COMMUNICATIVE TESTING

By : Ningsih Sri Mulyani

Communicative Testing

Historical Perspective

Definition of Communicative Testing

Approach

Types of Communicative Competence

Generic Test

Principles of Communicative Language Testing

Advantages of Communicative Testing

The Weaknesses of Communicative Testing

Historical Perspective

Integrative-Pragmative Approach

Debate over the nature of language: divisible or unitary

Answer the long and tiring controversy over the nature of

language ability

Communicative Approach

What is communicative testing?

• Communicative Language Testing is intended to provide test-takers with information about the test-taker’s ability to perform the target language in certain context-specific tasks.

• It has to be recognized that given the constrains of time and practicality, only a small sample of the tester-test-takers’ language can be collected

• However realistic the tasks may be intended to be, the students’ performance will inevitably reflect the fact the s/he was performing under tests conditions.

CA

Means of communication

Approach

Function of Language

ListeningSpeakingReadingWriting

Types of Communicative Competence(Canale & Swain :1980)

Grammatical

Sociolinguistic

Discourse

Strategic

Language Ability

Components (Bachman:1990)

Knowledge structures

Language competence

Strategic competence

Psychologicalmechanisms

Context of situation 4

3

5

1 2

Generic Test

Speaking

Listening

Reading

Writing

Language is used in communication

Emphasized to the exclusion of language usageMeasurement based on divisibility hypothesisTest content relevant to test-takers

relate to real-life situation.

Quantitative modes of assessment.

Characteristic and Tests Types of Communicative Approach

• Tasks in the test should resemble as far as possible to the ones as would be found in real life in terms of communicative use of language;

• There is a call for test items contextualization;• There is a need to make test items that address an

obviously definite audience for purposeful communicative intent to be envisioned;

• Tests instructions and scoring plans should touch on effective communication of meaning rather than on grammatical accuracy;

• Language should be productively drawn off as a result of the test, rather than merely recognized.

Principles of Communicative Language Testing (Anon&Weir:1990)

Advantages of Communicative Testing

• Communicative tests are able to measure all integrated skill of pupils

• The tests using this approach face pupils in real life so it will be very useful for them

• Due to the fact that Communicative test can measure all language skills; it can help pupil in getting the score. Consider pupils have a poor ability in using spoken language but may score quite highly on tests of reading

• Detailed statements of each performance level serve to increase the reliability of the scoring by enabling the examiner to make decisions according to carefully drawn-up and well-established criteria.

The Weaknesses of Communicative Testing

• Different from structuralism approach this approach will not be able to grasp structurally because communicative competence can ever be achieved without a considerable mastery of the grammar of a language

• It is unavoidable that cultural bias affects the reliability of the tests being administered. Communicative tests are concerned primarily with listening, speaking, reading, and reading skills.

EXAMPLE

Write an application to the position as advertised of about 200 words. You very much want to be in the position. So, be convincing and make yourself sound fitting to the position. Your application should be clear, well-organized and easy to read.

EXAMPLE:• ‘That woman over there looks confused’

‘Why don’t you ask her______?’a. does she need help? d. do you need helpb. if she need help e. she needs helps or notc. whether she needs helps

(SPMB 2006-711:13)• ‘Your haircut looks cool, Jane. I like it’

‘_______’a. Come on. Don’t be jokingb. Oh really? Thanks a lotc. Well, I have it hair-doned. It is my style, you know?e. I don’t think so. But thanks

Thank

You