Abstracts
Al-Jarf,
Reima
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
Testing Research Skills in EFL
Since most Saudi graduate students
are not proficient in English, they are required to take an ESP course when
admitted to the M.A. and Ph.D. programs, in order to enable them to locate
abstracts and full-text articles from specialized electronic databases and
websites for their courses, assignments, and theses as part of their ESP
courses. At the end of the training
module, the students were given individual research projects, for which they
had to select the search terms, define the search strategy, select the relevant
database, go online, log into the electronic database, go through the searching
steps, conduct simple and advanced searches, and print and save the actual
records obtained. The test required the
students to locate different types of resources such as dissertation abstracts,
refereed journal articles etc… Secondly, Screen shots of were also printed and
handed out to students together with questions.
Those required the students to identify, mark, circle, fill in, and
explain certain parts of a search screen, search commands or abbreviations. Finally, the students were asked to skim
through sample abstracts and research articles and locate and summarize the aim
of the study, type of instrument used in collecting the data, the subjects,
data collection procedures, statistical analysis procedures and results. A
detailed description of test content and research skills measured by the test
will be given. Scoring of students’ responses, statistical analysis and sample
questions will be given
Al-Jarf, Reima
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
Testing Reading for Special
Purposes
Since most Saudi graduate students are not proficient
in English, they are required to take an ESP course when admitted to the M.A.
and Ph.D. programs, in order to enable them to read and comprehend reference
material in English and locate information the internet for their courses,
assignments, and theses. Based on a needs assessment questionnaire results, an
ESP course focusing on reading comprehension, specialized art terms,
translation and online art materials was especially designed to meet the students’
academic and professional needs.
Authentic art texts were selected from online art encyclopaedias, online
art encyclopaedic dictionaries, internet art websites, and online art book
reviews. The texts increased in length
and difficulty level. They had different organizational structures and most
text had familiar themes. At the end of
the semester, the students took a final exam that consisted of reading and
comprehending art texts, defining specialized art terms, translating art texts
into Arabic, locating, skimming through and translating online art
materials. The reading test required the
students to recognize the art text macro- and micro-structures, to locate main
ideas and supporting details such as names of artists, artworks and place
names, characteristics, classification, time sequences, enumeration, comparison
and contrast, outlining and identifying key concepts and key terms in the
text. The test required the students to
figure out meanings of key art terms from context. It also required them to
identify the part of speech of some art terms in context and to break art terms
into prefixes, suffixes and roots. The translation subtest required the
students to render a translation of the overall meaning of the text. The
students were also asked questions that required them to go online, search for
the ARTcyclopedia, National Art Education Association, an art conference, art
book reviews from Amazon, the British Museum, and the Turkish Plastic Arts Archives. They were required to skim through those
websites and locate specific information. As for the Art book reviews, students
had to render the general meaning of selected book reviews in Arabic. A
detailed description of the content sampled and skills tested (i.e., table of
specifications) will be described in detail. Sample items will be shown and
statistical analyses of those tests will be reported.
Anckar, Joanna
Jyväskylä University, Finland
Investigating FL Listening
comprehension tests –where
the listening processes and the test method meet
FL listening comprehension
ability is frequently measured especially in large scale assessment contexts
through the means of the multiple choice method. However, many scholars are
questioning the validity of the method, as processes outside the listening
comprehension proper may affect the test scores.
In order to verify the validity of the use
of a multiple choice test I have let test-takers (at the Finnish matriculation level,
CEF A2; n:218) briefly write down justifications for selecting an option at
each item of a test of listening comprehension. Through these introspective
responses I have established a model of the activated cognitive processes,
covering both the processing of the written test items and the spoken text as
well as the use of different strategies. Among influencing variables are the
characteristics of an individual item and the ability level of the test-taker.
Ayosso, Laure
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Is the “culture test” an
accurate reflection of students’ (inter)cultural competence?
In second language (L2)
learning contexts where there is little opportunity to be in direct contact
with L2 culture(s), it is often challenging for teachers to assess the
progression of learners’ cultural acquisition (Valette, 1986). This paper thus
examines this assertion in light of the results of a test of general cultural
knowledge about France and
other Francophone countries which was administered to university students
(N=88) at a U.K.
language centre.
The research instrument consisted of a questionnaire made up of ten
items, and data was obtained through quantitative analysis. The answers were
analysed through a range of independent variables such as level of competence
in French, gender, age, field of study and nationality. The findings were then
linked to a broader study on students’ and tutors’ attitudes toward the
cultural contents of French language courses.
The results of the test generally yielded low scores, although they
tended to improve according to some predictable factors such as level and
age. More interestingly, students’
nationalities and fields of study also played a role in the extent of cultural
knowledge.
In light of this study’s results, I will firstly discuss the concepts of
“second culture acquisition” (Libben & Lindner, 1996; Lantolf, 1999) and
progression of cultural acquisition in course material (Neuner, 1997; 2003). I
will then reflect on formative and summative means of assessing cultural
knowledge in French courses specifically aimed at ‘non-language’ degree
students by referring, in particular, to the Oxford University Programme in
Languages (OPAL certificates).
Baumann, Uwe
The Open University, United Kingdom
Title
of Proposal: Intercultural communicative competence : a case study of a distance learning German
course for adults
The
concept of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has been widely
accepted in Europe and nowadays forms part of
the teaching of languages and culture(s) in educational settings (see Byram,
1997; Byram & Morgan, 1994; Byram et al., 2001). The research literature
focuses mainly on the acquisition of ICC among secondary school children and
young adults in universities (see for instance the British-based Interculture
Project (http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/).
In comparison, less is known about adult learners of languages and their ICC
who are ‘a special target group, with special interests and needs which differ
to some extent from those of children and young people’ (Lorentsen (1995)
quoted in Aarup Jensen et al., 1995: 9). This paper uses a case study to offer
an insight into the intercultural learning of an adult student of German at the
Open University, UK.
It will assess what effect the study of a higher level German course at a
distance has had on the learner’s ICC, drawing on questionnaire and interview
data.
References
AARUP JENSEN, A., JAEGER, K. AND LORENTSEN, A.,
eds, 1995. Intercultural competence. A new challenge for language teachers
and trainers in Europe. Vol II The Adult Learner. Aalborg: Aalborg University Press.
BYRAM, M. & MORGAN, C., 1994. Teaching-and-learning
language-and-culture. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
BYRAM, M., 1997. Teaching and assessing
intercultural communicative competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
BYRAM, M., NICHOLS, A. & STEVENS, D., 2001,
eds, Developing intercultural competence in practice. Clevedon.:
Multilingual Matters.
THE INTERCULTURE PROJECT (2000) http://wwwlancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/ last accessed 30 January 2007
Baykal, Pýnar
Anadolu University, Turkey
Are you assessing grammar or speaking?
In Anadolu University School of Foreign Languages, one of the goals in Grammar course is to enable the students to produce the language in meaningful contexts. Therefore, to align the teaching with assessment, Performance Assessment, a form of testing that requires students to perform a task rather than select an answer from a ready-made list, is used in Grammar classes. Students are expected to perform and participate in written and oral tasks that induce the production of certain structures, and they are assessed according to previously set criteria. Although it is relatively easy to assess the students’ written final product, it is really demanding for the instructors to focus on the structure, task achievement and to assess the students while they are doing the speaking task. Therefore, this study aims to find out the difficulties the instructors come across while assessing the students according to the criteria during the oral tasks. The study employs the questionnaire to 10 grammar instructors. The results will be presented and discussed in detail in the conference.
Borecka, Marcela
Brno University of Technology, Czech
Republic
Teaching Foreign Languages to
Engineering Students: Some Aspects of
Assessment and Self-Assessment
The paper will give an overview concerning
the system of teaching languages to engineering students with special focus on
the assessment of selected language
competences and on the importance of standardization of language teaching in
accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Some of the general and specialized
courses will be discussed with respect to course evaluation, current forms of
testing and examining.
The importance of Language for Specific
Purposes will also be mentioned.
Some examples of application of language
assessment will be commented in greater detail.
Information technology and its use as:
- a basis for
self-assessment of first year student´s entrance level of English,
- a means of
compensation for the low study load in language learning at the faculty
(e-learning and self-testing),
- a tool of
gaining feedback from exchange students as a basis for the assessment of their
needs in different language skills,
will also be mentioned
Chapman, Mark
Hokkaido University, Japan
The use of a group oral test
in a Japanese university: validity and practicality.
The
purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate the use of a group oral English
test at a university in Japan. The group oral test has attracted attention
recently (Bonk and Ockey, 2003; Van Moere, 2006) as a valid and practical
alternative to the traditional face-to-face interview test format. The
presenter will show how the group oral is employed through videos of student
performances. The videos will act as a springboard for discussion of the use of
the group oral as a practical and efficient way to assess the cultural
competence of learners in an EAP program in higher education. In the author’s
opinion this test format offers construct validity and positive washback to an
EAP program which emphasizes the ability to construct and manage small-group
discussions. Additionally, as the group oral allows four candidates to be
assessed within fifteen minutes, it is more practical than other tests of spoken
English proficiency.
Chiang, Yung-nan
Tunghai
University, Taiwan
(Un)Break My L2 Cross-Cultural Communication: Interviews with International Graduate
Students Studying in the USA
In order to be admitted into American universities, international
students must take standardized English proficiency tests, such as TOEFL. Those
with high test scores, however, do not necessarily mean that they will be
successful communicators in real world interaction. In other words, although
standardized tests may measure EFL learners’ linguistics abilities, they are
inadequate descriptors of international students’ pragmatic cross-cultural
communication abilities. In order to compensate for the limitations of purely
linguistic measures, this study investigated international students’ pragmatic
English communication abilities from their own perspectives by interviewing
three international graduates studying at
a research university in southern USA. The interview data were coded
and analyzed using Lincoln
and Guba’s (1985) qualitative coding/analysis method. Results found that
confidence emerged as the wings of L2 communication while anxiety emerged as
the primary turbulence under the wings. As the wings of L2 communication,
confidence fluctuated across different communication settings, with academic
settings as a buffer zone, social settings as a danger zone, and telephone
settings as a no-fly zone. As the primary turbulence under the wings, anxiety
interacted with three broken feathers in the wings, including linguistic
constraint, cognitive inefficiency, and social-psychological distance, to
disrupt L2 communication. Finally, authentic care and interaction, “real”
listening, and relaxing ambience were found to be the winds beneath the wings that facilitate the participants’ L2
communication by boosting their confidence and assuaging their anxiety. Implications
for pedagogy and future research are suggested.
Dervin, Fred & Suomela-Salmi, Eija
University of
Turku, Finland
Students’ voices on their Master’s Voice: Finnish students of French gauging the assessment of written competences.
The assessment of foreign language competences has long been based on purely linguistic and teacher-centered approaches in most teaching/learning contexts. With new methodologies being developed under the influence of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the time for changes seems to have come. Basing our model of language and (inter-)cultural competences on reflections around the Framework, our paper proposes to examine Finnish university students of French’s perceptions and interpretations of assessment of their written productions at a Finnish university. The study is based on two sets of data. The first part of our paper concentrates on a questionnaire on the assessment of written competences, which was distributed by e-mail to all our students (BA to MA students) in autumn 2006. The questionnaire allows us to give a picture of the students’ insight into assessment and the definition of language competences, and check potential variation as determined by study years. The reactions from this batch of students provide clues on changes in their perceptions, awareness and understanding of writing French as a foreign academic language during their first year in our department. As a final goal, our paper sets to look at the effects of the new system on the students’ discourse in comparison with that of BA and MA students.
ElAtia, Samira
University of
Alberta, Canada
An Investigation of the Effect of Language
Variation on Students’ Performance in a University Entrance French Placement
Test
This study investigates the impact of
sociolinguistic variables on students’ performance on a French placement test
(FTP). This study took place in Campus Saint-Jean (CSJ), the French campus of
the University of Alberta, Canada. The students’ body entering
CSJ is diverse with students speaking different varieties of French:
Francophone Canadians, Francophones from Europe or Africa,
French Immersion students.
Students were categorized according to their sociolinguistic background.
A comparative analysis of the results of the FPT showed that the performance of
the students differed significantly from one group to another. Moreover, there
were distinct features in the responses within each group where students
displayed identical behavior. Finally, certain groups were discriminated
against because of the variety of French they spoke. Hence, the language
variety used in a test could be a source of bias. Findings from this study showed that
sociolinguistic factors have strong effect on the performance of examinees from
different linguistic background
Elorza, Izaskun
University of Salamanca, Spain
Written corpora for FL students’ self-assessment:
Input and reference
In this paper the use of written corpora is
analysed in reference to two dimensions of the FL learning process: The
availability of the FL input for the student and the prominence of intuition in
students’ writing production. Two applications of corpus methodology are
considered: The enhancement of FL input availability as well as the use of
reference corpora in FL writing. Examples are provided from a study carried out
with Spanish university students of a degree in English Studies. Finally, it is
argued that the use of written corpora can help students achieve more autonomy
as FL learners for the development of reading and writing skills.
Es, Sener
Anadolu University, Turkey
Grammar assessment through
performance: what do teachers think?
Since the recent belief in language
teaching has placed a strong emphasis on improving learners' ability to use the
language in real-life situations, language teaching practices and thus language
assessment practices have changed accordingly. In line with this shift,
Performance Assessment, a form of on-going assessment that requires students to
perform written and spoken tasks as classroom activities and teachers to
monitor their performance and grade them according to previously established
criteria, has been implemented in EFL Grammar classrooms in Anadolu University, Turkey
for the first time this year. Therefore, a need has risen to examine what the
teachers’ views are on this new assessment type. This study aims to find out
teachers’ attitudes towards the application of Performance Assessment in
Grammar classes. 15 teachers answered the questionnaire, and 5 of them
participated in a follow-up interview. As a result, the data reveal promising
results for the continuation of this type of assessment, while adjustments and
developments are necessary.
Froehling, Kenneth
Brno University of Technology, Czech
Republic
Conducting courses and assessing
students in cultural studies related courses
My paper focuses on how I am presently conducting my cultural studies
related courses at my faculty and assessing the students in them. As a
foreigner myself, I have to find a right way
between those Czech and foreign students who have traveled extensively
and lived in foreign countries, and those Czech students who have had little or
no experience in traveling and experiencing other cultures—and not be seen
penalizing those for not traveling enough when assessing them. Both my paper
and presentation will focus on the experiences I have had, especially in
“English for Europe, a course that was only
begun at my faculty in September 2006, in making students aware of
intercultural differences in the world today, including making good use of
foreign students in my classes who can enrich the discussions there. After
outlining the methods used in the class and during examinations, I will briefly
mention the feedback I have gotten up to now from my students.
Geoghegan, Jacqueline
Bournemouth
University, United Kingdom
How Self-Managed Learning can
integrate cultural awareness into the communicative approach of an IWLP
Languages Programme.
This paper explains the benefits that a
structured, fully assessed Self-Managed Learning scheme can bring to language
learning in British universities, with specific reference to non specialists.
Language tutors experience the tension that exists between the two approaches
to language teaching: one focusing on communicative skills and the other aiming
to develop an understanding of the socio-cultural context in which the language
is used.
The first section outlines the current context
of language learning in British Higher Education. A case study based on Bournemouth University is presented in the second
part and aims to demonstrate that if staff are prepared to design and implement
a Self-Managed Learning programme which underpins class activities, the
communicative and cultural aspects of language learning can be reconciled and
offer a balanced curriculum. Assessment is two-pronged: class activities are
assessed through professional communicative tasks whilst assignments for
Self-Managed learning, carried out in exam conditions, test the cultural
knowledge in the form of reading, listening and writing tasks.
The students who opted for a foreign language
as a minor will then become open-minded, culturally aware, young professionals
who will be able to communicate and operate successfully in an international
environment.
Geridönmez, Serkan
Anadolu University, Turkey
Intercultural Competence: Voices
from Turkish EFL Context
Intercultural competence in foreign language
teaching is mostly dependent on the cultural context of the country where this
language is taught. Therefore; it is important to identify the attitudes and
readiness of the people involved in foreign language learning regarding ICC. Turkey, as a member candidate for EU is trying
to do is best to integrate into Europe.
However cultural, political and social structure of Turkey may result in different
attitudes and beliefs regarding ICC, an important part of this integration
process. This study aims at exploring the opinions of EFL students as well as
teachers from different educational institutions. The collection of data from a
variety of participants through questionnaires and interviews will reflect some
positive and negative voices from Turkish EFL contexts regarding ICC
principles. The results will contribute to attempts to create a common ICC
framework and to apply ICC in Turkey
in future more effectively.
Gregorio Cano, Ana
University of Granada, Spain
Towards a definition
of cultural and intercultural competence in translation
This work was born at the AVANTI Research
Group, Spain,
in the framework of an R&D project funded by the Spanish Ministry of
Education and Science about the acquisition of cultural and intercultural
competence in translator training.
Firstly, this paper will analyse the concept of
cultural and intercultural competence as a specific objective in university training
of translators, interpreters and other professionals of intercultural
communication and mediation as well as the difficulty in finding a clear
definition of this concept.
The significance of the subject, central to translation,
interpreting, foreign language teaching and intercultural mediation in general,
becomes still greater when intercultural competence is considered as a generic
desired learning outcome of all university courses in the Tuning project, a
pilot project for the setting up of the European Higher Education Area.
A mixed approach is being followed: a
quantitative approach, based on questionnaires, and a qualitative approach, in
the form of discussion groups and interviews. Finally, the first instrument
designed for the testing of the acquisition of cultural and intercultural
competence will be discussed.
Griffin, Kim & Teresa, Bordón
Middlebury College, Spain
Assessment of linguistic and cultural progress in
North American students learning Spanish in Spain using oral proficiency
interviews, language contact profiles, and weblogs.
Middlebury College,
(Middlebury, Vermont
(USA))
specializes in language immersion and study abroad programs. As such, it recognizes the importance of
measuring progress in second language acquisition and cultural competence.
Objectives: This research
represents a pilot study that will serve as a basis for creating a complete
assessment program. The program may then
be used as a valid instrument to measure the evolution of communicative
competence as pertains to learners living in the target language
environment.
Perspectives/theoretical
framework: This research is guided by
the Common European Framework, and current thought on communicative competence,
strategies, individual factors, and interlanguage theory.
Methods, techniques, or modes of
inquiry:
- Oral proficiency interviews
(pre and post semestre administration)
- Language contact profile (pre
and post semestre administration)
- Weblogs (progressive analysis during
the semestre)
Data sources: 20-30 minute oral interviews
10 written samples from
weblogs
Multiple choice answers
to written questionnaire
Guth, Sarah & Francesca Helm
University of Padova, Italy
Meeting the
Challenges of Institutional Constraints for Language Assessment with Technology
As a result of the Italian University Reform in the year 2000, all
students have to prove their knowledge of a second EU language. This is no easy
task in an institutional context which numbers about 60,000 students and 13
faculties with little co-ordination between them. Furthermore, the reform gave
no indication as to level or method for assessing proficiency. To meet the
needs of the students and faculties, in 2005 the University Language Centre
(CLA) started a project called TAL (Test di Abilità Linguistica) to
develop a standard, valid, and reliable computer-based English test to
determine whether students’ listening and reading abilities are at B1 level
(CEF), the level established by most faculties. This paper looks at how the
advantages offered by technology in both the development (e.g. online work
groups, statistics for validation) and administration of the test (e.g. dealing
with large numbers) can help overcome institutional demands and constraints.
Helm, Francesca
& Gillian Davies
University of Padova, Italy
Computer-mediated communication,
electronic diaries and the European Language Portfolio for self, peer and tutor
assessment of intercultural competences.
Computer-mediated communication (cmc), in its increasingly diverse
forms, offers countless opportunities for intercultural communication, though, as
many researchers have reported, increased contact does not necessarily lead to
increased understanding and awareness. Cmc in its spoken, written, synchronous
and asynchronous forms, also offers new opportunities for assessment of
language and intercultural competence due to the fact that it is not ephemeral,
it can easily be recorded and made accessible to peers and tutors and even
anyone on the WWW.
This paper looks at the use of cmc and electronic diaries in the
assessment of intercultural competence within the context of English language
classes at an Italian
University. This also
in light of the use of the European
Language Portfolio which aims not only in promoting metacognitive skills but
also in promoting awareness of students' linguistic and intercultural
experiences and hence encouraging learners to record, reflect on and enhance
these experiences
Iglesias, Montserrat & Cristina Palomeque
Escola
Universitària d’Hoteleria i Turisme CETT (University
of Barcelona), Spain
The use of ICT tools to involve students in their
learning / assessment process
The assessment of oral skills has always been a
tricky issue for language teachers, who more than often cannot find useful,
viable tools in their search for assessment validity and reliability.
On the other hand, with the introduction of the ECTS
(European Credit Transfer System) teachers have found themselves in the need to
promote autonomous learning and other key competences as well as to enable
students to become involved in their own learning process.
The present action research project aims to provide
a tool for students to work autonomously as well as cooperatively. Another
objective is to foster reflective learning, by presenting awareness-raising
oral tasks to students that lead to peer assessment and self assessment.
The
participants of this project are a group 18 university students studying EFL
(English as a Foreign Language) as part of their degree in Tourism. ICT
(Information and Communication Technologies) tools such as blogs, podcasts and
streaming videos will be used to work on the students’ oral performance.
Kelly, Dorothy
University of Granada, Spain
Assessing
multicultural groups: a needs analysis for teaching staff
It is now widely accepted that students
participating in mobility programmes require some form of preparation to raise
their awareness of intercultural issues, in order to facilitate their
acquisition of intercultural competence while abroad and ease the potentially
negative impact of culture shock. Forms of training or staff development in
intercultural communication exist also for administrative officers and
coordinators working on international programmes. Indeed, some projects even
offer advice to anxious parents. But very rarely are the training needs of
teaching staff working with mobile students in multicultural classrooms taken
into account. And yet research into intercultural interaction establishes that
impact on members of the receiving community is similar to that of incomers.
This was the main subject researched in the Temcu project, financed by Socrates
Action 6 from 2003 to 2006. The project consisted of two main stages: needs
analysis based on mobile student and staff perceptions elicited by
questionnaire and focus group discussions in five European universities in five
different countries, and the design of a flexible staff development module to
help teachers deal with what is for most a new and challenging situation. This
paper will present the results of the needs analysis with regard to assessment,
which is an area flagged up as problematic, particularly by students. Staff and
student perceptions of different aspects of assessment will be analysed, and
particular attention paid to the divergences between the two groups. The paper
will then proceed to detail the intercultural competence teachers require in
order to ensure that assessment practices are valid, reliable, practical,
useful and fair for all students in a multicultural setting.
Kohonen, Susanna
University of Joensuu, Finland
Analysing
Overlaps and Interruptions in Intercultural Talk: A Tool for the Teaching and
Assessment of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication Skills
The
paper has two sections. In the first place, the aim is to summarise the results
of the author’s PhD study on the comparisons of turn-taking and speech overlap
patterns in three-party conversations among native French, native British
English and in a Mixed group composed of both French and English participants
(all students of a university in England) conversing in both French and
English. The theoretical framework of the inquiry draws on three theories:
Conversation Analysis (e.g., Sacks, Schegloff & Jefferson 1974), Interactional
Sociolinguistics (Gumperz 1982a; 1982b), and studies that focus on the analysis
of the participants’ interactional roles (e.g., Goffman 1976; Spencer-Oatey
2000c).
Qualitative
analyses of both turns-at-talk and the participants’ interactional roles were
carried out. Furthermore, the study applied quantitative analyses, such as
chi-square tests of the overlap categories. Statistical differences were
discovered. One of the main statistical results was that certain overlaps of
talk were used differently in the two native groups.
However,
significant similarities were also observed. Less than 2% of all overlaps were
interruptions, whereas 80% of all overlaps were categorised as natural speaker
changes and collaborative overlaps. Based on the statistical differences and
the qualitative analyses, the present inquiry suggests possible openings for
speech overlap analyses in the field of intercultural communication studies
(cf. Moerman 1996), with regard to culturally specific rules of conversation
The
second aim of the paper is to suggest that the above-mentioned findings provide
a hitherto missing scope and insight into the study, teaching, and assessment
of foreign languages and intercultural communication in higher education. The
findings of the present study should have an impact on the teaching of French
and English as second or foreign languages, especially in relation to the
teaching of oral skills and intercultural communication skills. The aim is to
encourage teachers and scholars of foreign languages, who often in their
teaching of language and oral communication focus on macro-level issues such as
culture-specific habits, manners and politeness phrases, to explore the
micro-levels of communication as a tool for understanding intercultural
communication. These micro-levels include, among other, the analysis of speech
overlaps and interruptions in different native speaker groups, and in mixed,
intercultural groups. Such analyses are likely to prove fruitful in the
teaching and assessment of foreign language skills combined with intercultural
communication.
Kovalainen,
Niina
University of
Tampere, Finland
Intercultural
communication competence: languages, communication or culture?
University
students’ thoughts of themselves as intercultural communicators
Intercultural
communication is a subject with many disciplinary connections. In communication
situations where people cannot use their own language(s) communication and
communication competence alters its shape and content. In this submission
proposal that concerns a dissertation research, intercultural communication
competence is analysed from a communicative perspective. The focus is on the
connections between and boarders of communication, culture and language. This
kind of approach creates many interesting questions concerning
interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches to intercultural
communication and its competence.
This
is an introductory essay of a study about how intercultural communication is
taught in universities and specifically how the students see their
intercultural communication competence. The concentration of this empirical
study will be on seven Finnish universities where communication is being
taught. Three American universities have also taken part in the study as an
international and comparative part. The aim of this study is to create
cross-disciplinary connections between communication, culture and foreign
language teaching, as well as to test the developed intercultural communication
competence questionnaire (Intercultural Communication Competence Scale, ICCCS
(Kovalainen)). The genesis of this questionnaire is in the work done by Duran
& Kelly (1980), namely the Communicative Adaptability Scale (CAS). The
field research took place in January – March 2004.
Lūka, Ineta
School of Business
Administration Turiba,
Latvia
Development of Students’ ESP Competence in Tertiary
Studies
The topicality of the present qualitative evaluation research is
determined by the development of tourism industry in Latvia whose labour market
requires creative, decisive, educated, competitive specialists with a good
command of English and excellent cooperation skills. The object of the research
is the development of students’ English for Special Purposes (ESP) competence.
The researcher has used theoretical (study of theoretical literature and
sources) and empirical methods of the research – data obtaining methods
(students and teachers’ interviews, students and tourism employers’surveys,
students’ assessment and self-assessment, students’ tests) and qualitative and
quantitative data processing methods. This report deals with the results of the
research conducted from 2003 to 2007 – the designed ESP curriculum for tourism
students, the created definition of ESP competence, the components of ESP
competence, its criteria, indicators and ESP competence levels. It offers
suggestions on how to develop students’ ESP competence in tertiary level
studies.
Macias, Irene & Margarida Dolan
University of Bath, United Kingdom
& Skills Development for Research, Learning and Teaching, Bath, United Kingdom
"Show and Tell" in the Language Class:
Grounding the Linguistic and Skills Development in the
Personal
The preparation for the oral
exam of final year learners of Spanish at the University of Bath
has traditionally included making individual presentations in class, on
teacher-chosen topics. The assessment focused on linguistic accuracy and
presentation skills.
This year, we conducted a
pilot study on a "Show and Tell" learner-led space where learners present
themes they personally feel passionate about. The teacher is part of the
audience, and does not focus primarily on linguistic accuracy. The
effectiveness of the presentation is measured in communicative and affective
terms: the level of engagement from the presenter, and the interest it
generates in the audience.
Learners' performances
demonstrated enhanced communication in terms of engagement, meaningfulness,
creativity and fluency. It also resulted in a quality of social interactions
both between the learners themselves, and the learners and the teacher, not
previously observed.
Our findings suggest that
the new approach contributes to improved linguistic performance and skills
development in this academic context.
Mahdavy, Babak
Tarbiat Modares University, Iran
The Role of Multiple Intelligences in Listening
Proficiency
Not many studies have so far quantitatively
investigated the role of Multiple Intelligences (MI) in language teaching and
almost no research has explored the role of MI in listening proficiency. In
this study, the role of MI was investigated by giving 151 junior and senior
English language students an actual TOEFL listening comprehension test and a
Multiple Intelligences Development Assessment Scales (MIDAS) questionnaire. The
results suggest that although all the intelligences positively correlate with
performance on TOEFL listening comprehension, only linguistic intelligence has
a statistically significant but low correlation with TOEFL listening.
Furthermore, the results of stepwise regression analysis indicate that
linguistic intelligence is included as a predictor of listening proficiency
while other intelligences are excluded. The results provide quantitative
evidence that except for linguistic intelligence that has a small role, other
intelligences do not make any contribution to performance on listening
proficiency and learners with different intelligences have equal chances and
only those with low linguistic intelligence need more help.
Manoochehr, Jafarigohar
Payame Noor University, Iran
A Comparison of the Effect
of Traditional Assessment vs. Alternative Assessment among Distance EFL
Students
Iranian
distance EFL students have long been assessed through the traditional modes of
testing. However, the considerably unsatisfactory proficiency levels among the
graduates have raised doubts regarding the quality of teaching and assessment
in distance education system.
As one of the prime suspects in this situation,
assessment has been the target of this study. Regarding the specific features
of learning and teaching at a distance, it is the assumption of this paper that
traditional modes of assessment might not be as effective as they have proved
to be in conventional settings. To verify the issue, this study has attempted
to find out if alternative methods of assessment produce better results in
comparison with the traditional
assessment.
To make the findings more tangible, this
study has focused on achievement in reading comprehension. To do so, two almost
homogeneous distance EFL students took the traditional and alternative reading
tests following a reading comprehension course. The findings are significantly
indicative of higher effectiveness of alternative over traditional
assessment.
McKendry, Eugene
Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland
Assessment in Regional and Minority Languages in
Higher Education Abroad
The CRAMLAP Project (Celtic Regional and Minority Languages Abroad
Project) was one of seven projects funded directly by the European
Commission under its Action Plan Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic
Diversity 2004-2006
CRAMLAP sought to investigate the provision and
practice of teaching Regional and Minority Languages outside their national
boundaries in Higher Education across Europe.
Celtic languages were investigated in the first year, and other languages in
year two. Questionnaires were sent out to institutions enquiring about course
provision, staffing, methods, resources, staff training and assessment. A
summary of the findings, including assessment, will be presented. The project
documentation on Assessment includes a discussion of current issues and the
role of the CEFR. It provides for reference and comparison a translation into
English of Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge/The European Certificate for Irish,
developed by the University
of Maynooth and based on
the CEFR. Results and conclusions will be presented.
Morón-Martín,
Marián
Pablo de Olavide
University, Seville, Spain
Self-assessment of the impact of study periods
abroad: designing and implementing a case study
This piece of work aims at presenting European
mobile graduates’ perceptions of their acquisition of language
and intercultural-related abilities, knowledge and skills, when retrospectively
self-assessing the impact of their training during their study periods abroad,
as part of their course of study. Mobile graduates surveyed valued the
opportunity to master their languages of study, when accessing, on a voluntary
basis, a programme which compulsorily integrates mobility in the curriculum,
but they also commented on having the chance to meet L2 and native speakers and
know more about the culture(s) of the language(s) of study (similar findings
have been published in Coleman, 1996, forthcoming; Murphy-Lejeune 1995, 2003;
Teichler and Maiworm 1997, Teichler et al. 2000). Furthermore,
intercultural values and abilities highlighted by the subjects of this study
seem to confirm their relevance when preparing citizens to operate, nationally
and internationally, both as professionals and as individuals in the European
society and worldwide.
This paper will deal with some methodological
issues which arose in the survey design, based on an electronic questionnaire,
and in the assessment of participants’ development of language and
intercultural skills. It will also shed light on the value of
intercultural-related skills in the training of translators, intercultural
mediators and business people working between cultures.
Bibliography
Coleman, J. (1996) Studying languages:
Survey of British and European Students - the proficiency, background,
attitudes and motivations of students of foreign languages in the United Kingdom and Europe:
Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research.
Coleman, J. 2006. A New Framework for Study
Abroad Research. In: Enhancing the Erasmus Experience: Papers on Student
Mobility. Limon, D. Soriano, G.
Way, C. (eds.) Granada: Atrio (in press)
Murphy-Lejeune, E. 1995. The Student Strangers:
Aspects of Cross-Cultural Adaptation in the Case of International Students.
Some Preliminary Findings. In: Parker, Gabrielle and Anniex Rouxeville eds.
'The Year Abroad': Preparation, Monitoring and Evaluation. London: Association for French Language
Studies in association with the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and
Research (CILT). pp. 43-60.
Murphy-Lejeune, E. 2003. An Experience of
Interculturality: Student Travellers Abroad. In: Alred, G., Byram, M. y
Fleming, M. (ed.) Intercultural Experience and Education, Multilingual
Matters: England.
pp: 101-113
Teichler, U. and Maiworm, F. 1997. The ERASMUS Experience: Findings of a major
survey. Luxembourg:
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
Teichler, U. Gordon, J. and Maiworm, F.
2001. SOCRATES 2000 Evaluation
Study. Brussels:
European Commision. Available at: (http://europa.eu.int./comm/education/evaluation/socrates_en.html). Last accessed: 14th February 2007.
Mrowa-Hopkins, Colette
Flinders University, Australia
The
challenge of assessing the socio-pragmatic competence of language learners in
an Australian university
This presentation addresses issues
concerning the socio-pragmatic competence of language learners in Higher
Education. The development of learners’ socio-pragmatic skills has been
identified as a fundamental outcome of language instruction,
however, in spite of scholarly interest
in Intercultural Communicative Competence (Paige 1993, Byram 1997), socio-cultural
understandings, or Intercultural Sensitivity (Bennett 1993), there
are problems that defy methodological understandings in the way this competence
is meant to be taught, and more importantly evaluated and assessed in
pedagogical settings. Within current
teaching methodologies, the ways in which we can enable our learners to
be fully functional in the target language culture is still one of the most challenging areas of language
teaching.
I propose to report on a Teaching and Learning
Innovation project conducted at Flinders
University, in South Australia, with a group of first-year
French learners. The project has been designed to raise awareness of the
socio-pragmatic aspect of culture, and to specifically enable language learners
to develop emotional readiness to face their new cultural environment through
discussing video-based scenarios illustrating different perspectives. Through
activities that focus on the discourse and non-verbal strategies that speakers
use to convey their meanings in specific contexts, learners are encouraged to
express their own feelings and respond to interlocutors in ways that are
considered appropriate by members of the target group. The evaluation phase
includes two self-evaluating questionnaires, an interview with native speakers,
a weekly intercultural diary, and the performance of a role play.
O’Neill, Gillian
& Prue Holmes
Waikato Management
School, University of Waikato, New
Zealand
Managing intercultural
interactions in multicultural contexts: A framework for intercultural communication competence
self-assessment
We propose to present a
model for self-assessment of intercultural communication competence which
emerged from a study undertaken by students in an intercultural communication
course in a New Zealand
university. Drawing on frameworks of ICC (Byram, 1997; Chen & Starosta,
1996), they first undertook a study using three approaches: theoretical course
content, an ethnographic study with a cultural other, and self-reflection. The
aim of the study was to answer the questions: What is ICC? How do we assess
whether we have it? Student groups then developed frameworks for assessing
ICC—their own and their cultural other’s. These suggest the need for greater
emphasis on individual and contextual self appraisal, and accommodating
differences in world view, faith, ethics, and values and beliefs. The findings
from this study have important implications for what ICC is, where it resides,
and how it is assessed.
Parnyugin,
Alexander
Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia
Speech production models as base for assessing oral
practice
The paper presents the
results of a research aimed at developing a system of criteria for assessing
students’ performance during oral practice. This system is based on the
assumption that any oral practical activity is a simulation reconstructing
various stages of speech production and / or situational components that
determine communication, and the criteria for evaluating the student’s
performance must correspond the stages of speech production the student goes
through while doing the task. To prove this assumption, a series of different
oral tasks, from language drills to discussions, practicing the material of one
textbook unit were developed and piloted with a group of higher students, the
answers being assessed by four raters independently. The statistics showing the
reliability of the rating scales and consistency of the activities are
discussed by the author.
Tamara G. Petrashova
Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia
Applying EFL international standards to
assessment of engineering students’ language proficiency
Recent years have witnessed a rise of interest
in foreign languages, educating engineering students. To have a good foreign
language command is absolutely essential for people going on into the world of
work and to further and higher education. Therefore, assessment becomes an
integral part of the educational process within a university program of study.
By moving away from norm-referencing, to a system which describes what students
know, understand and can do, assessment is used to provide continually
“feedforward” about the next steps for teaching and learning. Assessment is
carried out based on descriptions of levels of performance needed to define
success at a given stage. Level descriptions set out the expected standards of
performance on the basis of the Framework. The approach used helps develop a
shared understanding of holistic awareness of performance, making it possible
to reconcile the problems of unreliable human judgment and the need for
rigorous assessment. At the same time, such a body of knowledge moves towards
standards internationally recognized.
Qian, David D.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University, China
The Use of Modal Verbs in Intercultural Business
Requests: A Case Study of ESL Writers in Hong Kong
As one of the official
languages in Hong Kong, English has long been
a preferred language for professional
and business sectors, especially in written communication. In these sectors,
the ability to make appropriate requests in English writing is seen as an
essential communication skill. However, as the majority of English users in Hong Kong are actually non-native speakers of English, a
question arises whether these ESL users make business requests in the same way
as do native speakers of English. Research elsewhere has found that NSs and
NNSs use different strategies when making business requests (Chakorn, 2006) and
they also differ greatly in how they use modal verbs (Hinkel, 1995). The
present paper reports on an investigation into Hong Kong
adult ESL writers’ use of modal verbs in their business requests. The data
consist of 124 business letters on the same topic, written during an English
examination. The writers of the letters were final-year undergraduates majoring
in shipping, transportation and logistics. The paper will report its findings
based on the analyses of the frequencies and patterns of modal verb use. The
paper will also consider its findings in the context of findings from other
related studies (e.g. Chakorn, 2006; Hinkel, 1995) especially in terms of NS
data, and will then discuss some possible implications for assessment of intercultural
competencies in business communication.
Romanowski, Piotr
Foreign Language Teacher
Training College,
Sanok, Poland
Assessing cross-cultural competence of the students of English
Philologies in Polish
Universities and
Colleges
This study examines the social attitudes
related to race, gender, age, and ability among the students of English at a
mid-sized universities and colleges by means of a Cross – cultural Sensitivity Questionnaire involving a series of statements concerning cross – cultural communication where students record their
first impression to indicate the degree to which they either agree or disagree
with them. Levels of
awareness and empowerment emerged from the data indicating these students were
moderately aware of diverse attitudes and perspective and were only minimally
to moderately empowered to take responsibility or action. These data mirror the
awareness element of multicultural
training model and suggest the need to help students further examine their own
and others attitudes, beliefs, and worldviews as well as develop a broad
contextual knowledge base from various cultures. Specific approaches for
expanding awareness are discussed.
Colleges and universities must continually
reassess their educational role in the context of a pluralist society.
Furthermore, it is recommend that before teaching multicultural issues,
educators should consider the conditions under which effective communication is
to occur. One must understand the worldview from which one's own responses
emerge as well as understand the worldview of others. Not considering the
diversity of worldviews displayed in the typical classroom retards a more
comprehensive understanding of factors that lead to greater achievement and
positive attitudes.
Sabriler, Derya & Peril Emiroglulari
Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus
Critical Thinking Should be an Integral Part of The Education System
Applying Critical Thinking to Preparatory School and General Education
Students to Improve Their Thinking Skills
i) Critical thinking has been the
missing part of the puzzle in the curriculum for the preparatory and the
freshman students. It can evidently be seen that students who have not been
taught critical thinking skills have not been as successful in producing reasons,
evidence and arguments in analysing and coherent writing as well as speaking as
the students who recently have had the chance of the input to the material
regarding critical thinking strategies. Critical thinking strategies were
integrated to the curriculum as one of the main skills in teaching a foreign
language. Thus English was taught within critical thinking strategies to both
of the classes. Hence, study shows the success rate of the student’s active and
spontaneous responses with concrete interpretation skills throughout the
production skills, speaking and writing, when learning a foreign language than
the students who have not.
ii) Research took place during the
spring semester of the academic year 2006-2007 at the Eastern Mediterranean
University. The prepared
pack was given to the freshman students and the upper-intermediate level
students to measure the difference between the students who have taken the
course and the ones who have not. Success rate will be measured with the
concordance program which measures correctness of the language structures used
in student’s writings. Debates will be given as the measurement of the speaking
skills which will be taped and analysed to see how the students have come up
with responses and how they have thought critically throughout their
presentation.
In our presentation we will show the
significance of every chapter designed for critical thinking and their
importance in motivating the students to think and respond or write concrete
and fluent English.
Sahinkarakas,
Sehnaz
Cukurova
University, Turkey
Arifi, Qatip
SEE University, Macedonia
The
CEFR and the needs of the ESP students
Since the introduction of the European Language
Portfolio (ELP) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
(CEFR), different versions with a variety of descriptors have been developed
and used across Europe. However, there is
still a need to develop more descriptors for specific target groups and at
finer levels so that progress can be made more visible (Lenz & Schneider,
2004; Little, 2006). Considering this need, the present study seeks to
answer the following questions in the process of implementing the ELP with the
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) students in the University of SEE:
To
what extent do the empirically scaled descriptors available in various ELP
versions across Europe reflect the needs of
the ESP students?
For
what competences and at what level do we still need to develop more descriptors
for those students?
Savic,
Milica
University of Nis, Serbia
Peer assessment – a path to student autonomy
Peer assessment, as a form of alternative
assessment, appears to be rarely used in Serbian academic context, both for
developmental and evaluative purposes. This paper examines its advantages and
disadvantages, requirements for its successful application, as well as its
usefulness and applicability to EFL academic writing courses. In addition, it
presents the results of a small-scale study conducted with third-year English
Language students at the English Department in Nis, Serbia.
The aim of the study is to determine to what extent teacher and student ratings
of student writing correlate, which elements students focus on in their
assessment, which criteria they use to evaluate writing, and, consequently,
whether they are capable of providing quality feedback for their peers. The
paper also deals with students’ attitudes to and their perception of the
usefulness of peer assessment. Finally, it provides suggestions for the
application of this form of assessment in the academic context.
Sellami, Abdel Latif
Zayed University,
College of Arts & Sciences, United Arab Emirates
Beyond culture teaching: assessing (inter)cultural
competence
This study highlights the ever
increasing need to teach English for intercultural communication with a view to
promoting empathy and understanding as well as relinquishing bias and
stereotyping. Focusing on university student quantitative and qualitative data,
this study examines the ‘knowledge’, ‘attitudes’ and ‘behavior’ components of
intercultural competence (IC). By exploring students’ spoken and written
discourse the study investigates the unease that surrounds attempts at
assessing intercultural competence, an area that still continues to evolve.
Drawing on the findings from
questionnaire and interview data, this presentation – titled “Beyond culture
teaching: assessing (inter)cultural competence” – illuminates the concept of
intercultural competence and deciphers some of the intricate complexities that
characterize it. It argues for adopting a holistic approach in the measurement
of intercultural learning. The presentation also stresses that assessment in
the ESL class needs to transcend merely tapping aspects of knowledge and
attitudes; it emphasizes the need for insights into how to best integrate and
operationalize skills as well as knowledge that are both at the heart of IC.
With the imperfections now
keenly felt and recognized in the way culture instruction was performed, there
is a pressing need to introduce a more coherent approach to the teaching and
assessment of culture in accordance with the needs of the new globalized world
we live in. The study makes a plea for an earnest consideration of the
assessment tools used when measuring students’ intercultural learning and
cautions against adopting the native benchmark in assessing the learner’s
intercultural competence.
Sheehan, Susan
British Council, United
Kingdom
Self-assessment and the adult learner of English
The
purpose of the presentation is to investigate how the self-assessment approach
to assessment is regarded in an EFL context.
The presentation will take account of the relevant theories which
underpin the concept of self-assessment; but a major focus will be on the
practical implications for the teaching and learning process.
The
exploratory nature of my concerns led me to use a qualitative approach within a
case study. The principal source of data is group interviews which took place
every three months. The interviews were
supplemented by a questionnaire, a composition and a document search.
Despite their initially hostile reaction to self
assessment the participants came to see it as an aid to understanding the
language learning process and vital for goal setting. They continued to express
reservations about some aspects of the process and in particular the language
descriptors.
Simala, K. Inyani
Maseno University, Kenya
Assessing
the Impact of Information Technology on Language Education in Kenyan
Universities
Like other countries, Kenya is looking with cautious
optimism on the educational opportunities of ICT. The emergence of information
communication technology demands that university education has to play a
prominent role in its development. Unfortunately, Kenya’s university system has not
been blessed with the funds to explore the uses of information technology for
national development. This paper will make an assessment of the impact that ICT
has had on language education at university education and further consider the
ways Kenyan universities can work profitably with international partners to
realize language educational technology’s potential. It will examine the
problems of maintaining the techniques and skills demanded by the educational
media and the disappointments with which the history of language educational
technology is littered.
Skaffari, Janne
University of Turku, Finland
Springtime
for Sentence Structures? Grammatical Knowledge and Its Assessment in the
Post-Bologna Curriculum
As a consequence of the European curricular
reform, ‘Intermediate grammar’ began to be taught one semester earlier than
before at the Department of English at Turku.
The focus of this descriptive grammar course, a follow-up to the clearly
normative ‘Basic grammar’, is on the analytical competence of the student
rather than the production of grammatical sentences.
When a more advanced approach to grammar is
taught earlier without major adjustments of the content of the course, some of
the student output is likely to differ from what was typical under the old
curriculum. I shall explore the examinations and grades of two student cohorts
on either side of the reform to find out if any particular areas of grammar are
less accessible to students with a narrower command of linguistics than before,
and if the methods of instruction and assessment need further revision.
Eija Suomela-Salmi
University of Turku
Presentation of the Project
ECC-Lang
The project ECC-Lang ( Evaluation des compétences langagières et
(inter)culturelles) is a joint project
(2005-2007) between 5 Finnish French Departments and one Language Center including the universities of Jyväskylä, Helsinki,
Tampere,Turku and Vaasa. It is financed by the Finnish Ministry of Education
and the coordinating Department is the Department of French Studies at University of Turku.
The main question to which answers are sought is the following: How to
combine the evaluation of general language skills, intercultural awareness and academic
skills of French university undergraduates in departments training future
language experts.
It must be born in mind that the university departments of languages in
general do not solely focus on training language skills but rather aim at professional
and / or scientific qualifications. Furthermore, as a consequence of the
academic freedom of teaching the evaluation practices may vary from one
department to another, even from one teacher to another. Shared explicit reflex
ion on evaluation practices has been fairly scare.
The general goals of the project are:
1) To bring together teachers of different French
Departments to discuss and share their practices and to update their knowledge of different types
of evaluation and their relationship to teaching methods and results expected
2) To make more transparent the evaluation
practices between the French Departments concerned.
3) To collect a corpus of spoken and written
productions in each of the Departments involved
4) Based on the analyses of the corpus creation of
a scale of evaluation inspired by the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages to be applied at the end of the first year of French
students.
In my presentation I will discuss the theoretical assumptions underlying
the project, explain how we have worked and proceeded and describe the corpora
collected. Furthermore, I will discuss the evolution of our reflex ion, some
problematic issues encountered and future perspectives.
Tsoutsoulopoulou,
Marina-Anastasia & Makrina Zafiri
University of Thessaly, Greece
Insights into how
ESP/EAP materials can help learners of L2 construct an academic profile
This paper aims at presenting some of the needs of
first- and second-year University students, whose mother tongue is Greek and
who are taught English with an emphasis in the field of their studies (ESP).
It proposes the use of a teacher-designed,
class-specific questionnaire, intended to obtain data from the students, which
will aid the teachers towards a more effective selection of material and more
effective teaching methods. It also attempts to bridge the gap between teacher
and student self-development.
Urlaub, Per
Kristian
Stanford University, United States
Assessing second language reading as intercultural
communication
At universities in the United Stages the
advanced language learner is frequently confronted with literary texts. Besides
the contributions towards the linguistic development and literary education,
the interaction between reader and literary text across linguistic and cultural
gaps contributes to the development of intercultural awareness. The rediscovery
of literary texts as instructional materials in college language classes has
lead to design curricula, where language and literature learning are integrated
at very early stages (recent examples include the German Departments at
Georgetown and Stanford).
However, the assessment of literary reading
skills in the second language has remained a challenge for both teachers and
researchers: no standardized instruments exist to assess the interaction
between reader and literary text in the second language. The assessment tools
by ACTLF (Proficiency Guidelines) and the European Council (Common European
Framework) are not designed to detect the subtleties and intercultural complexities
of reading literary texts in the L2.
In order to measure the effectiveness on
comprehension strategies on literary reading skills in the L2, I designed an
assessment scale based on William Perry’s general scheme of intellectual development.
I applied this scale not only in an experimental setting, but I also to train
instructors to use literary texts in language classes in order to increase the
learners intercultural awareness. At the conference I will present this
assessment tool and elaborate on its possibilities and limitations in both
experimental and instructional settings.
Wang, Liang
The Open
University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Localizing ICC assessment: A case in China
With the promotion of an intercultural
perspective to foreign language education in China, more and more academic
institutions are beginning to introduce courses on intercultural communication.
Despite the varied ways of presenting course syllabi and teaching practices,
there seems unanimous agreement in the case of assessment, which only tests
cultural knowledge in the form of pen-and-paper examination. This practice is
largely constrained by the assessment mechanics of China’s education system and in
turn restricts the aim and effect of developing learners’ intercultural
communicative competence.
This paper reports a case of portfolio
assessment following Byram’s (1997, 2004) framework, which the author attempted
in a university in China.
Portfolio assessment is believed valuable to accommodate unquantifiable
outcomes (Jacobson & Maureen, 1999) but in an examination-oriented context
like China,
the author found it necessary to adapt it to local situations. Based on group
interviews and existing assessment practices in China and beyond, the author will
make some practical proposals for localization.
Wu, Wenli, Michael
Hammond & Ann Barnes
University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Exploring participants’ strategies for learning English in
cross-cultural learning environment ----a story of East Asian students in one UK
university
This paper discusses a case study
which was carried out to investigate the experiences of East Asian students who
were taking a full time Master’s course at University of Warwick, UK.
A mixed methods case study approach was taken with data gathered through 3
rounds interviews with all the East Asian students who attended pre-sessional
English course in summer 2004. A further 3 rounds of interviews were carried
out with a broadly representative sample (n=8) within this cohort.
These experiences are examined
under three interconnected themes: language; sociocultural environment;
academic culture.
This paper reports in how
participants developed their language skills, in both everyday use and academic
contexts.
Several strategies identified were
addressed and a key factor in developing language skills was feedback in both
formal and informal contexts.
The findings have implications for
the Master course teaching and assessment.
Yamada, Etsuko
University of Durham, United Kingdom
Indicators of “criticality” for a beginner’s language
course; how can they be systematised for assessment?
The Criticality Project by Southampton University
(www.criticality.soton.ac.uk) has shown that university language teaching
at advanced levels develops criticality. This is important because it justifies
language teaching as a university discipline. The question then arises whether
beginner level language teaching can also meet this criterion.
This research therefore aims to investigate
whether it is possible in beginner foreign language teaching at a UK university
to develop critical thinking in a systematic, planned way through teaching
cultural competence. Action Research was employed on the researcher’s teaching
of an undergraduate Japanese language course with the focus on intercultural
competence within the existing communicative and grammar- structure-based
beginners’ level syllabus. Qualitative data collected consist of teacher’s
journal, research field notes, students’ questionnaires, students’group
interviews and audio recording of the lessons. The analysis indicates that at
beginners’ level there are several factors (intercultural and linguistic dimensions
that the language itself contains, using intercultural content for
communication, etc.) which lead to critical thinking. The indicators of
criticality appear at varied levels but do not make a steady progression. The
research suggests the possible benchmarks of criticality and how they can be
applied for evaluation of a beginner’s level foreign language course and for
the assessment of the level of an individual’s critical thinking.