Testing Grammar

What are we trying to MEASURE? English grammar is chiefly a system of syntax, that decides the order and patterns in which words are arranged into sentences. (Close, 1982) Why should we test grammar? Linguistic competence? Structures or functions? Usage or use? Prescriptive or descriptive? How should we test grammar? Separated from skills? Discrete items? Focus on grammar or meaning? What are the most common test items for testing grammar? RECOGNITION Multiple choice items (Liu, 121) Error-recognition items (Liu, 129) True/False (Baxter, 35) Pairing and matching items point or integrative or communicative

Cloze/Modified 144) PRODUCTION

Cloze

(Hughes,

Completion items (Hughes, 143) Transformation items (Liu, 131) Paraphrase (Hughes, 143) Rearrangement Editing Combination and addition items Items involving the changing of words When should we go for grammar recognition? When More material needs to be covered. You want to test different levels of learning. You have little time for scoring. You are not interested in evaluating how well a test taker can formulate a correct answer. You have a large number of test takers. When should we go for grammar production? When

 You want to evaluate a persons ability answer. You have more time to score the items You want to test a persons ability to apply concepts and information to a new situation. You have a clear idea of the aspects and concepts that should be tested. True/False to formulate a correct

Difficult to test attitudes towards learning Knowledge is limited to options provided Difficult to construct at higher levels Encourages chance) More than one option may be possible All options must be grammatically possible guessing (25%

Is this sentence true or false? He works from Monday to Friday

Does not demonstrate broader knowledge Difficult to construct in higher levels Encourages guessing due to 50/50 chance Difficult to test attitudes toward learning Multiple Choices

Gap-Filling

John usually ______(work) from Monday to Friday

They must be part of a broader context More than one option may be possible First gap may be offered as a sample Difficult to test attitudes towards learning Knowledge is limited to options provided Limitations result in negative backwash Focus should be on the aspect assessed.

John usually ______from Monday to Friday a. works b. worked c. has worked d. is working
They can be tricky or too picky

 Some context may be added Can test students IQ rather than Cloze/C-test language proficiency Difficult for some students (bias)

John

______

works

______Monday
Sentence Transformation

______Friday
Tests students understanding of the whole language More than one option may be possible First letter may be offered as a sample Difficult to test attitudes towards learning Some words may be impossible to guess Can test students IQ rather than language proficiency Difficult for some students (bias) Sentence Building Correction/Editing

John is a doctor. He ______________ (work)

More than one option may be possible Clues will limit the answers Difficult to test attitudes towards learning Some context may be added Instructions are essential Few aspects might be assessed (passive, reported, comparatives, conditionals)

Friday/usually/to/John/Monday/work
Tests production More than one option may be possible Capital letters and punctuation may interfere in the production of the answer Difficult to test attitudes towards learning recognition and/or

John usually working from Monday to Friday

Tests recognition of mistakes Can also test production through corrections More than one correction may be possible Mistakes must be grammatically possible

 Good backwash Context is essential Split Sentences Write out some sentences, and then cut each sentence in half. Place the two halves in two separate columns and ask students to find the matching half. Students abilities in combing sentences Grammar knowledge to all forms of the sentences Picture Dictation Sentences from pictures Hand out a sheet of pictures. Ask students to come out sentences from the pictures or ask them to tell a story. Enough grammar knowledge to make sentences by students. Accuracy Strip Story Give students a text from a Memory Test strip story. Ask them to find the order and resolve the problem from the story. A student tries to describe the picture to other students who havent seen it. Testing if a student can make sentences Accuracy which can help him/her communicate well. Give limited time for students to see the picture. Ask them to describe the picture without seeing it. Testing students ability of making Accuracy The transformation of students sentences sentences.(enough grammar knowledge)

 See if students can find the time order from the tenses of the sentences. Accuracy

Ask students to role play in a limited situation. Through acting, it can test students ability of thinking of lines. (which may contains different tenses.) Accuracy Growing Stories Story-building activities Students ability of making sentences with different

Miming an action

tenses

Five characteristics to measure communicative grammar 1. The test must provide more context than only a single sentence. 2. The test taker should understand what the communicative purpose of the task is. 3. He or she should also know who the intended audience is. 4. He or she must have to focus on meaning and not form to answer correctly. 5. Recognize is not sufficient. grammatical responses. (R. Dickins) Therefore Have the test taker say or write something of discourse length in order to perform some communicative task for a known audience. What is said or written must make sense. The test taker must be able to produce