This Won't Hurt a Bit: Assessing English for Nursing

Abstract

Although assessment in English for specific purposes has been around for nearly as long as ESP itself, questions about its nature still remain: Why is ESP testing necessary? What makes ESP tests specific? What is English for Specific Purposes? and What are the problems associated with ESP Testing? In this paper I will discuss these questions and argue that tests of English for specific purposes should adhere to an overriding criterion of fairness – fairness to the test takers, to teachers, to educational programs, and finally to the societies in which the tests operate. This point is in line with current thinking in language testing generally: that ethical language testing is a much-needed focus in assessment, one that has been neglected for too long. I will first argue that ESP tests are necessary, first because language performances vary with context, and second because specific purpose language is precise. Next, I will discuss features that give specificity and authenticity to ESP tests and work toward a definition of ESP testing. Finally, I will review some problems with ESP testing, including the nature of inferences we make based on test performance, for example the interaction between language knowledge and specific purpose background knowledge. I will conclude by suggesting ways in which ESP tests can be more relevant, motivating, accurate, and fair to test takers, teachers, administrators, and ultimately to the societies in which these stakeholders live and work.