement in general, i.e. to find out whether the instruction has helped students develop this skill. Then they should specify typical problems impeding the majority of students’ performance during test administration in order to find out suitable strategies to promote effective learning, i.e. to modify teaching methods and materials.

With the test scores, as Madsen (1983, p. 5) maintains, teachers might well ask themselves whether their teaching is effective, which is particularly suggested using the following questions:

‘1. Are my lessons on the right levels? Or am I aiming my instruction too low or too high?

2. Am I teaching some skills effectively but others less effectively?

3. What areas do we need more work on? Which points need reviewing?

4. Should I spend more (or less) time on this material with next year’s students?’

And test administration can ‘provide insights into ways that we can improve the evaluation process itself.’

‘1.Were the test instructions clear?

2. Did the test cause unnecessary anxiety or resentment?