Language Tests as a Classroom and Research Tool

The purpose of this article is to share a series of reflections related to the role of tests in language teaching, as part of the assessment practices we implement in the classroom, their benefits as a source of research data, and the importance of some principles to be kept in mind when developing our testing materials.  

Karoll Ramírez C. M.A.

The purpose of this article is to share a series of reflections related to the role of tests in language teaching, as part of the assessment practices we implement in the classroom, their benefits as a source of research data, and the importance of some principles to be kept in mind when developing our testing materials.  

Assessment has been defined as the systematic process of collecting information from multiple sources, intended to shed light on our students’ abilities, understanding, and progress during a period of instruction (Huba & Freed, 2000). Its ultimate goal is to improve our students’ learning process on a permanent basis. On the other hand, language testing is a formal component of assessment that comprises activities and procedures to measure “a person’s ability, knowledge or performance” (Brown, 2004, p. 3) in the use of the target language. Hence, it is a tool for identifying our students’ strengths and weaknesses.

Tests can form part of both formative and summative assessment (Council of Europe, 2011). The former aims to track our students’ learning along the instruction process, to yield feedback, and to recognize issues where adjustments may be needed. The latter, instead, intends to measure extensively our students’ achievement, evidencing their competences in the target language.  

In the same way that tests can help teachers determine their students’ level and performance, they can also be a valuable data collection instrument when conducting research, as they can provide useful, comprehensive, and measurable information about the progress made by participants during a pedagogical intervention. According to Christensen, Johnson and Turner (2007), an important advantage of tests lies in the possibility of administering the same tasks or questions to all respondents, and in establishing common standards to compare individual performance, ergo facilitating data analysis.  Through this systematic record of evidence, we can obtain important insights into participants’ strengths and the aspects in which they need reinforcement.  

Success in the use of tests for both pedagogical and research purposes can be closely connected to the way those tests are designed. For this reason, it is important to bear in mind a series of considerations and principles to develop materials. In this regard, class materials should be contextualized, consistent with our learners’ needs and interests, and contain meaningful language input (Núñez & Téllez, 2009; Tomlinson, 2011); and tests are no exception (Brown, 2004; Council of Europe, 2011), as these factors may affect students’ achievement. Thus, there should be a solid connection between the materials and activities delivered in class and the testing materials, including the format, layout and types of tasks, which should be familiar to students, whether on paper or in digital format (Litzler & García-Laborda, 2016). On the other hand, language tests should reflect the use of learning strategies that have been presented and developed in the classroom (Zhang, 2014). The consideration of the abovementioned factors may influence our students’ confidence when solving tests, therefore, positively impacting their motivation and performance.

To conclude this reflection, it is worth pointing out that all the methods and activities we implement to assess our students, including tests, should always put our learners at the forefront, beyond formal linguistic contents, textbooks, and syllabi. The way we evaluate our students will have a significant impact on their whole learning process, their motivation and the general classroom environment. Furthermore, teachers can benefit from a set of data that may help them improve their daily teaching practice.   

References

ALTE (2011). Manual for language test development and examining – For use with the CEFR. Language Policy Division. Strasburg. Council of Europe, April 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/ManualLanguageTest-Alte2011_EN.pdf

Brown, H. D. (2004). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

Christensen, L., Johnson, B., & Turner, L. (2007). Research methods, design, and analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Huba, M. E., & Freed, J. E. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campuses: Shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Litzler, M., & García-Laborda, J. (2016). Students’ opinions about ubiquitous delivery of standardized English exams. Alcalá de Henares: Monográfico I, September 2016. Universidad de Alcalá. ISSN: 1697-7467.

Núñez, A. & Téllez, M. (2009). ELT Materials: The key to fostering effective teaching and learning settings. PROFILE- Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 11(2), 171-186.

Tomlinson, B. (2011). Materials development in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Zhang, L. (2014). A structural equation modeling approach to investigating test takers’ strategy use and reading test performance. Asian EFL Journal 16(1). 153-188.