Issues in foreign

language testing
PG43 - Group 6 - Applied Linguistics
 Table of contents

Testing and Language Approaches to language

1 testing 2 testing
Phuong Uyen Phuong Uyen

Types of foreign Practical steps in designing

3 language test 4 a foreign language test
Quynh Anh Phuong Trinh

The current situation The relationships between

and issues of ELT in foreign language testing and
5 schools in Vietnam
6 foreign language teaching
Thanh Tu Thuy Hien
 1
Testing and language testing
Presentor: Phuong Uyen
 Definition
Testing Language Testing
• Focuses on language proficiency
• Systematic, standardized process
• Assesses listening, speaking, reading,
• Measures knowledge, skills,
writing
abilities
• Measures linguistic abilities
• Consistent, objective manner
• Contextualized in communication skills
• Involves assessments or
• Includes basic proficiency tests and
examinations
specialized exams
Reasons for the need to understand
language testing
Role in life transitions

Professional Involvement

Research requirement
 Reasons for the need to understand
language testing
Role in life transitions

• Key role in education, employment, and migration

• Serve as gateways during critical transitions
Reasons for the need to understand
language testing
Role in life transitions

Professional Involvement

• Essential for teachers, administrators, and professionals

• Informs decisions about student placement
• Influences teaching strategies
Reasons for the need to understand
language testing
Role in life transitions

Professional Involvement

Research requirement
• Vital in language studies research
• Necessary to measure language proficiency of subjects
• Integral part of linguistic research methodologies
 Achievement tests Performance tests

Are closely linked to the teaching

Are typically speaking and writing tests
process

Are closely linked to the teaching

Use an agreed assessment process
process

Are concerned with the past Proficiency tests look at future language use.

=> Teachers or administrators should choose an appropriate test

2 Approaches to testing
No. Approaches to testing
1 Direct Testing

2 Indirect Testing

3 Discrete point

4 Integrative Testing

5 Norm-referenced

6 Criterion-referenced

7 Objective Testing

8 Subjective Testing
Direct and
Indirect testing
 Direct testing Indirect testing

Requires the candidate to perform precisely

Measure the abilities underlying to be tested
the skill to be measured

- Easier to measure the productive skills

- Listening and reading require ways to
demonstrate the abilities => Reliability

- Relatively straightforward to elicit

behavior for judgements Use a large representative sample of a finite number
- Helpful backwash effects of abilities -> results are more generalized
Direct testing Indirect testing
 Discrete point -
integrative testing
 Discrete point Integrative testing

Integrative testing, by contrast, requires the candidate

Discrete point testing refers to the testing of
to combine many language elements in the
one element at a time, item by item
completion of a task

Discrete point

Integrative testing
Norm - referenced
and Criterion
referenced
 Norm - referenced
Relates one candidate’s performance to that
of other candidates (comparison)
Top 10%/ bottom 5% / better than 60% of
those who took the test
Criterion - referenced
- Measures a candidate’s abilities/progress in relation
to meaningful criteria
-To classify people according to whether they can
perform some tasks/ set of tasks satisfactorily
“Pass” or “fail”
- Set meaningful standards in terms of what people
can do regardless of different groups of candidates
- Motivate students to attain the standard
 Criterion - referenced

https://ielts.org/take-a-test/preparation-resources/understanding-your-score/ielts-scoring-in-
detail
 Objective and
subjective testing
 Objective Subjective

Objective testing involves questions or tasks Subjective testing involves questions or tasks that
with clear and specific correct answers. require judgment and interpretation.

Example: Multiple-choice questions,

Example: Essay questions in literature or an open-
true/false questions, or fill-in-the-blank
ended problem-solving task
exercises
Objective testing Subjective testing
 Let’s use some percentages
25%
Mercury
Mercury is the closest planet to the
Sun and the smallest one in the
Solar System—it’s only a bit
larger than the Moon
50%
Venus
Venus has a beautiful name and is
the second planet from the Sun.
It’s hot and has a poisonous
atmosphere
 Let’s use some percentages
25%
Mercury
Mercury is the closest planet to the
Sun and the smallest one in the
Solar System—it’s only a bit
larger than the Moon
50%
Venus
Venus has a beautiful name and is
the second planet from the Sun.
It’s hot and has a poisonous
atmosphere
 3
Types of foreign language test
Presentor: Quynh Anh
05. The current situation and
issues of language testing in
schools in Vietnam
The current situation issues of
language testing in schools in
Vietnam
 The current situation of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Level of Kinds of tests Administered by
education

Primary Mini test, oral test, end-of-term test Local departments of education and training
Education (LDOETs)
Ministry of education and training (MOET)

Lower - Mini test, oral test, mid-term test, end-of- Local departments of education and training
Secondary term test, excellent student test (LDOETs)
Education -Upper secondary school entrance test Ministry of education and training (MOET)

Upper -Mini test, oral test, mid-term test, end-of- Local departments of education and training
Secondary term test/ assignment (video, project), (LDOETs)
Education excellent student test Ministry of education and training (MOET)
-National graduation test

Tertiary -Assessment such as quizz, portfolio, Institutions (colleges, universities)

presentation, project…
- Mini test, mid-term test, End-of-term test/
assignment
The current situation of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Emphasis on Communicative Approach

- The communicative approach to language testing often involves assessing

students' abilities in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in real-life
situations.
- Assessments may include tasks such as role-plays, group discussions,
presentations, projects, and other activities that require active language use.
The current situation of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Incorporation of International Standards
- Ministry of Education and Training of Viet Nam (MOET) officially adopted
CEFR as the national framework of reference
for foreign language education in Vietnam in 2008 under Decision 1400/QĐ-
TTG

(Six-level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework for Vietnam)

https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Giao-duc/Thong-tu-01-2014-TT-BGDDT-Khung-
nang-luc-ngoai-ngu-6-bac-Viet-Nam-220349.aspx
The current situation of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Integration of Technology

- Computer-based assessments becoming more common

- Online testing platforms and digital tools to evaluate various language
skills
The current situation of language testing in schools in Vietnam
National Graduation Examination

- The National Graduation Examination in Vietnam includes 3

compulsory subjects: Vietnamese, Mathematics, and a foreign language,
often English → influence English testing practices

- In 2025, English will not be mandatory subject for Vietnam’s

graduation exam
The current situation of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Formative Assessment

- Increasingly focus on formative assessment rather than relying solely

on high-stakes exams.

- Use various forms of assessment to track students' progress and

provide timely feedback.
The current issues of language
testing in schools in Vietnam
The current issues of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Limited Focus on Communication Approach

- Lack of Speaking and Listening components

- Focus on rote memorization of vocabulary and grammar rules.
→ Not meet the communication approach.
The current issues of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Burden on academic results

- Put high pressure on students and parents

- Study for achieving high scores, not language acquisition
The current issues of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Lack of validity in scoring and testing
The current issues of language testing in schools in Vietnam
Teacher Training and Capacity

- Teacher qualifications
- Teacher training programs
06. The relationships between
foreign language testing and
foreign language teaching
Foreign Language Testing and
Foreign Language Teaching
Researchers’ opinions
Opinions toward language testing and teaching.

Aspects to concern
Aspects that teaching and testing contribute and
affect one another.

Washback
Influence of testing on teaching
1. Researchers’ opinions toward language
testing and teaching
Heaton (1988, p. 5)
…both testing and teaching are so closely interrelated that
it is virtually impossible to work in either field without
being constantly concerned with the other

Bachman (1990)
…language testing both serves and is served by
the research in language acquisition and
language teaching.
1. Researchers’ opinions toward language
testing and teaching
Davies (1968:5)
The good test is an obedient servant since it
follows and apes the teaching.

Hughes, A. 2003. Testing for Language Teachers.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
…the proper relationship between teaching
and testing is surely that of partnership.
 2. Aspects to concern
Bachman (1990) makes the nature of this relevance clearer when
he contends: Advances in language testing do not take place in a
vacuum; they are stimulated by advances in our understanding of
the processes of language acquisition and language teaching. And
developments in language testing can provide both practical tools
and theoretical insights for further research and development in
language acquisition and language teaching (p. 3).

They all together contribute to the

following aspects that make learning
process succeed
Curricum Assessment for Motivation and Feedback Loop &
Learning, of Continuous
alignment Goal Setting Improvement
Learning
CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT
Testing: Language tests should
align with what has been
taught, reflecting the topics,
structures, and vocabulary
covered in the instructional
program.
Teaching: The curriculum and
syllabus in language teaching
guide the instructional process,
determining what content is
covered and in what sequence
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING, OF
LEARNING

Testing: informing educators Teaching: provides ongoing

about the progress of learners, feedback, evaluation to both
certifying or credentialing teachers and learners.
language proficiency.
FEEDBACK LOOP AND CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
Testing: Test developers and
educators may revisit and
revise assessments to ensure
they align with current
language teaching
methodologies and standards.
Teaching: Feedback allows
teachers to adapt their methods to
meet the needs of individual
learners or the class as a whole,
reflect the teaching process to
meet the evolving needs of
learners.
 MOTIVATION AND GOAL
SETTING
Testing: Test developers and
educators may revisit and
revise assessments to ensure
they align with current
language teaching
methodologies and standards.
Teaching: Feedback allows
teachers to adapt their methods to
meet the needs of individual
learners or the class as a whole,
reflect the teaching process to
meet the evolving needs of
learners.
 2 WASHBACK
• Washback (Alderson & Wall, 1993) or backwash (Biggs, 1995, 1996) here refers to
the influence of testing on teaching and learning.
• The effect a test has on classroom practice (Berry, 1994, p.31)
• How assessment instruments affect educational practices and beliefs (Cohen, 1994,
p.41)
• The impact of a test on classroom pedagogy, curriculum development, and
educational policy (Peirce, 1992)

Positive Negative
washback washback
 CHARACTERISTICS OF WASHBACK

• Testing procedures can have both negative and positive

effects on program and curriculum design and
implementation
• Test tasks should require the same authentic, interactive
language use promoted in the classroom so that there is a
match between what is taught and what is tested.
 POSITVE WASHBACK & NEGATIVE
WASHBACK
If a test has positive washback,
“there is no difference between
teaching the curriculum and
teaching to the test.”
(Weigle and Jensen, 1997)
For example, if we teach
speaking skills, we should test
speaking skills.
• ”Negative washback occurs when there is a
mismatch between the stated goals of instruction
and the focus of assessment… which leads to the
abandonment of instructional goals in favor of test
preparation”
• There are some negative washbacks, such as
teachers tend to ignore subjects and activities that
did not contribute directly to passing the exam and
that examinations "distort the curriculum" (p.
166).
 WASHBACK

• Positive or negative
• Narrow or broad
• Unintended or intended

Washback happens more with high-stakes tests than low-stakes tests.

Can have an individual (micro-level) impact and social (macro-level) impact
Involve both actions and perceptions
Influence learners and influence programs (include teachers)
 Participants
Components of Processes
washback Products

Students
Teachers
Who are they?
Administrators
Participants of
Parents
washback Publishers
Material developers
 PROCESSES OF WASHBACK

FOR STUDENTS :
• Using the target language skills
• Studying
• Learning
• Memorizing
• Worrying
• Cheating?

FOR PROGRAMS :
FOR TEACHERS :
• Changing curricula
• What we teach
• Scheduling test preparation
• How we teach
classes
• Intensify of teaching
• Using new materials
• Additional tutorials
• Canceling classes
PRODUCTS OF WASHBACK

• Changed teaching
• Leading to increased interaction and
studying and better learning
• New materials
• New course syllabi
What do you think we as teacher
and test developers can do to
promote positive washback and
prevent or minimize negative
washback?
Teachers
- Plan lessons
- Deliver instruction
- Manage interaction
- Assign homework
- Tailor lessons
- Give feedback
- Give particular encouragement
- Test the abilities you want to encourage
- Use direct testing (writing, error editing task)
- Make sure the test is known and understood by students
- Make sure we understand : What tests are measuring, What test
methods, How tests are scored and How to explain test scores to
Ss, parents and administrators
"Teaching without testing is like guiding
without knowing the destination; testing
without teaching is like navigating
without a map. Together, they form the
compass guiding the journey of learning."