Basic Testing Techniques

Presented by: Dr. Mamdoah M. Subahi

What is the meaning of Test ?

With your group think please what do we mean by the word Test?

The word Test means:

To evaluate formally and informally. Tests are: means of providing both teacher and learner with feed back.

What is the importance of tests?

In your opinion why do you think tests are important?

There are many reasons that make tests important:

1- School administration promote or fail students in the light of their performance on formal tests. 2- Teachers judge their teaching methods, techniques, and activities according to the students results in different tests.

- Why tests are important?

3- Students know their points of weakness and strength. Then, they work on avoiding their point of weakness. 4- The curriculum designer decide how to develop their materials.

Why tests are important?

5- Tests results give parents a clear picture of their childrens levels.

What do we need to test?

As a competent teacher will you tell me what language areas do you need to test?

There are two major language areas to be tested:

1- Language skills: here you are testing: listening, speaking, reading and writing. 2- Language components: here you are testing: pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.

What are some of test types?

-With your group will you think of as many test types as you can? -And try to tell some of each types advantages and disadvantages.

1- True / False type:

With your group please, think: What is true and false test?
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this type?

1- True / False type

Students read or listen to a text, then they respond by saying or writing True (T) or False (F). E.g. : There are 5 books on the table. T. : There are 7 books on the table. S. : False.

-Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages: - easy to prepare. - easy to score.

Disadvantages: - 50% guessing chance. - little writing involved.

2- Multiple-choice type:
-

With your group please, think: What is multiple-choice test? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this type?

2- Multiple-choice type:
The students read a text and respond to a question related to it by selecting from 3, 4 or 5 options: e.g. : A person who sells meat is a

a- carpenter b- butcher c- driver d- baker

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages: - easy to score. - covers a big number of the presented items. - Disadvantages: -Guessing chances are still there (the more options the less guessing). - selecting suitable options is sometimes difficult.

3- Essay (open-ended) questions

Please, think with your group what is meant by essay (open-ended) questions?

3- Essay (open-ended) questions

Students are given a Whquestion that can be answered in one or more sentences. E.g. What is your favorite subject? Describe your family.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages: gives chance for self-expression. reflects students proficiency in many different language components and skills. Disadvantages: Difficult to score objectively. Allows students to use options, thus avoiding the point being tested.

4- Completion
Please, think with your group what is meant by completion questions? Dont forget the advantages and disadvantages.

4- Completion

Students are asked to complete one or more sentences by inserting words in spaces. The ended words may or may not be provided at the head of the test. E.g. : Books are made of . E.g. : ( day tomorrow month ) Monday is the third of the week. January is a

-Advantages and disadvantages of completion

Advantages: focuses on a specific word or structure. Easy to score. Disadvantages: reflects only a limited ability. Tests recognition rather than production.

5- Matching
Please, think with your group what is meant by matching questions? Dont forget the advantages and disadvantages.

5- Matching:

Matching: students are given two columns: A and B. They have to join an item in column B with the item it corresponds with in column A. e.g. : A B (1) hurried ( ) liked (2) cried ( ) not interesting (3) enjoyed ( ) shouted ( ) went quickly

5- Matching

Another alternative is that students can match a group of words or sentences with a group of pictures: e.g.: 5 pictures with 6 words they match them.

Advantages and disadvantages of matching

Advantages: Easy to score. Word and sentences matching are easy to prepare. Disadvantages: Chance for guessing. Sometimes it is difficult to draw pictures

6- Changing a table or a map into a text

Students are given a table or a map to read. Then they use the information in any of them in writing a text. E.g. this table tells you about some people. Make sentences, for example: Osama s a businessman. He lives in Jeddah.

Table:

Name Osama Sami Sara Kamal

Job businessman engineer nurse tourist guide

Living Jeddah Dhahran Riyadh Abha

Advantages and Disadvantages of changing table or a map.

Advantages: Provides guided writing practice. Easy to score. Disadvantages: Sometimes difficult to design.

7- Filling a table or a map from a running text.

Students read a text, then insert information form it into an accompanying table or map.

E.g. : Read the following passage carefully and fill in the table at the bottom of the page: 1- Saturday: The tourists will arrive at King A. Aziz International air port at eleven thirty at night. Jamal will meet them at the airport. He will take them to their hotel by bus. 2- Monday: In the morning, Jamal will take them to the sea. They will go by taxi. In the afternoon, they will visit Al- Balad Area. At nine oclock, they will go to a Chinese restaurant.

Day Saturday
Monday

Morning Afternoon Evening

Advantages and Disadvantages of filling table or a map from a running text.

Advantages: Useful for checking comprehension.

Disadvantages: Sometimes difficult to design.

8- Correction

Students are asked to correct a wrong word between brackets or in a sentence, also, punctuation errors. E.g.1- Write the verb in brackets in the correct form: Yesterday I (go) to Jeddah. E.g. 2- Correct the spelling mistakes in this sentence: Cabages and tomatos are vegetables.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Correction

Advantages: Focuses on specific point. Easy to correct. Disadvantages: Gives limited language practice. Students are exposed to the wrong forms and spellings.

9- Dictation

Students listen to the teacher or to a tape and do one or more of the following activities: - write exactly what the teacher says. - fill a table from the text they listen to. - answer questions depending on the text they listen to. They also can fill in missing letters.

Advantages and Disadvantages of dictation.

Advantages: Tests listening comprehension, writing, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. Easy to prepare and to score. Advantages: The teacher may not be a good model. Suitable tapes are not always available.

10- Cloze Test:

Students are given a text of some sentences. The first and the last sentences in the text are left complete. Starting from the second sentence, every fifth word is deleted. Students are asked to restore these words or their equivalents.

Examples of cloze test:

Oil is very important in the modern word. Many things are made of oil. Petrol for planes is extracted from oil. Some trains, lorries and Ships run on oil. Most plastics are made of oil.

Advantages and Disadvantages of cloze test.

Advantages: A global test. Easy to score and to prepare. Disadvantages: Sometimes it is difficult to evaluate the equivalents.

11-Re-arrangement ( put in order):

Students are given a sentence with jumbled words and they have to arrange to put them in order- to from a meaningful sentence. They may be given a number of jumbled sentences and ask them to arrange them to form a meaningful paragraph.

examples of rearrangement:

E.g. 1- Write the following words in the right order to form a good meaningful sentence: will get tomorrow six thirty Ahmad- up - at E.g. 2- write the following sentences in the correct order to from a good story:

e.g. 2- of arrangements:

- The fox saw the crow on a tree, with a

piece of meat n its mouth. - The fox was very clever and said," I have heard that you sing very well. - A fox was walking through a wood. The fox caught the meat and ate it. The crow opened its mouth to sing a song. The fox was very hungry.

Advantages and Disadvantages of rearrangement:

Advantages: A sort of controlled writing. Develops students awareness of sentence and paragraph structure. Disadvantages: Gives a chance for guessing. Limits students creativity.

12- Paragraph writing by using key words (guided paragraph)

Students are guided to write a paragraph by giving them helping lexical items and connectors. E.g.: Write a paragraph of (5) sentences using the following words:
(car hit boy) (The boy - fell off bike) (lady run to boy) (Ambulance- stopped) ( boy carried hospital)

Advantages and Disadvantages of guided paragraph writing.

Advantages: Gives a sort of controlled writing as a step towards free writing. Minimizes students errors. Disadvantages: Limits students creativity.

13- Oral Testing

The teacher needs to evaluate the students oral skills, i.e. listening and speaking. The teacher can use one of the following test types: A- Oral reading: Teacher gives a vocabulary list or text to students and asks each of them to read aloud. Teacher tapes students readings and scores them using specific check list. E.g. Read the following words aloud: Birthday China Europe big mosque-tin

Oral Testing

B- Controlled interview: Teacher asks students a question that requires a long response. Teacher tape-records the responses and scores them using a specific check list. The interview can be done individually or in groups with one or more raters.

Oral Testing

Picture description: Teacher gives students a picture and asks them to describe it. Students talk is taperecorded and then scored by one or more raters using a check list. E.g.: Look at the picture and describe what you see:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Oral Testing

Advantages: Tests students information and ability to transmit such information. Disadvantages: Sometimes time consuming.

Final Hints

Try to be creative and helpful to your students. Do not forget through smile you can reach their hearts if you do so you will reach their minds. Remember exams are mean they are not target.