Difference between revisions of "Sandlund-Sundqvist2011"

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|Abstract=The present  study  takes as an empirical point of departure the nature of interaction in second language speaking tests. We examine the relationship between ratings of students’ performance in an oral proficiency test and the  social  practice  of  conducting  ‘test  talk’. Using  conversation  analysis, our  focal  point  is  how  students  in  peer-
 
|Abstract=The present  study  takes as an empirical point of departure the nature of interaction in second language speaking tests. We examine the relationship between ratings of students’ performance in an oral proficiency test and the  social  practice  of  conducting  ‘test  talk’. Using  conversation  analysis, our  focal  point  is  how  students  in  peer-
 
driven  test  interactions manage  trouble related to the task-at-hand. Given  that  students were  assessed not only on their  linguistic  skills, but also on  their  interactional ability and  treatment of  topics assigned, our emphasis on  task management stems from a hypothesis that orientation to the test task is intimately connected to overall test outcome. We demonstrate that different types of task-related trouble (TRT) reveal diverse understandings of the test task and that  ‘doing-being  a  successful  task manager’  is  connected  to  a moderate  orientation  to  the  task  and  test  format.  
 
driven  test  interactions manage  trouble related to the task-at-hand. Given  that  students were  assessed not only on their  linguistic  skills, but also on  their  interactional ability and  treatment of  topics assigned, our emphasis on  task management stems from a hypothesis that orientation to the test task is intimately connected to overall test outcome. We demonstrate that different types of task-related trouble (TRT) reveal diverse understandings of the test task and that  ‘doing-being  a  successful  task manager’  is  connected  to  a moderate  orientation  to  the  task  and  test  format.  
 
Students  displaying  such  task management  strategies were  also  assessed  as  highly  proficient, whereas  other  task management  strategies  identified  in  our  study  correlated  with  low  scores  and  grades.  However,  the  relationship between subskill ratings and task management was not always clear-cut. We argue that the diverging understandings of  the  test  task  that  learners  display  become part of how they are assessed and that certain task management strategies are rated less favorably than others. Our study holds promise for the fine-tuning of oral proficiency subskill ratings  and  raises  questions  as  to  the  framing  of  test  tasks,  since  this  appears  to  have  implications  for  student performance and evaluation.
 
Students  displaying  such  task management  strategies were  also  assessed  as  highly  proficient, whereas  other  task management  strategies  identified  in  our  study  correlated  with  low  scores  and  grades.  However,  the  relationship between subskill ratings and task management was not always clear-cut. We argue that the diverging understandings of  the  test  task  that  learners  display  become part of how they are assessed and that certain task management strategies are rated less favorably than others. Our study holds promise for the fine-tuning of oral proficiency subskill ratings  and  raises  questions  as  to  the  framing  of  test  tasks,  since  this  appears  to  have  implications  for  student performance and evaluation.
 
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Latest revision as of 07:42, 8 March 2019

Sandlund-Sundqvist2011
BibType ARTICLE
Key Sandlund-Sundqvist2011
Author(s) Erica Sandlund, Pia Sundqvist
Title Managing Task-related Trouble in L2 Oral Proficiency Tests: Contrasting Interaction Data and Rater Assessment
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Conversation Analysis, speaking tests, assessment, oral proficiency, task management
Publisher
Year 2011
Language English
City
Month
Journal Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language)
Volume 5
Number 1
Pages 91-120
URL Link
DOI
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

Download BibTex

Abstract

The present study takes as an empirical point of departure the nature of interaction in second language speaking tests. We examine the relationship between ratings of students’ performance in an oral proficiency test and the social practice of conducting ‘test talk’. Using conversation analysis, our focal point is how students in peer- driven test interactions manage trouble related to the task-at-hand. Given that students were assessed not only on their linguistic skills, but also on their interactional ability and treatment of topics assigned, our emphasis on task management stems from a hypothesis that orientation to the test task is intimately connected to overall test outcome. We demonstrate that different types of task-related trouble (TRT) reveal diverse understandings of the test task and that ‘doing-being a successful task manager’ is connected to a moderate orientation to the task and test format. Students displaying such task management strategies were also assessed as highly proficient, whereas other task management strategies identified in our study correlated with low scores and grades. However, the relationship between subskill ratings and task management was not always clear-cut. We argue that the diverging understandings of the test task that learners display become part of how they are assessed and that certain task management strategies are rated less favorably than others. Our study holds promise for the fine-tuning of oral proficiency subskill ratings and raises questions as to the framing of test tasks, since this appears to have implications for student performance and evaluation.

Notes