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Assessing Oral Proficiency and Grammatical Errors:

Secondary Analysis of DA Interview Data

Sun-Kwang Bae, Curriculum Development Division, DLIFLCDavid Moon, Technology Integration Division, DLIFLC

• The Study Question• Background• The Study• Results• Discussions• Q & A

Presentation Outline

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What are the grammar structures/features that learners of Korean typically control at a given level of oral proficiency?

[From the perspective of teaching & learning - 김지민 (2009); Corder (1981)]

The Study Question

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Level 1• Able to ask and answer simple questions related

to everyday survival needs• Able to satisfy minimum courtesy requirements• Able to deal with routine everyday situations• Able to talk simply about self

Tasks that learners can handle at each level – ILR L1

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Level 2• Able to satisfy routine social demands and

limited work requirements• Able to narrate and describe in all three time

frames• Able to give detailed instructions/directions• Able to participate in conversations on current

events as well as give detailed information about work, family and self

Tasks that learners can handle at each level – ILR L2

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Level 3• Able to participate in most formal and informal

conversations on practical, social and professional topics

• Able to support opinion in the FLO content areas• Able to hypothesize• Able to discuss concrete and abstract topics• Able to discuss topics of particular interest• Able to deal with unfamiliar situations

Tasks that learners can handle at each level – ILR L3

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Level 1• Structural accuracy is random or severely

limited• Almost every utterance has errors in basic

structures• Time concepts are vague• Can formulate some questions

Structural control that learners are to have at each level – ILR L1

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Level 2• Discourse is minimally cohesive• Grammatical structures are usually not very

elaborate and not thoroughly controlled• Errors are frequent• Simple structure and basic grammatical

relations are typically controlled

Structural control that learners are to have at each level – ILR L2

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Level 3• Effectively combines structure and vocabulary to

convey meaning• Discourse is cohesive• Use of structural devices is flexible and

elaborate• Errors occur in low frequency and highly

complex structures, but structural inaccuracy rarely causes misunderstanding

Structural control that learners are to have at each level – ILR L3

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Data Collection• Face-to-face diagnostic oral assessment

interviews conducted by a pair of specialists (David Moon, EM, AS, JY, YR, NT)

• During June 1999 – September 2000• 55 students: L0+ (1), L1 (15), L1+ (18), L2 (14),

L2+ (6), L3 (1) • The tool: Sample

The study: data collection

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Structural Features• Sentence patterns: Plain, Honorific, Quotation• Verb conjugations: Irregular, Special• Complex constructions: Passive, Attributive, Negation• Particles: Case, Locative, Instrumental, Auxiliary• Cardinal/Ordinal Number: Native, Sino-Korean

agreement• Pronouns: Personal, Things, Places• Conjunctions: Basic, Advanced, Conjunctive Fillers

The study: structural features examined

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The result: sentence patterns

L1(N=15)

L1+(N=18)

L2(N=14)

L2+(N=6)

Plain: Present 73/26/0 78/22/0 100/0/0 100/0/0

Plain: Past 47/53/0 61/39/0 100/0/0 100/0/0

Honorific: Present 13/83/0 17/83/0 29/71/0 100/0/0

Honorific: Past 0/100/0 6/86/6 21/ 72/7 100/0/0

Negation: Statement & Question

40/53/7 56/44/0 93/7/0 100/0/0

Negation: Request & Suggestion

13/20/67 28/43/39 50/0/50 100/0/0

Note: The figures are percentages “Satisfactory/Need Work/Not Applicable.”

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The result: verb conjugations & complex structures

L1(N=15)

L1+(N=18)

L2(N=14)

L2+(N=6)

Irregular verbs 27/66/7 33/67/0 57/43/0 100/0/0

Special verbs 31/69/0(N=13)

38/62/0(N=16)

83/17/0(N=12)

100/0/0(N=5)

Passive and causative 0/27/73 0/56/44 21/29/50 67/0/33

Attributive 7/93/0 33/67/0 79/21/0 83/17/0

Note: The figures are percentages “Satisfactory/Need Work/Not Applicable.”

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The result: quotation

L1(N=15)

L1+(N=18)

L2(N=14)

L2+(N=6)

Quotation: statement and question

6/38/56 22/67/11 42/44/14 100/0/0

Quotation: request and suggestion

0/33/67 6/38/56 7/21/72 83/0/17

Note: The figures are percentages “Satisfactory/Need Work/Not Applicable.”

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The result: markers/particles

L1(N=15)

L1+(N=18)

L2(N=14)

L2+(N=6)

Subject/Object Case 33/67/0 56/44/0 71/29/0 100/0/0

Dative/Locative 20/80/0 50/50/0 71/29/0 100/0/0

Instrumental 18/73/9(N=11)

30/60/10(N=10)

67/33/0(N=12)

100/0/0(N=5)

Auxiliary 0/100/0 28/72/0 71/29/0 100/0/0

Note: The figures are percentages “Satisfactory/Need Work/Not Applicable.”

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The result: numbers + counters

L1(N=15)

L1+(N=18)

L2(N=14)

L2+(N=6)

Cardinal: Native Korean 33/67/0 44/56/0 71/29/0 100/0/0

Cardinal: Sino-Korean 40/60/0 33/56/11 71/29/0 100/0/0

Ordinal: Native Korean 7/47/46 22/56/22 36/21/43 83/0/17

Ordinal: Sino-Korean 7/40/53 16/34/50 0/14/86 83/0/17

Note: The figures are percentages “Satisfactory/Need Work/Not Applicable.”

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The result: pronouns

L1(N=15)

L1+(N=18)

L2(N=14)

L2+(N=6)

Personal 53/34/13 89/11/0 93/7/0 100/0/0

Demonstrative: Things 13/54/33 72/17/11 93/7/0 100/0/0

Demonstrative: Places 26/61/13 67/22/11 100/0/0 100/0/0

Note: The figures are percentages “Satisfactory/Need Work/Not Applicable.”

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The result: conjunctions

L1(N=15)

L1+(N=18)

L2(N=14)

L2+(N=6)

Basic conjunctive endings 40/60/0 56/44/0 86/14/0 100/0/0

Advanced conjunctive endings

0/80/20 6/83/11 0/86/14 17/83/0

Conjunctives/ Conversational Fillers

0/100/0 41/59/0(N=17)

64/36/0 100/0/0

Note: The figures are percentages “Satisfactory/Need Work/Not Applicable.”

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The result: discourse skills

L1(N=15)

L1+(N=17)

L2(N=14)

L2+(N=6)

Repair 7/93/0 35/65/0 79/21/0 100/0/0

Vocabulary choice with precision

0/100/0 0/100/0 21/79/0 50/50/0

Negotiate meaning 27/63/0 29/71/0 85/15/0 100/0/0

Paraphrase and restate 7/93/0 29/71/0 21/79/0 100/0/0

Note: The figures are percentages “Satisfactory/Need Work/Not Applicable.”

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Level 1• Personal pronouns• Present tenseLevel 1+• Past tense• Negation (in statements & questions)• Case markers (subject, object, dative, locative)• Demonstrative pronouns (things & places)• Basic conjunctive endings

Discussions: grammar features that learners begin to control at L1 & L1+

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Level 2• Negation in requests and suggestions• Irregular verbs and special verbs• Attributive forms• Instrumental and auxiliary particles• Numbers and their agreement with counters• Conjunctives and conversational fillers• Repair strategy in discourse• Negotiate meaning in discourse

Discussions: grammar features that learners begin to control at L2

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Level 2+• Honorifics• Passive and causative• Quotations• Precise lexical selection• Paraphrase and restate

The features that learners can’t control by L2+:• Advanced conjunctive endings

Discussions: grammar features that learners begin to control at L2+

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Q & A

Implications & Applications

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Contact Information

Online Diagnostic Assessment for reading and listening skills:

http://oda.dliflc.edu

Contact: sunkwang.bae@dliflc.edu24