This edited volume brings together 10 cutting-edge empirical studies on the realities of English language learning, teaching and testing in a wide range of global contexts where English is an additional language. It covers three themes: learners' development of interactional competence, the organization of teaching and testing practices, and…

The ability to interact with others has gained recognition as part of the L2 speaking construct in the assessment literature and in high- and low-stakes speaking assessments. This paper first presents a review of the literature on interactional competence (IC) in L2 learning and assessment. It then discusses a particular feature--"producing…

In vocabulary research there has been a shift from focusing on single words to considering multiword sequences, such as collocations. Despite the general consensus among language researchers that collocation is essential to effective language use in real-world communication, particularly oral communication, language-testing researchers have made…

This article reviews recent studies on English language teaching (ELT) in South Korea, where a great deal of research has been produced in recent years in local journals. In this article we review 95 studies from a pool of some 1,200 published between 2009 and 2014 on English language teaching and learning, focusing on research within the public…

The Communicative Ability in language testing originates from a theory of language as communication proposed by Hymes (1972) and known as "communicative competence". The literature on language testing suggests that the practicality of communicative language testing (CLT) varies depending on how the instructors and teachers conceptualize…

Examines the case for performative testing of communication skills for purposes of academic study. Also, the merits and limitations of performance tests and communicative tests are considered in relation to reinforcing teaching and learning and selecting and recommending students for future courses of study. (SL)

Describes a first-year German course at Portland State University whose dominant feature is regular, frequent individual oral testing using the Interagency Language Roundtable model of the oral interview. Each student was individually tested every two weeks. Describes the testing procedure, giving sample test scripts and the transcript of an…

This paper highlights central topics in language testing theory and practice that are relevant to the examination of modern language teaching and learning. Part 1 gives a time-lapse picture of the development of models of language competence in language testing, discusses the distinction between descriptive models and working models, and reviews…

Currently accepted principles of communicative approaches to second language pedagogy are examined to determine the extent to which they are grounded in theories of language, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and other language-related disciplines. The discussion of communicative approaches distinguishes the notions of communicative competence…

Information in published articles on communicative testing is examined and discussed from the point of view of a classroom teacher. The administrability, reliability, and validity of communicative language testing are highlighted. (MSE)

The influence of the communicative approach to second language teaching on the design of the new Certificates in Communicative Skills in English tests is examined, and the evaluation of the tests in practice is discussed from that perspective. It is proposed that a number of characteristics of the new series should relate directly and consciously…

The recent psycholinguistic-sociolinguistic trend in foreign language teaching indicates a shift of interest away from quantitative data towards qualitative information of different kinds. Validity and relevance are stressed and so new test formats are demanded, as well as new methods of dealing with student answers. Item analysis techniques used…

Describes a pilot project whereby oral proficiency interviews were administered to students studying fourth- and fifth-year year German at Amherst Regional High School in Massachusetts. The interviews were based on techniques taught at the American Council on the teaching of Foreign Languages/Educational Testing Service Oral Proficiency Summer…

Discusses the fundamental principles of evaluation to show that the conventional approaches to testing have led to a situation where procedure requirements overshadow the objectives of the learning process. Advocates instruments that address realistic communication goals and states criteria based on the learner's need for continous, constructive…

Provides a personal view of the history of Anglo-American language testing over the last half-century. Argues that major developments in the field have tended to be embraced too enthusiastically so that they have led to unbalanced views concerning the construct definition of language, the scope of test impact, and the value of new methods of test…