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THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS OF ASSESSMENT AND TESTING IN
TEACHING EFL
Jabborova Mohinur Oybek qizi student of Uzbek
State World Languages University Scientific
adviser: Kattabaeva D.K.
Abstract:
This conceptual paper reviews literature on the most common
practices of language tests in ELT contexts around the world. The detailed discussion
of various types of language tests is followed by its various aims and objectives which
are linked to the qualities or characteristics of different language tests. The review of
the literature reveals that language tests and its purposes vary from context to context
and there is a wide range of practical constraints that test designers, test-takers, and test
administrators encounter.
Key words:
testing, assessment, language skills, EFL, teaching, language
learner
In educational settings, tests and assessment are particularly designed to elicit
specific behavior which can help us make inferences about various characteristics that
individuals may possess. For this purpose, a measuring instrument or tool is designed
to obtain a precise sample of an individual’s performance or behavior in a given context.
The process of obtaining a sample of an individual’s behavior involves a systematic
gathering of data using specifically designed tools in order to make informed decisions
relating to material selection for teaching, teaching strategies, and learners’ learning
outcomes.
In language teaching and learning contexts, testing and assessing plays a pivotal
role in assessing language learners’ progress in a language classroom. Moreover, testing
as an integral part of teaching offers EFL teachers significant insights into the
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achievement and development of English language learners’ learning difficulties,
learning styles and levels of anxiety. These significant insights become the core element
of teaching, teaching materials and test formats that facilitate teachers to modify their
practices accordingly. In brief, students’ scores on proficiency and achievement tests
help course designers and test creators to evaluate the appropriateness of teaching
materials and the effectiveness of teaching methods for improving and enhancing the
knowledge and skills of English language learners.
As the significance of language tests is widely acknowledged, this paper presents
a review of the literature on the meaning, purpose, and impact of English language
testing on language learners’ proficiency. The subsequent sections of this article shows
how language testing is practiced in different EFL contexts and what are the key
constituents of an EFL test that best serves the purpose of English language teaching
and learning in a typical EFL context
.
Theoretically speaking, language assessment is a continuous process that involves
a wide array of methodological tools and techniques. More precisely, “it is about
assessing learners’ progress, providing them with feedback and deciding on the next
step the teaching and learning process”. In short, a teacher’s appraisal of students'
responses in the classroom will be considered assessment. As it is part of daily
classroom teaching and learning, good teachers never seize the opportunities to assess
their learners' performances. Conversely, a language test is a subset of assessment which
consisted of tools that facilitate the collection of quantitative evidence of students'
performance at the end of the course. It has many types, as discussed above which are
all linked to the purposes of the tests.
In different language contexts, tests and assessments are synonymously used
terms; however, both are distinct terms. A test is a tool that measures an individual’s
ability in a given context. It is a carefully designed instrument that has identifiable and
predetermined scoring rubrics. On the contrary, assessment is a continuous process that
involves teachers’ conscious efforts to keep checking learners’ performances
throughout the learning period.
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Language tests are measuring instruments and they are applied to learners, not to
the teaching materials or teachers. For this reason, they do not tell us ‘directly' abo ut
the contribution of the ‘teacher' or the ‘materials' to the learning process. They are
designed to measure the learners ‘knowledge of or ‘competence' in the language at a
particular moment in his course and nothing else. The knowledge of one pupil may be
compared with the knowledge of others or with that of the same pupil at a different time,
or with some standard or norm, as in the case of height, weight, temperature etc.
This conceptual article reviews the literature on the notion of testing and
assessment in the field of ELT. The definition of a language test is not specific to a
context; rather, it is a yardstick that is used to measure EFL learners' achievement,
performance or progress in a given context. Although language tests have different
kinds, the most common ones are aptitude tests, achievement tests, progress tests,
diagnostic test and proficiency tests. These different tests have different purposes in a
language teaching and learning context that influence its contents, implementation, and
administrative procedures. The types and aims of language tests may vary; however,
their characteristics, such as reliability, validity, objectivity and practicality remain
unchanged.
As most of the studies show EFL teachers’ perceptions or experiences of language
tests, fewer studies have included EFL learners’ views. As students are mostly
influenced by a language test, future research should take their perspective into account,
so the test designers or planner could make changes accordingly. Although studies have
investigated EFL teachers’ perceptions.
References:
1.
Alabi, A.O. & Babatunde, M.A. (2001). Primary English curriculum and
methods. Oyo, Odumatt Press and Publishers.
2.
Bachman, L. F. (2011). Fundamental considerations in language testing.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
3.
Desheng, C., & Varghese, A. (2013). Testing and evaluation of language skills.
IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education., 1(2), 31-33
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4.
Юнусов, Анваржон Шухратович, and Мадина Хабибуллаевна Далиева.
"Паремиологическая картина мира и пословичные концепты." NovaInfo.
Ru 122 (2021): 72-73.
5.
Dalieva, Madina, and VALIYEVA NARGIZAXON ZAMIR QIZI.
"Representation of the Categories of Interdiscursitivity and Intertextuality in a
Scientific Text." Internatuonal Journal on Integrated Education (2021).
6.
Dalieva, Madina. "NAVIGATING THE INTERPLAY OF TERMINOLOGY,
LANGUAGE, AND KNOWLEDGE." Academia Repository 2.11 (2023): 24-
27.
