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HOW DO I TEST MY STUDENTS?

Why bother with testing? One of the most difficult aspects of teaching English in Japan, especially at the university level, is the strong sense among many students that simply having a conversation in a foreign language is beyond their ability. Throughout junior and senior high school, students are required to learn English as a subject, often for the purpose of passing an entrance exam. But actually using English for real communication with a foreigner? No way! Deeply internalized ideas such as I can’t do tha t, I’m just not interested, or I’m too shy are quite strong and difficult for language teachers to break through. What can be done to help inspire students to realize they can actually hold real conversations, ones lasting several minutes where they speak, comprehend, respond accordingly, maintain eye-contact, and even smile from time to time? The case for regular speaking tests One tool that teachers have to motivate their students, at least extrinsically, is the test. As Paul Nation (2013 ) notes, testing is important because it 10 provides the learners with feedback on their progress, motivates them to learn, lets the teacher know how everyone is doing, and is a means of providing grades for the course. In Japan, where testing forms a key pillar of the educational system, students have been conditioned to focus their efforts toward achieving high scores on exams. In other words, they will put energy into learning what they need to pass a test. What is not tested is considered less important than what is. While this is disheartening on one level, it is a reality that can be taken advantage of. If students will only put energy and effort into learning things they’ll be tested on, then conducting well-designed conversation tests will help push students to practice the very skills they will need to communicate more effectively in English. Having regular conversation tests during a semester or entire school year should be part of any language learner’s training. Through such tests, students will discover that it is actually not that difficult to maintain an active role during conversation. As long as they apply a few basic guidelines that help create a good impression (such as following the Three Golden Rules and using various conversation strategies), they will be able to communicate more or less successfully.

Their minds will become open to the possibility that yes, maybe I can do it , and hey, isn’t speaking in another language actually kind of fun? Conversation testing is therefore a form of extrinsic motivation that gives often reluctant students a clear purpose to study and use English for communication. Once students see and hear themselves actually using the language, the opportunity exists for them to cultivate a more sustainable intrinsic motivation for continued study. Qualities of a good speaking test What makes for a successful speaking test? In writing about all types of tests in general, Nation (2013) mentions three characteristics of good ones: reliability , validity , and practicality . Let’s examine each criteria in turn. According to Nation, reliability means that if a test is given again without opportunity for further learning, the students will get about the same score. In other words, the test is not strongly affected by who gives or marks it, or where it is given. For speaking tests, some questions to consider regarding reliability are: • Do your students understand the directions? • Do they know what they’ll be tested on? • Do you have a set way of marking that is clearly understood by the students? Similarly, if you had your colleague give and mark your test, would the students still get about the same scores, all else being equal? • Will your students take tests seriously? Common themes amongst these conditions are clarity, transparency, and consistency. Speaking tests that exhibit these qualities can be said to be highly reliable.

Nation, P. (2013). What Should Every EFL Teacher Know? Compass Publishing. 10

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