TECHNIQUES OF LANGUAGE TEST

In language assessment, there are seven types of language test techniques, they are paper and pencil test, project, product, portfolio, self assessment, performance and attitude. 

forms of language test

Here are some brief explanation that i get from my class. hopefully that the readers will derive some fresh useful information, and i am very welcome to have a discussion, probably there is different opinion about them..

1. PAPER AND PENCIL TEST

Written test is test administered on paper or computer. A test taker conducting a written test can respond to specific items by writing or typing the answer within a given space of the test or on a separate form or document.

2. PROJECT

Project consists of collecting, organization, evaluation and presenting the data which must be finished by student (individual or group) in specific time. Aspect of assessment: 1. Organizer, 2. relevance, 3. Originate.

3. PRODUCT

Product is one of the language assessment that involves the creativity of student to make something that can improve their skill. Usually, it takes several weeks for the students to finish it. Aspects that can be valued are 1. Preparing, 2. Process, 3. Product (the quality of it). For example : making story in writing skill.   The example is like when the teachers asks the students to make a compilation of headline news published within a month.

4. PORTOFOLIO

A portfolios is a purposeful collection of student work that is intended  to show progress over time ( O’Malley and valdes pierce,1996:14).  The portfolios may include samples of student of student work, usually selected by the students and teacher to represent learning based on instructional objective. Each portfolios can be scored by using a scoring rubric and checklist. Portfolio include material such as :

1. Essay
2. Report, project outlines
3. Poetry and creative prose
4. Audio or video recordings of presentations
5. Journal
6. Test, test score, written home exercise
7. Notes on lecture
8. Self and peer assessment( comments, evaluations and checklist)

The uses of portfolios encourage the students to reflect on their work, to analyze their progress, and to set improvement goal. Portfolios reveal much more about what students can do with what they know than do standardized test.

The advantages of conducting portfolio :

a.       The teacher can know progress of the student achievement during learning process based on the feedback and self reflection

b.      Inviting the   student to learn to responsible for they want have done, not only in classroom but also outside the classroom in order to study implementation program.

c.       Improving the students ability actively in learning process and evaluating.

The disadvantages of conducting portfolios :

a.   it needs much time and more activities.

b.   The teacher only focus on the result and not consider the process of conducting assessment. The process will get less attention.

c.   if the teacher conduct the teaching learning process by teacher oriented, the student can explore their  initiative and creative freely, so portfolios can not be done successfully.

5. SELF ASSESMENT

Self assesment is part of portofolio used to measure student achivement in teaching and learning process. The key to using portofolio succesfully in classrooms is engaging students in self assesment. Student often need support  in understanding the importent of self assesment , in becoming independent  evaluators of their own proggres , and in setting goals for future learning

Adventage:

1. Students can do their task by self so students dont have
2. Improving student ability
3. Students can motived to study more and more
4. Students can be more responsible

Disadvantage:

1. Individualism

6. PERFORMANCE

A performance test is an assessment that  examinee to  perform a task or activity, rather than simply answering questions . The task performed by the students is consistent with the course goals and curriculum.The purpose is to ensure what is being tested to the students. Performance implies such as speaking skill, et cetera.

According to O’Malley and Veldez Pierce,the characteristic of performance assesment:

·         Students make a constructed response

·         They engage in higher –order  thinking with open-ended task.

·         Task are menaingful ,engaging , and authentic

·         Task call for the integration of language skills.

·         Both process and product are ssesed.

·         Depth of a students mastery is emphasized over

The advantage of performance test :

-          To increase the students self confidence

-          The students unederstand well the material.

The disadvantage of performance test :

-          It needs much time

7. ATTITUDE

Attitudes focus on the behavior that someone do in thir habitual action. Teacher need to know the norms arround of the students., especially for lesson and school environment. If the teacher find the students who has bad attitudes , teacher should chnage and help the bad attitude of the student become good attitudes.

In the scale of attitudes, teacher must consider 3 components :

1.      Cognition ( it is related to belief, idea and concept )

2.      Cognition ( it is related to feeling of someone )

3.      Conation ( it is related to behavior will be done )

so that, we can involve those 3 components into term of assessment.