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Language Testing:
Approaches and Techniques
Ms. Deseree N. Padilla
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Identify and differentiate the different approaches to language
testing.
Explain their strengths and weaknesses.
Discuss the various language test techniques.
Realize the usefulness of the lessons in testing students.
APPROACHES TO
LANGUAGE TESTING
THE ESSAY – TRANSLATION
APPROACH
1. This approach is commonly referred to as the pre-
scientific stage of language testing.
THE ESSAY –TRANSLATION
APPROACH
2. No special skill or expertise in testing is required.
THE ESSAY – TRANSLATION
APPROACH
3. Tests usually consist of essay writing, translation, and
grammatical analysis.
THE ESSAY –TRANSLATION
APPROACH
4. Test have a heavy literary and cultural bias.
THE ESSAY –TRANSLATION
APPROACH
5. Public Examinations resulting from the tests using this
approach sometimes have an oral component at the upper
intermediate and advance levels.
THE ESSAY –TRANSLATION
APPROACH
Strengths
1. This approach is easy to follow because teachers will simply
use their subjective judgement.
2. The essay-translation approach may be used for testing any
level of examinees.
3. The model of tester can easily be modified based on the
essentials of the test.
THE ESSAY –TRANSLATION
APPROACH
Weaknesses
1. Subjective judgment of teachers tends to be biased.
2. As mentioned, the tests have a heavy literary and
cultural bias.
THE STRUCTURALIST
APPROACH
1. This approach views that language learning is chiefly
concerned with a systematic acquisition of a set of habits.
THE STRUCTURALIST
APPROACH
2. It involves structural linguistics which stresses the
importance of constructive analysis and the need to
identify and measure the learners mastery of the separate
elements of the target language.
THE STRUCTURALIST
APPROACH
3. Testing the skills of listening, speaking, reading and
writing is separate from another as much as possible.
THE STRUCTURALIST
APPROACH
4. The psychometric approach to measurement with its
emphasis on reliability and objectivity forms an integral
part of structuralist testing.
THE STRUCTURALIST
APPROACH
Strengths
1. In testing students’ capability, this approach may
objectively and surely be used by testers.
2. Many forms of tests can be covered in a short period of
time.
3. Using this approach in testing will help students find
their strengths and weaknesses in every skill they study.
THE STRUCTURALIST
APPROACH
Weaknesses
1. It tends to be a complicated job for teachers to prepare
questionnaires using this approach.
2. This approach considers measuring non-integrated
skills more that integrated skills.
THE INTEGRATIVE
APPROACH
1. This approach involves the testing of language in
context.
THE INTEGRATIVE
APPROACH
2. Integrative tests are concerned with a global view of
proficiency.
THE INTEGRATIVE
APPROACH
3. Integrative testing involves functional language but not
the use of functional language.
THE INTEGRATIVE
APPROACH
4. The use of cloze test, dictation, oral interview,
translation and essay writing are included in many
integrative tests.
THE INTEGRATIVE
APPROACH
Strengths
1. The approach to meaning and the total communicative
effect of discourse will be very useful for students in
testing.
2. This approach can view students’ proficiency with a
global view.
3. A model cloze test is being used in this approach.
4. Dictation
THE INTEGRATIVE
APPROACH
Weaknesses
Measuring students’ skills based on students’ need.
THE COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH
1. How language is used in communication.
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THE COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH
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2. Language use is often emphasized to the exclusion of language
usage.
THE COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH
3. Divisivility Hypothesis
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THE COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH
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4. The test content is relevant to the examinees and the task are
based from real life – situation.
THE COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH
5. This type of testing introduced the concept of qualitative modes
of assessment in preference to quantitative modes of assesment.
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THE COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH
4Strength
1. Measures all integrated skills.
2. Students are exposed to real life situations.
3. Fair opportunity for the students to get high scores.
4. Increase of reliability of the scoring.
THE COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH
4Weaknesses
1. Not focused on the learning of structural grammar.
The reliability of the test may be affected by cultural bias.
TEST
TECHNIQUES
DIRECT vs. INDIRECT TESTING
Direct Testing INDIRECT TESTING
• It requires the candidate to perform precisely the • Attempts to measure the abilities that
skill that the test wishes to measure. underlie the skills in which the test is
interested.
• Best for measuring speaking and writing skills.
• Semi – direct; type of test where it simulates
• The interpretation of the students’ performance a direct test.
is straightforward.
• Helpful backwash effect
DISCRETE POINT vs. INTEGRATED TESTING
discrete point integrated TESTING
• Testing of one element at a time, item by item. • Requires the test taker to combine many
language elements in the completion of a
• It is almost always indirect. task.
• It is almost always in direct.
• It is also known to have integrative items
that would test more than one point or
objective at a time.
NORM-REFERENCE VS.
CRITERION - REFERENCE TESTING
Norm - reference Criterion – reference
• Measures the students’ general ability. • Measures students’ ability based from pre-
determined standards.
• Most commonly used by teachers.
OBJECTIVE VS.
SUBJECTIVE TESTING
objective subjective
• NO JUDGMENT is required in the part of the • If judgment is called for, then the scoring is
scorer. subjective.
• There is only one right answer. • Series of factors may be put in consideration
in scoring the test.
• The great reliability level.
THANK YOU.
SALAMAT.
DAKAL A SALAMAT
KEKAYU.
