Investigating the Reliability of Speaking Tests/Exams in the Department of English – MMUTO : The case of Third-Year Classes

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Date

2018-06

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi-Ouzou

Abstract

The present research work aims at exploring the reliability of speaking assessment tools used in the English Department at Mouloud Mammeri Univesity of Tizi-ouzou. The overall objective is to check the reliability of ‘speaking’ tests, starting from the principle that the more accurately a score represents a student’s true language ability, the more reliable a test will be. The study is conducted relying on Lyle Bachman’s theory referred to as ‘Communicative Language Ability’ (1990), which is the combination of both communicative competence and language proficiency. For this, data are collected through a questionnaire administered to twenty teachers of Speaking/Listening subject of study, and an analysis of speaking exams. The research is conducted using a mixed method approach to analyze both qualitative and quantitative results. The findings reported in this paper indicate that the speaking tests are reliable, since students who pass these tests can cope with similar communication situations in real life. Moreover, it is deduced that many factors can affect negatively on students’ performance. To conclude, some recommendations are suggested at the end of this dissertation.

Description

64p.:ill;30cm.(+cd)

Keywords

Speaking exams, reliability, Communicative Language Ability, real-life situations, communicative competence

Citation

Langue et Communication