TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH Chapter 8 (reading tests)

Chapter Testing reading comprehension Chapter Testing reading comprehension I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X The nature of the reading skills Initial stages of reading: matching tests Intermediate and advanced stages of reading: matching tests True/false reading tests Multiple choice items Completion items Rearrangement items Cloze procedure Open – ended and miscellaneous items Cursory reading IV True/false reading tests  one of the most widely used tests of reading comprehension  The scoring: straightforward & quick  scoring obtained by the testees very reliable indices of reading comprehension if well constructed and tests & enough items  Disadvantages of True/False items (1) (2) encourage guessing- 50% chance of giving a correct answer for each item; the base score is 50%, so the average test difficulty is 75 %  the test may fail to discriminate widely enough among the testees unless a lot of items  Some guidelines for True/False items  Each item should be as clear and concise as possible  True/false reading tests are classified into categories: (1) independent of a reading text; (2) depending on a text  Notes  The construction of true/false items based on a reading extract (type 2) forms one of the most widely used types of reading tests  This kind of item is effectively used at both elementary and more advanced levels V Multiple choice items Short texts: (p.116-117) (1) at elementary, intermediate and advanced levels (2) described as a test of comprehension of grammatical structure (3)consisting of a very short reading extract of only a few sentences; The testees to answer only one comprehension test item on each reading passage (see in TOEIC tests)   Longer texts  a useful way of testing reading comprehension, but not all multiple choice reading tests are necessarily good tests of reading comprehension  The sample of the reading passage: the most important & related to the broader aims of the language teaching situations  Notes  In a test of proficiency, the text should contain the type of reading task which will be demanded of the testees in later real life situation  In a class progress test or achievement test, the reading passage should be similar to the type of reading material which students have done at school  The length of the reading extract    elementary level: 50-100 words intermediate level: 200-300 words advanced level: 400-600 words  Passages dealing with a series of events, a collection of facts, or different opinions and attitudes  suitable for multiple choice items  The number of items depending on the length and complexity of the text VI Completion items (p.124-129) requiring the testees to supply a word or a short phrase, but the test constructors must ensure that there is only one correct answer  Type 1: consisting of blanks for completion in the items following the text  Type 2: consisting of blanks in the text itself The blanks have been substituted for what the test writer considers the most significant content words  VII Rearrangement items useful for testing the ability to understand a sequence of steps in a process or events in a narrative  Type (jumbled sentences): Ss have to unscramble or arrange sentences in the correct order  Type 2: The jumbled sentences of this type are based on a reading comprehension text and should be unscrambled in the light of the information contained in the text  VIII Cloze procedure In cloze tests, words are deleted systematically & the construction of a cloze test is purely mechanical  The most common purpose of cloze test is to measure reading comprehension; it measures textual knowledge (an awareness of cohesion in a text)  A true cloze text is generally used to measure global reading comprehension although insights can undoubtedly be gained into particular reading difficulties  IX Open – ended and miscellaneous items The term ‘open-ended’ refers to questions which elicit a completely subjective response on part of the testees  The response required may range from one-word answer to one or two sentences  When marking open-ended items, at least two or three marks should be awarded for each correct answer   Test constructors should write down precisely how marks should be awarded as the marking scheme will serve as a reminder all the times  Brief guidelines are essential if more than one examiner is marking the items  The text itself can determine the types of items  A reading comprehension passage may be followed by one or two multiple choice items, several true/false items, a few completion items and one or two open-ended items X Cursory reading  ‘cursory reading’- a general term to denote the skills involved in reading quickly: skimming & scanning  Skimming: glancing through the text to get the gist / main idea of the content  Scanning: skills used in reading to locate specific information  The actual reading speed considered necessary will be largely determined by the type of the text and will be vary according to the purpose for which it is being read  poor readers: below 200 wpm; average speed: 200-300 wpm; fast readers: 300-500 wpm    A small number of questions concerning only the major points and general outline of the text are given in tests of skimming  Testees are not allowed to refer back to the text while skimming but to jot down notes  Tests of speed reading should be administered only when students have been prepared for the tasks involved in such tests  .. .Chapter Testing reading comprehension I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X The nature of the reading skills... sentences; The testees to answer only one comprehension test item on each reading passage (see in TOEIC tests)   Longer texts  a useful way of testing reading comprehension, but not all multiple choice