22. Assessing the state of assessment: Communication competence

Abstract

The key concepts, dimensions and decisions involved in assessing communication competence are reviewed. Competence assessment depends first upon locating competence in skills or abilities, or in impressions of those skills and abilities. The criteria of competence, such as accuracy, appropriateness and effectiveness, also require inclusion. A taxonomy of communicative competence measurement dimensions is explicated, and its implications for developing and validating competence assessments are explored. The three basic dimensions are locus, directness and generalization. Key issues and challenges are identified through the exploration of the questions: What, who, where, how, and why assessments are being made.

Qualitative Changes in Communication Competency Among Women in Bihar, India: Heifer International’s Impact on Personal Transformation

“…It also offers the degrees of progression that might be possible to achieve as they seek to create a better life for themselves and their families. Although scholars have been working on conceptualizing the nature of communication competency for decades (e.g., Spitzberg, 1997Spitzberg, , 2015, much of the theoretical work in this area is not focused on (a) marginalized groups, (b) individuals living in poverty, and (c) on the actual lived experiences of individuals who are improving their communication skills. Research has documented the impact of communication training in a wide range of contexts, but most of those fall into professional contexts such as leadership, health care delivery, or managementall of which involve people who are well-educated and in stable economic contexts (see Waldron & Yungbluth, 2015).…”

The development of the conversation skills assessment tool

“…While the original intentions of the authors were to adapt the CSRS tool to meet the needs of the broader project, during this process, the authors realized they were in fact developing a new tool. The CSRS is generally well-received due to its practicality, efficiency, and reliability in assessing interpersonal communication skills (Spitzberg & Adams, 1995). However, the authors needed a measure that produced reliable results across multiple observers and different contexts (e.g., gender-based, culturalthe team consisted of members from north America, Asia, and Europe); an observational measure was needed that could be used to assess the observable behaviours associated with having a conversation not only quantitatively (i.e., by noting frequencies), but also qualitatively.…”

“…Does not provide a quick, brief, concise answer but rather offers a more detailed, informative and expansive response SHORT: One phrase/sentence MEDIUM: two phrases/sentences (separated by comma or full stop) LONG: Three or more phrase/sentences (separated by commas and/or full stops) Phrase: a few words without verb or subject Sentence: a verb and subject along with other words 7. term or situation, they may have appeared to digress from the original topic. From these steps, the final version of ChAT assessment tool was born, in a manner that arguably evolved beyond adapting the CSRS and ultimately created a new type of measure, since there were few similarities remaining between the CSRS and what evolved to become the ChAT (see, Spitzberg & Adams, 1995). The items from the revised second version of the tool, which were subsequently used for the scoring of 12 videos (i.e., involving four videos from each of the three participants), are listed below:…”