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
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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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