TASK OF LANGUAGE TESTING
ABOUT
TESTING WRITING
BY: GROUP V
SAHNAN BAJURI : 2312.084
ANTON AFRIANTO : 2312.079
MAIZONA PUTRI : 2312.078
RAHMI WATI : 2312.090
THE LECTURER:
ELIZA S.S, M.Pd.
THE MAJOR:
ENGLISH DAPARTMENT
TARBIYAH
ISLAMIC STATE COLLAGE BUKITTINGGI
T.A 2013/2014
INTRODUCTION
This chapter is going to introduce you some basic terms used in
testing writing, especially for the meaning of writing, comparison of
composition and objective tests of writing, objective test of the elements of
writing, and improving the effectiveness of composition tests.
By the end of
studying this chapter, you have to able to: identify all of the materials above
briefly.
So that, this
chapter will explain that topic and audience must give attention and read it
well, because this chapter very important to improve our knowledge about
testing writing and we can be a good examinee
in society.
DISCUSSION
TESTING WRITING
1. WHAT IS THE MEANT BY “WRITING”
During the early stages of
learning, written exercises will generally be used simply to reinforce the
learning of specific grammatical points or lexical items; only later will
writing be treated as an end in itself-as a complex skill involving the
simultaneous practice of a number of very different abilities, some of which
are never fully achieved by many students, even in their native language.
Although the
writing process has been analyzed in many different ways, most teachers would
probably agree in recognizing at least the following five general components:
a.
Content :
the substance of the writing; the ideas expressed
b. Form : the organization of the content
c.
Grammar :
the employment of grammatical forms and syntactic patterns
d. Style : the choice of structures and lexical items to give a
particular tone or flavor to the writing
e.
Mechanics :
the use of the graphic conventions of the language
2. COMPARISON OF COMPOSITION AND OBJECTIVE TESTS OF WRITING
Those
who have championed the essay or
composition have generally included the following points in their defense.
a.
Composition
tests require students to organize their own answer, expressed in their own
words. Thus composition tests measure certain writing abilities (e.g, ability
to organize, relate, and weight materials) more effectively than do objective
tests
b.
Composition
tests motivate students to improve their
writing ; conversely, if examinations don’t require writing, many students will
neglect the development of this skill
c.
Composition
tests are much easier and quicker to prepare than objective tests, an important
advantage to the busy classroom teacher
The critics
of composition testing have usually answered along the following lines :
a.
Composition
tests are unreliable measure because (1) students perform differently on
different topics and on different occasions; and (2) the scoring of
compositions is by nature highly subjective
b. In writing compositions, students can cover up weaknesses by
avoiding problems (e.g., the use of certain grammatical patterns and lexical
items) they find difficult. Such evasion is impossible with well-prepared
objective tests
c.
Composition
tests require much more scoring time than objective tests; for this reasons,
compositions add greatly to the expense and administrative problems of
large-scale testing
The current “moderate position” in regard to testing
writing ability, based on recent endings, may be summarized as follows:
a.
Well-constructed
objective tests of the language skills have been found to correlate quite
highly with general writing ability, as determined by the rating of actual
samples of free writing. Thus in situations where the scoring of compositions
would be unfeasible (as some large-scale testing operations), objective tests
can be used one as fairly good
predictors of general writing skill.
b. At the same time, it is now clear that there are ways to
administer and score composition tests so that they, too, may be need by
themselves as reliable instruments. Put briefly, high reliability can be
obtained by taking several samples of writing from each student and having each
sample read by several trained readers. Thus the classroom teacher who lacks
the experience and/or the time to construct objective tests of writing ability,
or who feels strongly about the pedagogical value of testing writing through
writing, can use compositions with a reasonable degree of confidence.
c.
Inasmuch as
both objective tests and composition tests have their own special strengths,
the ideal practice is undoubtedly to measure writing skill with a combination
of the two types of tests, and it is recommended that this procedure be
followed whenever conditions permit. Such a combination will probably produce
somewhat more valid results than would either of the two types of measures used
by itself.
3. OBJECTIVE TESTS OF THE ELEMENTS OF WRITING
a. Testing formal grammar and style
In
the latter tests we are concerned with measuring control of the basic
grammatical patterns of the language. In our structure items, therefore, the
contrast is between English and non-English, and we would assume that a native
speaker would, except through carelessness, score 100 percent correct. In our
measure of writing ability, on the other hand, we are testing sensitivity to
the grammatical patterns appropriate to the written, as contrasted with the
spoken, form of the language, and we would suppose that many native speakers
would fail to make some of the distinctions. Examples of the kinds of formal
grammatical matters that we might include in our tests of writing ability-but
not in structure tests- are the following:
Subject-verb
agreement
The
design of the two new bridges (are/is) very unusual
Structural
parallelism
She
enjoyed sewing, reading, and just (to sit/sitting) on the porch watching the
people go by
Case
of pronouns
To
my little brother and (l/me), uncle John was the most wonderful friend
Comparison
of adjectives
The
afternoon rush hour is the (worse/worst) part of the day in which to drive
through the city
Formation
of adverbs
The
man tipped his hat and spoke very (polite/politely) to the ladies
Formation
of irregular verbs
Neither
of the children would tell us who had (broke/broken) the window
In
advanced-level test is to have relevance and validity, it should undoubtedly
contain the kinds of formal grammatical points by which the student will
subsequently be judged in real-life situations. What is vitally important is
that such a test be clearly identified, by its title, directions, and problem
contexts, as a measure of writing skill and not be confused with tests of basic
structural control.
Having
taken note of some of the factors to be considered in choosing problems of
grammar and style for our tests of writing ability, let us now consider a few
specific item types.
1. Error recognition. The examinee is required to indicate which
several underlined parts of sentence is unacceptable for formal written
English, or to indicate that the sentence contains no “error”.
The position taken
in his most recent speeches seem to indicate a willingness to
compromise. No error.
This
item type puts the examinee in the position of a reader who must make judgments
about the acceptability of a piece of writing and identify any point of
weakness. As such it has sometimes been objected to on the grounds that the
examinee (1) doesn’t have to prove ability to correct the errors he finds, and
(2) may possibly choose the correct answer for the wrong reason.
2. Sentence completion. The examinee is required to select the best
way of completing a sentence in terms of
grammar, diction, tone, and sense.
During
his last year in office, his popularity with the voters .
A.
descended downward swiftly
B.
quickly touched bottom
C.
declined very suddenly
D.
rapidly plunged under
3. Sentence correction. The
examinee is required to select the best revision of an underlined portion of a
sentence. If the sentence is acceptable as it stands, the examinee select
choice A, which is always identical to the underlined portion of the sentence.
While
watching from our window, the great ship slowly entered the harbor,
whistle blowing and crew cheering.
A.
while watching
B.
upon watching
C.
as we watched
D.
having been watched
b. Testing the ability to organize materials
It can not be claimed that wholly successful objective
techniques have yet been found for testing the student’s ability to organize
his idea into unified, coherent written presentations, and perhaps this goal
will always lie beyond the tester’s reach. Probably the most satisfactory of
the tests that we do have are those of paragraph organization, in which the examinee
is required to reorder several “scrambled” sentences into a coherent paragraph,
and to indicate the correct order of the sentences.
A.
The report from Stratford that he “spent at the
rate of a thousand pounds a year” is surely very far from the truth, being
based not doubt on Stratford gossip
B.
On this income we may be sure that he lived well
and comfortably in Stratford
C.It is difficult to estimate
Shakespeare’s income in his last years
D.Probably Shakespeare
received from all sources less than a quarter of that sum, say two hundred
pounds
Which sentence did you put first?
A B C D
Which sentence did you put second? A B
C D
Which sentence did you put third? A B
C D
Which sentence did you put last?
A B C D
c. Testing the mechanics of writing
Punctuation and capitalization, the so-called mechanics of
writing, may be tested objectively with simple adaptations of the completion
and correction items described earlier. The following example illustrates one
common technique.
Particularly in the case of punctuation, there are really
only a very limited number of points on which there is universal agreement.
Substantial differences will be found among the leading publishers within the
United States, and the differences between American and British practice can be
even more dramatic. The last point is particularly important in the testing of
foreign students, who may have learned to follow British models in their
writing. Note, for example, the following two versions of the same sentence,
the first punctuated in the more usual American fashion, and the second as it
might appear in a British publication:
“l’ll return at 4:30,” Dr. Smith replied.
‘l’ll return at
4.30’, Dr Smith replied.
Closely related to the so-called mechanics, though allowing
of far less variation, is spelling. Although objective spelling items have the
advantage of being easy to prepare, there are several reasons for questioning
their appropriateness in a general test of writing ability. First, it is
unlikely that good writers are necessarily good spellers. Secondly, in almost
any practical writing situation the student will be able to consult a
dictionary. And thirdly, the common testing method of asking the examinee to
identify the one misspelled word in each group of four or five lexical items
may be an unreliable kind of measurement: most of us have had the experience of
looking so hard at printed words that we
lose the ability to judge their correctness. All in all, one would certainly be
justified in omitting spelling problems from objective tests of writing skill.
4. IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPOSITION TESTS
a. Preparation of the tests
1. Arrange to take several samples, rather than just one. Normally
two or more short compositions will prove to be more reliable than one long one. And having the
compositions written at different times will yield better results than having
them written at one sitting.
2. Set writing tasks that are within the reach of all. Although we should
of course endeavor to select composition topics of interest and challenge to
the better students, we must avoid setting tasks that require a high degree of
ingenuity and creativity. The purpose of general writing-ability testing is to
elicit characteristic samples of every student’s writing and from these to
determine his proficiency at expressing himself in clear, effective, and
grammatical prose-not to measure his “creative powers.” Topics which call for
straight-forward narrative or description are most likely to accomplish the
above objectives.
3. Make the writing tasks clear and specific; provide full
directions. A vague writing assignment such as “write a theme about friendship”
not only will lead to nonequivalent performances but will cause many students
to waste valuable time just getting started. Thus it is highly important to
write the composition question in such a way that the task is clearly and unambiguously
defined for each examinee.
Example :
Describe an
interesting member of your family: one of your parents or grandparents, a
brother or sister, cousin, aunt, or uncle. Be specific in describing the
special characteristics that you think make him or her an interesting person.
You may wish to give examples of things this person has said or done which
illustrate these characteristics.
4. Allow no alternatives. If some students are performing different
tasks from others, it is difficult to compare performances or to ensure that
all students have undertaken equivalent tasks.
5. Pretest the writing test assignments, if only on yourself, to be
sure that they are really workable and are realistic in terms of the time
available to the students. It is very useful, in this connection, to keep a
file of topics which have been used and found to be particularly effective.
Once a sizable pool of successful topics has been built up, they may be drawn
upon in the preparation of important tests.
b. Scoring the test
1. Decide in advance on the precise basis for scoring. The starting
point is to decide on the weight or emphasis that will be given to each of the
various writing factors, such as content, form, grammar, style, and mechanics.
The actual rating of the compositions may then consist either of (a) allotting
a specified number of points to each of the factors, the total of the factor
ratings constituting the composition score, or (b) making a general, overall
judgment of each composition and placing it in one of four or more categories
(e.g., 1, poor; 2, fair; 3, good; 4, excellent) based not on any notion of an
absolute standard, but in terms of the performance of the group as a whole.
2. If possible, treat the papers anonymously during scoring. In very
small classes, of course, anonymous scoring is extremely difficult if not
impossible, for the teacher will recognize his students by their handwriting
and style. When numbers permit, however, anonymous scoring is highly desirable,
for identification of papers often leads quite unconsciously to scorer bias. Papers may be scored
anonymously simply by having the students put their names on the unused backs
of the sheets or on the cover of the test booklets, which may all be folded
back before scoring begins.
3. Before marking any papers, scan a sample of papers to decide upon
standards. Find, for example, a high, high-medium, low-medium, and low paper to
serve as models. Then, as you score the papers, return accasionally to your
models to ensure that your standards are not shifting.
4. If the compositions are to be used to make critical decisions
about large numbers of students (as, for instance, in a common departmental
final examination) (a) have at least two independent readers for each theme;
(b) begin with a practice session for all readers in which they agree together
on the rating of a sample of papers so as to establish common standards; (c)
make the grade for each composition the sum or the average of the
ratings of the two or more readers.[1]
SUMMARY
The meant of
writing During the early stages of
learning, written exercises will generally be used simply to reinforce the
learning of specific grammatical points or lexical items; only later will
writing be treated as an end in itself-as a complex skill involving the
simultaneous practice of a number of very different abilities, some of which
are never fully achieved by many students, even in their native language.
Although the
writing process has been analyzed in many different ways, most teachers would
probably agree in recognizing at least the following five general components:
a.
Content :
the substance of the writing; the ideas expressed
b. Form : the organization of the content
c.
Grammar : the
employment of grammatical forms and syntactic patterns
d. Style : the choice of structures and lexical items to give a
particular tone or flavor to the writing
e.
Mechanics :
the use of the graphic conventions of the language
On this part we able to
identify about comparison of composition and objective tests of writing, and
improving the effectiveness of composition test.
REFERENCE
Harris P. David, Testing English As A Second Language, New
York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1961
[1] David P. Harris, Testing English As A Second Language, (new
York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. 1961) hlm. 68-79
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