Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • apa.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
The teacher as examiner of L2 oral tests: A challenge to standardization
Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Center for Language and Literature in Education (from 2013). Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Department of Language, Literature and Intercultural Studies (from 2013). (Centrum för språk- och litteraturdidaktik (CSL))ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0511-4624
Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Department of Language, Literature and Intercultural Studies (from 2013). Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Center for Language and Literature in Education (from 2013).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0680-4275
Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Department of Language, Literature and Intercultural Studies (from 2013). Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (starting 2013), Center for Language and Literature in Education (from 2013).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7286-1577
2018 (English)In: Language Testing, ISSN 0265-5322, E-ISSN 1477-0946, Vol. 35, no 2, p. 217-238Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The present paper looks at the issue of standardization in L2 oral testing. Whereas external examiners are frequently used globally, some countries opt for test-takers’ own teachers as examiners instead. In the present study, Sweden is used as a case in point, with a focus on the mandatory, high-stakes, summative, 9th-grade national test in English (speaking part). The national test has the typical characteristics of standardized tests and its main objective is to contribute to equity in assessment and grading on a national level. However, using teachers as examiners raises problems for standardization. The aim of this study is to examine teachers’/examiners’ practices and views regarding four aspects of the speaking test – test-taker grouping, recording practices, the actual test occasion, and examiner participation in students’ test interactions – and to discuss findings in relation to issues concerning the normativity and practical feasibility of standardization, taking the perspectives of test-takers, teachers/examiners, and test constructors into account. In order to answer research questions linked to these four aspects of L2 oral testing, self-report survey data from a random sample of teachers (N = 204) and teacher interviews (N = 11) were collected and quantitative data were analyzed using inferential statistics. Survey findings revealed that despite thorough instructions, teacher practices and views vary greatly across all aspects, which was further confirmed by interview data. Three background variables – teacher certification, work experience, gender – were investigated to see whether they could provide explanations. Whereas certification and gender did not contribute significantly to explaining the findings, work experience bore some relevance, but effect sizes were generally small. The study concludes that using teachers as examiners is a well-functioning procedure in terms of assessment for learning, but raises doubts regarding assessment of learning and standardization; a solution for test authorities could be to frame the test as non-standardized.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2018. Vol. 35, no 2, p. 217-238
Keywords [en]
standardized testing; L2 interaction; assessment; EFL; teacher practice; oral tests; ESL; speaking tests; standardization
National Category
Specific Languages Didactics
Research subject
English
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-47586DOI: 10.1177/0265532217690782ISI: 000429074300003OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-47586DiVA, id: diva2:1062351
Projects
Testing Talk
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2012-4129Available from: 2017-01-05 Created: 2017-01-05 Last updated: 2019-11-07Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(135 kB)481 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT03.pdfFile size 135 kBChecksum SHA-512
855b3747b954289354c8af9de5b51fc310476c25135fc7282c79ce09b9cf62a3af18eec3686d9da42128756d25cdb06d0a1c8d03632dc0810fa23c9da18947c1
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

Other links

Publisher's full text

Authority records

Sundqvist, PiaWikström, PeterSandlund, Erica

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Sundqvist, PiaWikström, PeterSandlund, EricaNyroos, Lina
By organisation
Center for Language and Literature in Education (from 2013)Department of Language, Literature and Intercultural Studies (from 2013)
In the same journal
Language Testing
Specific LanguagesDidactics

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Total: 553 downloads
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 837 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • apa.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf