网络环境下英语测试学课程建设初探

校园网络教学平台的开发与利用为英语测试学课程建设提供了契机。然而,网络平台功能有待进一步开发和利用,学习素材需要多样化,教师要从认知的角度调查教学平台对学生学习方式、学习策略和情感态度的影响。

对英语测试学的研究

阐述了英语测试学的形成、发展及未来的重要性。

关于公安院校英语口语测试体系建设的几点思考

英语口语测试是对英语口语教学效果的有效检验和促进,是挖掘和培养英语人才的重要工具,公安院校应加强英语口语测试体系的建设。以北京警察学院的英语口语测试实践为例,比较分析了警院学期末口语测试与全国大学英语四六级口语测试的差异,讨论了传统情景对话题型的局限和看图对话新题型的效果,研究了公安基层单位对职业英语口语测试的需求,在此基础上,提出公安院校大学英语口语测试体系改革发展的新设想。

新版高职高专《英语》教材试教结果分析

针对近几年来高职高专学生英语入学水平急剧下降的现象,高职高专院校的英语教师普遍认为对这些学生仍使用上海外语教育出版社出版的《大学英语精读》教材已与学生实际英语水平不相符。与此同时,高教部组织编写了一本高职高专教材《英语》。作者对此新教材进行了试教,试教结果用全国大学英语水平CET3与高等学校英语应用能力考试A级(PRETCOA)进行检验。结果表明,此新教材不但适合高职院校的高职生英语学习,而且还提高了学生的英语运用能力。

Reliability and Content Validity of a Comprehensive Discourse Completion Test of Interlanguage Pragmatics for Academic Situations

The present study aimed at investigating the reliability and content validity of a comprehensive test of Interlanguage Pragmatics （ILP） developed for the academic situations in the Iranian context. To do so, a meta-analysis of 50 articles which had reported on the tests of ILP was done and the criteria required for the selection of the speech acts of academic situations were developed. Then a Multiple-Choice Discourse Completion Test （MDCT） of interlanguage pragmatics was developed and validated through native checked situations and items based on meta-pragmatics procedures. Participants of the study were 50 M.A. students majoring in TEFL （Teaching English as a Foreign Language） studying at Iranian universities as well as 50 native speakers of English. The findings revealed that the test developed enjoyed high internal consistency and content validity. The present findings could contribute to the fields of second language testing and assessment in general and testing interlanguage pragmatics in particular.

Evaluation on washback effects of College English Test Band 4

The paper is an evaluative research on the possible washback effects of College English Test. By comparing and analyzing the differences between the old and new tests, it points out three major changes and their possible washback effects on the process of English language teaching and learning： abandon the part of Grammar ＆ Vocabulary, increase the proportion of listening test and change the test reporting form.

On the Causes of Negative Impact of CET-4

As one of the world well-known high-stakes tests, CET-4 （College English Test Band 4） changed from being generally accepted to being widely questioned in the past 25 years. In spite of a series of reforms of CET-4, the negative impact of CET-4 remains intense. Three main reasons are probed into here. Firstly, the objective of CET-4 is ambiguous. Secondly, the test objective does not accord with teaching objective. Finally, test contents do not match well with the practical language use. To improve the present passive state of CET-4, some suggestions are given.

The Improvement of CET4 Test

College English Test Band IV has aroused argument among students and English teachers, especially about its validity and reliability. The key problem of CET4 lies in that it lack of validity and its shortcoming results in some negative influence on language teaching. In order to improve the positive backwash of CET4, we must first make clearly six questions concerning validity of test. At the same time we should consider other factors when we reform the CET4.

Effects of visuals on simulated CET-3 listening test

In real-time situation, listeners rely on linguistic knowledge as well as contextual information to process acoustic signals, while presently in China, most listening comprehension tests do not include visuals （visuals bearing content or contextual information） to facilitate the listening. The present paper chooses several simulated CET-3 listening comprehension as the experimental materials and tries to investigate the effects of different types of visuals, such as pictures, diagrams, and photos of the speakers＇ part, with items on the CET-3 listening tests.

Multiple Choice Reading Comprehension Tests and English as a Foreign Language （EFL） Learners Answering Strategies

As far as we are concemed, one of the elements of assessing EFL/ESL （English as a Foreign Language/English as a Second Language） learners＇ language proficiency in institutions and universities in our country ＂lran＂ are multiple-choice reading comprehension tests. We also know that, it comprises one major section of the standard and TOEFL （Test of English as a Foreign Language） tests. Taking into account its importance and the problems which EFL learners have answered them, I get motivated to uncover some of the test-taking strategies which they employ to answer multiple-choice reading comprehension questions when dealing with familiar versus unfamiliar topics. To get a better conclusion, I choose 20 advanced male and female candidates whose English proficiency is at an acceptable level and at least at the same age level, and they major in English language from different colleges and universities. They are given two reading comprehension passages （familiar and unfamiliar）, each one with five final questions and allotted time to answer the questions. Two main instruments in this study are a retrospective think-aloud protocol and a semi-structured interview. The results of the reading comprehension tests and interview part revealed that advanced learners＇ high scores in the familiar topic were not because of their strategy use but because of their high linguistic and background knowledge on the topic. I also concluded that the number, kind, and sequence of strategies employed, were greatly dependent on the degree of testees＇ familiarity on the topic. In other words, test-takers used more strategies to compensate for their lack of linguistic knowledge.

An Online English Course Teaching Model Based on Scene Simulation

In order to improve the English online courses teaching scene adaptability, optimize the online English teaching mode, improve the quality of English teaching, an English online course teaching platform is proposed based on scene simulation. B/S client communication protocol is constructed in network transport layer, and the scene simulation model of English Online Course Teaching is established, online English teaching platform designed in this paper is constructed based on the sensing layer, network layer and application layer. A data processing center is constructed in the B/S structure and the network environment, Open Core kernel is used to realize the optimization of teaching model of English online courses, improve the teaching platform of online courses, and improve the scene adaptation ability. The test results show that the platform for online English teaching has better independent learning ability, the effectiveness of online English course teaching is better, test objects have higher satisfaction with English Online Course Teaching.

Evaluation of College English Test

There has been much heated discussion on College English Test for non-English majors Band 4 and Band 6 because it has exerted great influence on English teaching in Chinese universities. This essay is intended to explore the reliability, validity,practicality and washback of this large-scale test by focusing on CET Band 4. The author of this report discusses the merits as well as some existing problems of this test and offers some suggestions at the end of the essay.

Viewing English Teaching and Test Method from a Brand-new Perspective

There has been close relationship between English test method and teaching method. When we make great efforts to reform the English teaching method we should improve the English test method. In this way, we can increase the test efficiency, trustiness, English teaching quality and evaluation function, to transform the teaching from examination-oriented education into quality education.

The Use of Task-Based Activities to Improve Listening and Speaking Skills in EFL Context

The aim of this study was to improve EFL learners＇ English listening and speaking skills at a State University in Turkey, School of Foreign Languages, Department of Basic English B1 and BI＋ groups through task-based activities. The participants were 56 in total, studying in the academic year of 2014-2015 Spring Fall. The instruments used for collecting data were 16 lesson plans and the speaking and listening quiz results as post-tests. The data were statistically analyzed by mean, max, and min values of the scores. Teaching process and the lesson plans were recorded by researcher then presented in essay form. After the implementation and the post-tests, the participants＇ opinions about the task were collected as an interview. The results of the study showed that B1 groups did not get significant results from listening test and get nearly significant scores from speaking test while the listening and speaking results of BI＋ groups through task-based learning after the implementations were highly significant, which shows that their participation in the task-based activities in the classroom reflected the results positively. Also the students＇ opinions about task-based learning and teaching activities were respectively positive. As a result, it can be said that task-based activities play a significant role in improving listening and speaking skills in EFL settings.

Web Quest and EFL Critical Reading and Writing

This study aimed at investigating the effect of using a Web Quest program on developing some EFL critical reading and writing skills of the first year experimental secondary school students. The participants of the study were 60 students from one of the Experimental Secondary Schools in Egypt. Instruments of the study were EFL critical reading and writing tests. Students in both the experimental and the control groups were pre-tested using the critical reading test and the writing test. Then, students of the experimental group were using Web Quest. Finally, students in both groups were post-tested using the same instruments. The study showed that there was statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the pre and the post critical reading test and writing test of the experimental group in favor of the post tests. This difference can be attributed to using Web Quest.

An Investigation of English Language Learning in Synchronous （SL） and Asynchronous （ASL） E-Learning

This study investigated the factors affecting the English language learning of students in SL （synchronous） and ASL （asynchronous） e-learning. The subjects were 102 undergraduate students at Bang Khen and Kamphaengsaen Campus, Kasetsart University. Before the experiment, the subjects answered an online questionnaire adopted from Reid （1998） to measure their perceptual learning style preferences. Then, they were grouped according to their English grades and were randomly assigned to two experimental groups. Each group was given learning tasks requiring different cognitive strategies. The two groups received two treatments with SL and ASL simultaneously. After each treatment, both groups were tested. They were given a questionnaire at the end of the treatments to retrieve their opinions, Data from both tests were analyzed using 2 ~ 2 factorial ANOVA repeated measures. The results showed no significant difference between the two tasks and no interaction effect among types of tasks and SL and ASL. However, a significant difference was found between SL and ASL. The results of the survey showed that the subjects preferred ASL which was in contrast to the results from statistical analyses. The learning style preferences of the two experiment groups were not different; therefore, they were not the factors in the analysis

Guidance of CET Translation Test for College English Teaching Reform

English teaching reform are launched nationwide, involving curriculum, classroom teaching as well as many other aspects of language proficiency test. Its purpose is to change the past neglect of English proficiency training. Newly created translation project in CET will play a huge role in promoting direction on the teaching reform and further clarify the core teaching reform.

The Role of EQ in EFL Students＇ Foreign Language Learning

EQ （Emotional Quotient） is considered a key component in foreign language learning. This study examined the relationship between EFL （English as a Foreign Language） students＇ EQ and learning strategies, English proficiency with EIS （Emotinal Intelligence Scale） and Strategy Inventory for Language Learning as well as students＇ tests in English listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Pearson correlation and regression analysis were applied in the data processing. The subsequent data analysis reveals that there is significant relationship between EFL students＇ EQ and their learning strategies as well as English proficiency. The correlation between EQ and affective strategies and the correlation between EQ and English speaking proficiency are higher than others. The factors which contribute to the correlation are analyzed. Furthermore, it is suggested for EFL teachers to take measures to facilitate students＇ EQ in classroom teaching

TEST ANALYSIS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS' CAPABILITY IN ENGLISH COMMUNICATION

While Colleague English Tests (CET) have promoted the college English teaching, they have also led to the extension of test-oriented education and hindered students' capability in communication. To examine the validity of CET Band Four, resumed tests were carried out in sampled students of Grade 2001 one year after they took CET-4 in December, 2002. The control class was examined with the original paper of CET-4 2002, while the treatment class was tested with the same paper in which the multiple-choice questions were all changed into the subjective ones. The test scores were processed by statistical analysis. The results showed that although there was no significant difference between the two classes in CET-4 scores, there was significant difference between them in their experimental test scores. The scores of the treatment class were significantly lower than that of the control class, which proves that CET cannot objectively reflect students' capability in communication, and thus its validity is low. To eliminate the negative backwash effect of CET, suggestions are put forward that CET be devised as a criterion-referenced test, frequency of the test be reduced, subjective questions be increased, and commercialization of the test be avoided.

Assessment Literacy of Secondary EFL Teachers: Evidence from a Regional EFL Test

This study investigated the assessment skills of secondary EFL teachers through analyzing the quality of test items on a municipal English examination for eighth graders in a city located in northern China. Data included students＇ answers to test items as well as a post-test questionnaire and teachers＇ responses to semi-structured interviews. It was found that overall, the test functioned satisfactorily, with most items moderately easy yet discriminating, and high internal consistency and strong correlations among subscale scores. However, item analysis and content review of the test identified some items with incorrect or multiple keys, which may result from a combination of EFL teachers＇ inadequate language proficiency and their attempts to write attractive distractors.