Towards a Theory of Diagnosis in Second and Foreign Language Assessment: Insights from Professional Practice Across Diverse Fields

Alderson, J. Charles; Brunfaut, Tineke; Harding, Luke

doi:10.1093/applin/amt046

Cited by 78 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…This teachers' priority was also confirmed in this study and is consistent with the research that confirms the positive relationship between reading and listening tests, in that they also share specific aspects in the field of cognitive processing (Zeeland & Schmitt, 2012;Harding, Alderson & Brunfaut, 2015). This is the advantage of the interdependence between skills, and teachers seem to be aware of this positive resource for assessing and teaching students in a L2 context (Chien, Palau and Sun (2014).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The Big Four Skills: Teachers’ Assumptions on Measurement of Non-Native Students Cognition

Figueiredo¹,

Martins²,

Silva³

et al. 2016

The European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences

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The four-skills on tests for young native speakers commonly do not generate correlation incongruency concerning the cognitive strategies frequently reported. Considering the non-native speakers there are parse evidence to determine which tasks are important to assess properly the cognitive and academic language proficiency (Cummins, 1980;. Research questions: It is of high probability that young students with origin in immigration significantly differ on their communication strategies and skills in a second language processing context (1); attached to this first assumption, it is supposed that teachers significantly differ depending on their scientific area and previous training (2). Purpose: This study intends to examine whether school teachers (K-12) as having different origin in scientific domain of teaching and training perceive differently an adapted four-skills scale, in European Portuguese. Research methods: 77 teachers of five areas scientific areas, mean of teaching year service = 32 (SD= 2,7), 57 males and 46 females (from basic and high school levels). Main findings: ANOVA (Effect size and Post-hoc Tukey tests) and linear regression analysis (stepwise method) revealed statistically significant differences among teachers of different areas, mainly between language teachers and science teachers. Language teachers perceive more accurately tasks in a multiple manner to the broad skills that require to be measured in non-native students. Conclusion: If teachers perceive differently the importance of the big-four tasks, there would be incongruence on skills measurement that teachers select for immigrant puppils. Non-balanced tasks and the teachers' perceptions on evaluation and toward competence of students would likely determine limitations for academic and cognitive development of non-native students. Furthermore, results showed sufficient evidence to conclude that tasks are perceived differently by teachers toward importance of specific skills subareas. Reading skills are best considered compared to oral comphreension skills in non-native students.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The Big Four Skills: Teachers’ Assumptions on Measurement of Non-Native Students Cognition

Figueiredo¹,

Martins²,

Silva³

et al. 2016

The European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences

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“…Phraseological knowledge needs to become incorporated into measurement tools of linguistic knowledge and into studies that investigate the relationship of linguistic knowledge and reading ability. This is particularly relevant in light of the increasing interest in diagnostic language testing (Alderson 2005;Jang 2009;Lee and Sawaki 2009;Alderson et al 2015), for which instruments need to be developed that 'target specific, atomistic aspects of language knowledge' (Alderson et al 2015: 22). As linguistic knowledge is crucial to reading ability, diagnostic tests of this component may enable tailoring language support and linguistic instruction for reading pedagogy more to the needs of the students in the classroom.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Role of Phraseological Knowledge in Foreign Language Reading

Kremmel

Brunfaut

Alderson

2015

Applied Linguistics

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Foreign language (FL) knowledge has been shown to contribute significantly to FL reading performance. Studies have contrasted the contribution of FL vocabulary and syntactic knowledge, following a dichotomous view of these components, producing mixed results. Despite the increasingly recognized formulaic nature of language, the contribution made by phraseological knowledge to reading ability has not been investigated systematically. This study examines the impact of a broader construct definition of linguistic knowledge-which includes a phraseological component-in explaining variance in reading performances. Test scores of 418 learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) were modeled in a structural equation model, showing that a phraseological knowledge measure outperformed traditional syntactic and vocabulary measures in predicting reading comprehension variance. Additional insights into the role of phraseological knowledge were gained through verbal protocol analysis of 15 EFL learners answering reading comprehension items that targeted the understanding of phrasal expressions within written context. The findings hint at an underestimated, but critical, role of phraseological knowledge in FL reading, and are relevant to both the assessment and the teaching of EFL ability.

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“…To develop a tentative framework for a theory of diagnosis in second or foreign language assessment, Alderson, Brunfaut, & Harding (2014) recently conducted a research on how diagnosis is accomplished across a range of professions and proposed a set of five broad principles, encompassing the whole enterprise of diagnostic assessment (pp. 21-22):…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Having been abstracted from descriptions of diagnostic practices across a range of professions (including such fields as medicine, education, information technology and mechanics), such a process has a firm theoretical basis; however, its application to the field of language assessment remains untested (Alderson et al, 2014). A dynamic assessment can provide both teachers and learners with the rich feedback they require in order to set future goals and overcome the learners' weaknesses at different stages of learning through scaffolding and mediating.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aim of this paper, then, is to explore the implications of the diagnostic process proposed by Alderson et al (2014) for the assessment of writing through the application of DSA. Accordingly, based on his/her experience and observation, the teacher can hypothetically assess the learners' current ZPD, their probable weaknesses and their future demands, consulting students about their perceptions of the course requirements and goals as well as their weaknesses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diagnostic Assessment of Writing through Dynamic Self-Assessment

Mazloomi

Khabiri

2016

IJEL

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Deeply rooted in the sociocultural theory of mind by Vygotsky, Dynamic assessment (DA) asserts that mediation is essential for online diagnosis in the classroom. One of the major challenges facing language teachers is the assessment of the learners' Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) level or diagnosing the amount of mediation or scaffolding they require to achieve their potential level. Ongoing assessment of the learner's ZPD and the tailoring of mediation to fit the learning environment seems to be a vital stage. Dynamic self-assessment (DSA) can be applied for diagnostic purposes in writing classes. In this research, it is assumed that the analysis and comparison of teacher's assessment and DSA will not only indicate their ZPD level or the amount of mediation the learners require but also diagnose their weaknesses and strengths in writing. A quasi-experimental research on 60 sophomore English Translation students in essay writing classes in Islamshahr Azad University revealed that DSA not only significantly affects the EFL learners' writing ability, but also it is incrementally correlated with teacher's assessment through 8 weeks of treatment, and the analysis of DSAs reveals the leaner's' weaknesses and the areas which should be emphasized.

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Towards a Theory of Diagnosis in Second and Foreign Language Assessment: Insights from Professional Practice Across Diverse Fields

Cited by 78 publications

References 19 publications

The Big Four Skills: Teachers’ Assumptions on Measurement of Non-Native Students Cognition

The Big Four Skills: Teachers’ Assumptions on Measurement of Non-Native Students Cognition

Exploring the Role of Phraseological Knowledge in Foreign Language Reading

Diagnostic Assessment of Writing through Dynamic Self-Assessment

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