Laura Haug
Language Department, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia
Integrated assessment evaluates language proficiency through tasks that require the examinee to produce a written/spoken output based on a listening and/or reading comprehension (reading/listening-into-writing/speaking). Since integrated assessment aims at reflecting the communicative and cognitive requirements of academic life or other professions, it is selected as a means of assessment that is both authentic and challenging. However, systematic research in this field attempts to address questions related to its validity and reliability. Whereas its construct may be considered valid due to the authenticity of the tasks, other aspects of integrated assessment, such the measurement process, test design and the examinee's performance may pose issues related to reliability. This presentation will look at integrated assessment in action by providing a comparative analysis of two currently used integrated tests. The first is the long-standing Test of English for Educational Purposes (TEEP) developed at the International Study and Language Institute (ISLI), University of Reading, which has become a renowned entry examination at several UK universities. The TEEP has been used since 2001 to assess the performance of international students attending pre-sessional courses at ISLI, and it was created as a measurement of students' ability in academic English in contrast to general English. The second example was inspired by experiencing TEEP in action and having the opportunity to talk to one of its creators, John Slaght, and it was developed at the language department of the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia (FSci USB). The Cross-Border Studies Entry Examination (CSEE) of the FSci USB aims to assess language proficiency of applicants for the English taught biochemistry undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses. The CSEE has been used since 2018 on a relatively small cohort of examinees. Unlike the TEEP, which is a reading and listening-into-writing test, the CSEE consists of two separate tasks, reading-into-writing and listening-into-writing. By comparing the two tests and analysing the different parts, this presentation aims to promote a discussion on the suitability of designing and using integrated assessment at the tertiary level.
La verifica integrata valuta la competenza linguistica attraverso attivita' che richiedono all'esaminato di produrre un output scritto / oralo basato su una comprensione orale e /o scritta. Questa presentazione esaminerà la verifica integrata in un'analisi comparativa di due test integrati attualmente utilizzati. Il primo è il Test of English for Educational Purposes (TEEP) creato presso l'International Study and Language Institute (ISLI), Università di Reading. Il secondo esempio è stato disegnato presso il dipartimento linguistico della Facoltà di Scienze, Università della Boemia meridionale (FSci USB). The Cross-Border Studies Entry Examination (CSEE) del FSci USB ha come scopo quello di valutare la competenza linguistica dei candidati al corso di biochimica insegnato in inglese. Confrontando i due test, questa presentazione vorrebbe aprire una discussione sull'idoneità della progettazione e dell'utilizzo della verifica integrata al livello terziario.
References:
- Cumming, A. (2013). Assessing integrated skills. The companion to language assessment, 1, 216-229.
- Knoch, U., & Sitajalabhorn, W. (2013). A closer look at integrated writing tasks: Towards a more focussed definition for assessment purposes. Assessing Writing, 18(4), 300-308.
- Test Of English For Educational Purposes (TEEP) University of Reading. Retrieved from https://www.reading.ac.uk/ISLI/study-in-the-uk/tests/isli-test-teep.aspx
- Yu, G. (2013). From integrative to integrated language assessment: Are we there yet? Language Assessment Quarterly 10:1, 110-114.
Laura Haug has been working at the language department of the Faculty of Science at the University of South Bohemia since 2009. In 2014 she obtained an MA in TESOL from the University of Nottingham specializing in autonomous learning. Apart from teaching general English to Bachelor's students, academic writing, debating and presentation skills to Master's students, she has contributed to the development of the language tests provided by the language department. She has developed, among others, an integrated entry test after learning about a similar test while teaching on a pre-sessional course at the University of Reading.