Abstract
Following the call in Sandlund, Sundqvist, and Nyroos (2016) for incorporating discursive approaches into the field of oral second language (L2) testing, this paper proposes an interactional usage-based approach to the analysis of oral L2 performance. Based on Eskildsen (2018a), we combine analytic tools from usage-based linguistics and conversation analysis. We draw on usage-based linguistics to analyze performance in terms of test-takers’ inventories of linguistic constructions and on conversation analysis to understand their interactional competence in terms of the relation between the linguistic constructions and the actions they are used to accomplish. Performance assessment is thus constructional and interactional. Participants in this pilot study were two Danish primary school children who performed two consecutive oral tasks: a semi-guided interview and a picture-elicited narrative task. Data were analyzed by means of cross-child comparisons and cross-task comparisons within each child. Our data confirm the observation from previous research that simple question-answer(-assessment) sequences dominate oral test formats, but also that the format is sometimes abandoned, which allows for the accomplishment of new social actions. Moreover, the picture-description task affords a different speech exchange system with the interviewer participating more as an active listener when the children do not voluntarily carry out the requested task.
Highlights
This paper discusses the inclusion of interactional competence in the assessment of second language (L2) oral skills (Roever & Kasper, 2018; Sandlund, Sundqvist, & Nyroos, 2016)
We draw on usage-based linguistics (UBL) to analyze performance in terms of test-takers’ inventories of linguistic constructions and on conversation analysis (CA) to understand their interactional competence in terms of the relation between the linguistic constructions and the actions they are used to achieve
We explore how interactional competence is displayed in the oral tasks and what linguistic material is used to perform the social actions identified
Summary
This paper discusses the inclusion of interactional competence in the assessment of second language (L2) oral skills (Roever & Kasper, 2018; Sandlund, Sundqvist, & Nyroos, 2016). Traditional approaches to testing have emphasized test-takers’ individual linguistic performance, typically through measures of complexity, accuracy and fluency (Housen & Kuiken, 2009; Skehan, 2009) This perspective taps into the test-takers’ spoken language without much regard for their interactional abilities, as pointed out by Roever and Kasper (2018), who propose instead to use the concept of interactional competence as an assessment tool. Performance assessment is constructional and interactional, bridging the gap between psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic approaches to assessment (cf discussion in Roever & Kasper, 2018) It should be noted, that we are not interested in testing per se but in understanding our participants’ oral linguistic and interactional skills. These interviews are an elicitation instrument rather than a test, and
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
