Topic and variation in ITA oral proficiency: SPEAK and field-specific tests

Abstract

This study examines the role of speaker topic in measuring second language oral proficiency, linking the study of variation in second language acquisition with the field of second language oral proficiency testing. It investigates the use of general topic tests to measure the ability of international teaching assistants (ITAs) at U.S. universities to perform in university level field-specific classrooms. A total of 38 incoming ITAs from the departments of mathematics, chemistry, and physics took the SPEAK test and specially designed field-specific SPEAK tests after attending a three-week pre-academic ITA training session at the University of Minnesota. The field-specific SPEAK tests created by the researcher changed only the topic of each section, leaving the task and the instructions as close to the original as possible. Results indicate that the ITAs as a group did not differ significantly in performance across the two tests but that pass or fail recommendations for eight of the 38 subjects would depend upon whether the field-specific or general topic test was used.