Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
A feasible communicative test of oral English L2 proficiency for secondary pupils
Thesis (M. Ed.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1996.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2012
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613906051006464 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Damon, Keith Charles George |
| author2 | Puhl, C. A. |
| author_browse | Damon, Keith Charles George Puhl, C. A. |
| author_facet | Puhl, C. A. Damon, Keith Charles George |
| author_sort | Damon, Keith Charles George |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (M. Ed.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1996. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/54959 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:35.067Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publishDateRange | 2012 |
| publishDateSort | 2012 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/54959 A feasible communicative test of oral English L2 proficiency for secondary pupils Damon, Keith Charles George Puhl, C. A. Swartz, J. J. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies. Oral communication -- Study and teaching English language -- Spoken English -- Study and teaching Dissertations -- Education Thesis (M. Ed.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1996. The communicative approach to teaching a language has replaced traditional structural methods of teaching and learning English as a second language (ESL). This shift in approach has necessitated a shift in methods of evaluation. Traditional methods of evaluation tended to concentrate on testing separate aspects of the language. In the communicative approach what ultimately has to be tested is the communicative language ability of the learner, and this has to be done in as authentic a manner as possible. In South African schools there is no effective instrument for assessing oral proficiency in ESL learners. Current criteria are of little or no help to the teacher wishing to assess a pupil's speaking and listening in English. These criteria are vague and force the teacher to make an assessment which is highly subjective and consequently open to criticism as being invalid or reliable. A way to assess communicative proficiency is necessary in a society which places great stress on the ability to be conversant in more than one language. To address this need, the search for a feasible, communicative test of ESL at secondary level was undertaken by examining the shift to communicative language teaching and its implications for evaluation. The development of such an instrument cannot be done in isolation and therefore it was necessary to examine testing theory and to review successful oral proficiency instruments to see what they offer for the situation in South Africa. The insight gained was utilised to develop an instrument specifically for secondary school level. The instrument, based on the guidelines issued by the American Council on the teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), is called the Oral Proficiency Assessment Scale (OPAS). Devising a way to obtain a representative language sample was a problem because the commonly used interview method was impractical for use in a classroom setting. A solution was found in using Strategic Interaction (SI), which allowed pupils to generate spontaneous language in interaction, and at the same time the rest of the class could be gaining speaking experience under the teacher's supervision. The OPAS was then implemented on a small scale, and conclusions about its feasibility were drawn. Recommendations were made to improve it further research was indicated to develop this testing procedure more fully. Masters 2012-08-27T11:36:49Z 2012-08-27T11:36:49Z 1996 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/54959 en Stellenbosch University 148 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Oral communication -- Study and teaching English language -- Spoken English -- Study and teaching Dissertations -- Education Damon, Keith Charles George A feasible communicative test of oral English L2 proficiency for secondary pupils |
| title | A feasible communicative test of oral English L2 proficiency for secondary pupils |
| title_full | A feasible communicative test of oral English L2 proficiency for secondary pupils |
| title_fullStr | A feasible communicative test of oral English L2 proficiency for secondary pupils |
| title_full_unstemmed | A feasible communicative test of oral English L2 proficiency for secondary pupils |
| title_short | A feasible communicative test of oral English L2 proficiency for secondary pupils |
| title_sort | feasible communicative test of oral english l2 proficiency for secondary pupils |
| topic | Oral communication -- Study and teaching English language -- Spoken English -- Study and teaching Dissertations -- Education |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/54959 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT damonkeithcharlesgeorge afeasiblecommunicativetestoforalenglishl2proficiencyforsecondarypupils AT damonkeithcharlesgeorge feasiblecommunicativetestoforalenglishl2proficiencyforsecondarypupils |