L2 teaching has been subjected to •significant changes over the last few years.
These changes can mainly be attributed to the fact that more attention has
been given to the needs and aims of L2 learners. Agreement has been reached
that language is essentially a tool for communication and that the most
important need of L2 learners is the need to use the L2 for communicative
purposes. Since the implementation of the communicative syllabus for English
L2 for std 5, 6 and 7 pupils in 1986, the focus has been on communication.
An indisputable link exists between teaching and testing. This implies that,
should the overriding aim of a L2 syllabus be communicative competence, then
the natural result of this should be the periodic testing of the communicative
abilities of the pupils.
Communicative teaching has already been explored to a considerable extent.
One can assume that the amount of literature available on communicative teaching
has resulted in a (positive) change in L2 classrooms. Communicative testing has
not been explored sufficiently, however. In fact, there is enough reason to
believe that the co-ordination that should exist between L2 teaching and L2
testing is lacking. In this mini-dissertation an attempt has been made to give
guidance to L2 teachers in the bridging of the gap that exists between L2
teaching and L2 testing.
Test construction has become a specialized field, and L2 teachers should get
sufficient training in this field, so as to enable them to measure the progress
of their pupils scientifically. In this mini-dissertation the following aspects
of testing are discussed: validity, reliability, subjectivity/objectivity,
the characteristics of communicative testing, the use of different scales for
the evaluation of communicative competence, and techniques that can be applied
in the testing of communicative competence. Knowledge of the above-mentioned
aspects could lead to more scientific approach to L2 testing and this may help
to eliminate the disharmony currently existing between L2.~eaching and L2
testing. It is concluded that communicative language testing in the junior
secondary phase is indeed possible if the techniques proposed in this mini-dissertation
are followed. / Skripsie (MEd)--PU vir CHO, 1990
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/9963 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Harvey, Jana |
| Publisher | Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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