TEST-

TAKING
STRATEGIES
Presenter: Nguyen Tan Hai
Backgroun Second language test validation was meant to:
• checking on how tests worked in terms of item

d performance
• test reliability
informatio • the intercorrelation of subtests

n • the relationship between the test and other tests or

criterion variables (e.g., CPA),
• the effects of different test methods
=> The aspect of test validation related to the
respondents’ behaviors while taking the test was missing.
 Types of strategies
• Language learner strategies: the ways that respondents use of the 4 basic skills as well as
the related skills of vocabulary learning, grammar, and translation.
• Test-management strategies: test-takers respond meaningfully to the test items and
tasks.
• Test-wiseness strategies: strategies for using knowledge of test formats and other
surrounding information to answer test items without going through the expected
linguistic and cognitive processes.
 What can • Determine how comparable the results from different
test methods and item types are

test-taking • whether performance on a given assessment measure

is reflective of L2 language behavior in the area

strategies assessed or rather represents behaviors employed for

the sake of getting through the test?

research
help us?
Research Areas was provided insight through test-taking
strategy research:
• low-level versus higher-level processing on a test;
• the impact of using authentic versus inauthentic texts
in reading tests;
• whether the strategies employed in L2 test taking are
more typical of first language (L1) use, common to Li
and L2 use, or more typical of L2 use;
• the more effective strategies for success on tests as
well as the least effective ones;
• test takers' versus raters' understandings of and
responses to integrated language tasks; and
• the items on a test that would be susceptible
(sensitive) to the use of test-wiseness strategies
 How did
researchers Self-report
get the
information Verbal Self-
? report observation
Self-
revelation
 Self-report • Learners describe what they do, characterized by
generalized statements

"On multiple-choice items, I tend to scan

the reading passage for possible surface
matches between information in the text
and that same information appearing in
one of the alternative choices;"
 Self- • the inspection of specific, contextualized language
behavior, either introspectively, that is, within 20
observation seconds of the mental event, or retrospectively

"What I just did was to skim through the

reading passage for possible surface
matches between information in the text
and that same information appearing in
one of the alternative choices;"
Self-revelation • "think-aloud," stream-of-consciousness disclosure of
thought processes while the information is being
attended to

, "Hmm ... I wonder if the information in

one of these alternative choices also
appears in the text."
 What did • A relationship between proficiency and strategy use,
comparing multiple-choice and open-ended questions

they found? in English and Hebrew

– Low-proficiency student:
• Process information at a local (sentence/word) level
• Not relating isolated bits of information to the whole test
• Methods: matching words in alternatives to text, copying
words out of text, word-for-word translation….

₋ High-proficiency student:
• Comprehend the text at a global level
• Predicting information accurately in context
• Methods: using lexical and structural knowledge to cope
with linguistics difficulties

(Gordon,1987)
Strategies Some sample strategies for the cloze include the
following:

in taking • looking both at words and phrases immediately

preceding and following a blank, as well as at the

cloze test extended context for clues as to how to fill it in

• rephrasing sentences in the mind to get at the
intended meaning
• recalling knowledge of the passage and any other prior
knowledge that could be of use in completing the
blanks
 Test-management strategies
Strategies in • going back to the question for clarification

dealing with • reading the question(s) first and then reading the
passage / portion

multiple- • selecting or eliminating options based on vocabulary

knowledge or on the meaning of the sentence,
choice reading paragraph, overall passage, or discourse structure

comprehension
• performing a mental translation of parts of the text to
see if the material makes sense in the L1, and then

items
summarizing the passage as a check for
comprehension
 Strategies in Test-wiseness strategies (based largely on Allan, 1992)
• checking for identical or similar words or phrases in the

dealing with stem and in one of the multiple-choice options as a

giveaway to the answer

multiple-choice • looking for grammatical cues, where only one

reading
alternative matches the stem grammatically
• eliminating several distractors because they

comprehension essentially say the same thing

• seeing if a previous item supplies a sufficient clue to

items answering a subsequent item correctly

• using knowledge of the world to eliminate multiple-
choice distractors that are obviously false or involve an
illogical inference
 Multiple- • verifying if the options match elements of the listening
text or the question in terms of keywords, specific

choice details, inference about details, level of specificity

• checking back to part or all of a prior question as a

listening guide to selecting a response to the item at hand

• determining the level of detail required in answering a
comprehensi question so as to reject an option that is either too

on items
general or too specific
• identifying relevant background knowledge and then
utilizing it in an appropriate way
• when uncertainty prevails, making an educated guess
drawing on a combination of strategies such as those
listed above
What would • Current work on test-taking strategies often involve
highly sophisticated data analysis

happen if  proficient learners are better able to utilize such

strategies to their advantages than less proficient

two learners.
 There is likely to be a qualitative difference in how they
respondents use them.

use the  Differences among respondents at different

proficiency level , depending on the manner in which

same they approach the test.

 Using metacognitive strategies: Highly successful test

strategies? takers > moderately successful test-takers >

unsuccessful test-takers
 What I • If the test takers adopt strategies that fits the demands
of the assessment will they perform better?

wonder? • To what extent findings from research on test-taking

strategies have contributed to making language tests
more valid?
PROFESSIONA
L
DEVELOPMEN
T IN
LANGUAGE
Presenter: Nguyen Tan Hai
 About • Knowledge of assessment is increasingly considered an
essential aspect of the knowledge' base in teachers

Language
discipline
• Language teachers are expected to choose or

Assessment
construct, administer, and interpret the results of
assessments designed for a variety of purposes and

and
situations
• Professional groups, government policymakers, and

Professional
practitioners recognize the importance of language
assessment to language teaching.

development • The strategic plan for English and foreign language

learning is a multilateral agreement with implications
for language teachers (1) acknowledges the central role
of assessment in second language learning and calls for
additional professional development of language
teachers.
 What are • Malone (2008) reported that: Authors are
incorporating practical considerations into their

the books to complement the theoretical aspects of

assessment typically covered in language-testing

problems? textbook
• Bachman (2000) reported that only half of the
respondents had completed a course in language
testing in his survey of TESOL organization
membership in 1990s

• Shephard (2000): past beliefs about learning,

curriculum, instruction, and measurement have led to
current educational practices that separate
assessment from instruction
 What do • Access to books that provide both comprehensive and
practical introductions to the current assessment

teachers knowledge base.

• Acquire and update about sufficient expertise in

need to do? assessment during their preparation programs.

• Understand and develop new perspective as: "the
reason for assessment (the "why"), describing the trait
to be assessed (the "what"), and organizing the
assessment process (the "how")“
• engage in a process of "learning, negotiating,
discussing, experiencing and researching“
 Resources • Can be categorized in a variety of ways:
– Malone (2008) : "text-based" and "technology-mediated

for materials“
– Richards and Farrell (2005): activities that teachers elect

professional to pursue (e.g., "individual," "one-to-one," "group-

based," or "institutional")

development – Stoynoff and Coombe: medium (print and Web-based),

sponsors (professional associations, nonprofit
organizations, and government-supported entities), and
teacher-based activities
Publication • Includes the professional reference books, textbooks,
and journals produced by commercial, academic, and

s nonprofit publishers
 WEB- • The World Wide Web has expanded teachers' access to
language assessment resources and professional

BASED development activities

Center for Applied Linguistics site (www.cal.org)

The APEC Human Resources Working Group Wiki
(www.hrd.
apecwiki.org/index.php/Language_Assessment)
PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATIONS

The TESOL association (www.tesol.org) International Association for Applied Linguistics

(www.aila.info)
 PEER- • Colleagues represent a valuable but frequently
overlooked resource in professional development in

BASED language assessment.

• It may be more useful and practical to form a learning
community of local or regional peers.

select books, reports, or

other assessment materials
study group and agree to read and
discuss them on a regular
basis
Options
share assessment resources,
discuss assessment
peer support group challenges, and offer
feedback on each other's
assessment practices