Instructors' Views on the Assessment and Evaluation of the Speaking Skill in Turkish as a Foreign Language (TFL) Classes

Abstract

Speaking is viewed as a skill more often used in communication and interaction in particular. However, the speaking skill is measured in various ways. The aim of this study is, therefore, to determine the views of Turkish as a Foreign Language (TFL) instructors (lecturers and teachers) on measuring and evaluating speaking skills. To this end, the research data were obtained with the help of 51 TFL instructors who volunteered to fill out a semi-structured interview form titled “Instructors’ Views on the Assessment and Evaluation of the Speaking Skill in Turkish as a Foreign Language” created as a Google Docs form. The obtained data were then analyzed through content analysis technique, which revealed that the instructors perform their speaking skill assessments on basis of the criteria including grammar rules, pronunciation/ articulation, fluency, vocabulary knowledge, starting/sustaining dialogues, meaning construction, consistency, self-expression, language learning level, level of achieving outcomes, using phrases, style, length of speech, individual differences, exemplification, chronological narration, avoiding repetition, stress-intonation, body language, rate of speech, and effective use of time. It can be concluded that assessing and evaluating the Turkish speaking skill with a rubric to be developed based on these criteria will help minimize any potential rater subjectivities involved in such measurement and evaluation.