Task-based Language Assessment Research Articles

Book Review: Task-based language teaching and assessment: contemporary reflections from across the world, Edited by N. P. Sudharshana & Lina Mukhopadhyay (2021). Springer Nature, Hardcover: 373 pages, $129, ISBN-978-981-16-4225-8.

Book Review: Task-based language teaching and assessment: contemporary reflections from across the world, Edited by N. P. Sudharshana & Lina Mukhopadhyay (2021). Springer Nature, Hardcover: 373 pages, $129, ISBN-978-981-16-4225-8.

Simulating Real‐World Context in an Email Writing Task: Implications for Task‐Based Language Assessment

Accomplishing a communication task in the real world requires the ability not only to do the task per se but also to manage aspects of the context in which it occurs. For this reason, simulations of target language use contexts have been incorporated into the design of communicative language tests as a way of enhancing the authenticity of assessment task performance. Although some contextual factors may increase extraneous cognitive load and distract learners from focusing on the task at hand (Sweller, 1994), they represent important design considerations in task‐based language assessment (TBLA), where the purpose of assessment is to determine what second language (L2) learners can do with the target language in the real world. In that sense, the extraneous cognitive load might well be part of the construct we are interested in assessing. Accordingly, the current study simulated aspects of a real‐world task performance context as part of an email writing task assessment. Simulated context was operationalized as (a) additional information about the task scenario, (b) a visual image to simulate the physical context, and (c) an audio to replicate the real‐world experience. A total of 276 L2 English learners performed the email task, half with simulated context and the other half without it. Findings revealed that, when presented with simulated context, the tasks were perceived by participants to have induced more time pressure and to be more interesting. In terms of performance effects, the provision of simulated context negatively affected the syntactic complexity of participants' writing but positively affected their syntactic fluency. It also led to greater discrimination among learners at different proficiency levels on various measures of language performance. The paper concludes by highlighting implications for task design and validity evaluation, especially in TBLA.

EXAMINING THE BACKWASH EFFECT OF TASK-BASED LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT ON READING SKILLS OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

This study primarily focused the EFL undergraduate students at a public university in Pakistan. In this study, task-based language assessment (TBLA) was used to assess reading skills because it is one of the most assessed language skills in Pakistan. Reading is an academic skill. Supposedly, students should have good reading skills at higher education. Thus, there are three courses taught specifically focusing on English language at higher education and reading is a prime focus in all three of them. However, the reading test items are criticized for testing rather the writing skills instead of reading. Thus, a Task-based Language Assessment (TBLA) was used to check its backwash effect. TBLA has not been adopted in the local context yet, specifically in a reading context. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the backwash effect of TBLA on reading skills. In this study, action research design was followed within the qualitative research paradigm. Sample was drawn using convenient sampling. The participants were 12 undergraduate students. Students’ reading journals, exit slips and teacher’s diary were used as data collection instruments. The findings revealed that TBLA has a positive backwash effect on both teaching and learning in the EFL context. Further pedagogical implications are proposed in the study.

A critical literature review on the washback effect of task-based vocabulary assessment on Iranian EFL learners

The present critical literature review explored the previous research articles to find out the washback effect of task-based assessment (TBA) of vocabulary on EFL learners. While the diversity of teaching and testing methods within today’s EFL classrooms continues to increase, it is better to pay attention to alternative methods of assessment like task-based vocabulary assessments in contrast to traditional assessment. Despite the existence of many research articles in the field of alternative teaching and assessment methods, Iran’s education system has not pay attention to finding an alternative method of assessment that can replace it with its own current unsuccessful traditional method. Therefore, the present paper critically evaluated the previous research articles about the washback effect of TBA of vocabulary on EFL learners. The fundamental motivation for writing the current paper is that Iran’s public EFL program suffers from traditional assessment issues. To address these challenges, Iran’s assessment system must be changed by employing alternative types of assessment and establishing a teacher assistance program. The first focus of the present paper was to review task-based language teaching (TBLT), task-based language assessment (TBLA), and washback effect definitions. Second, the role of vocabulary in TBLT and TBLA was explained. Next, an overview of the empirical studies on TBLT, TBLA, the washback effect, and vocabulary assessment in international and Iranian contexts was presented. Finally, the research question about the washback effects of task-based vocabulary assessment on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning was answered based on the critical review of the previous empirical research.

The effects of task complexity on L2 English rapport-building language use and its relationship with paired speaking test task performance

Abstract Although task complexity effects on L2 oral production have been widely studied in teaching contexts, their application to task-based language assessment and pragmatic language use remains underexplored. Since pragmatic competence is part of effective communication and interactional abilities and is context-dependent, an investigation of the relationships among task complexity, pragmatic language use, and paired speaking test performance is needed. This study examined the effect of the resource-directing and resource-dispersing dimensions (the number of elements, causal reasoning demand, and planning time) of Robinson’s task complexity construct on fifty-two intermediate-level English as a Second Language (ESL) learners’ rapport-building language use during two decision-making tasks as the achievement test in an EAP program, and the relationships between rapport language use and three dimensions of paired speaking test performance: collaboration, task completion, and style. The results showed that frequency and variety of rapport-building language use did not significantly differ between the two tasks. However, the study found that only in the simple task did different types of rapport-building language have statistically significant positive or negative relationships with different dimensions of paired speaking test scores. Specifically, greeting language use had a strong or close to strong positive relationship with collaboration and style scores, whereas agreeing language had a strong negative relationship with collaboration scores. Additionally, thanking language had a strong negative association with task completion scores. The findings further suggest that task complexity effects learners’ production of rapport-building language in terms of alignment with their peer interlocutors and formality of style, and also impacts raters’ perceptions of paired speaking task performance. The findings highlight the importance of task effects, paired oral assessment rubrics development, and rapport-building language instruction.

Students' and teachers' perceptions of effective ESP teaching

Given the importance of ESP teaching, this study explores and compares students' and teachers' perceptions of effective ESP teaching. The researcher administered a 32-item Likert-scale questionnaire to 248 participants (216 students and 32 teachers) at five universities in Vietnam. The participants were then stratified to select 20 participants (fifteen students and five teachers) for interviews. Results showed that there were significant discrepancies between students and teachers' perceptions of four categories: task-based language teaching, corrective feedback and assessment, discipline specifications, and culture integration. However, students' and teachers' perceptions of three categories, namely language use, application of technologies, and grammar teaching, were aligned. Interview data generally confirmed the quantitative results and provided more insights into what the participants thought. It might be important for teachers to present their concerns about ESP teaching to students and understand students' needs and expectations to bridge the gaps.

Task-based language assessment: a compatible approach to assess the efficacy of task-based language teaching vs. present, practice, produce

Task-Based Language Teaching has been developed in response to the teacher-dominated, focus-on-forms methods such as Present, Practice, Produce (PPP). The body of literature is replete with studies examining the learning efficacy of the PPP approach versus TBLT; however, these studies did not use assessment tasks in comparing these two methods. To this end, the present study used an Assessment Task, a Grammaticality Judgment Test (GJT), and an Elicited Imitation Test (EIT) to compare the efficacy of PPP versus TBLT. Thirty-four lower-intermediate English language learners in Iran were randomly assigned to TBLT, PPP, and Control groups. The study results revealed that the performance of TBLT and PPP on the GJT and EIT significantly improved from pre-assessment to post-assessment, while the Control group did not show any significant improvements on any of the tests. Results indicated that only the TBLT group made substantial improvements in TBLA in the post-assessment, while the PPP and Control groups’ performance did not significantly improve.

The present and future of functional adequacy

Abstract The concept of Functional Adequacy (FA) proposed by Kuiken and Vedder, and the research conducted by the authors in this special issue is pushing the field of Task- Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and Task-Based Language Assessment (TBLA) towards a more inclusive understanding of what it means to perform a task successfully. In addition, the idea of FA is an important contribution not just for assessment but for research on L2 pragmatic learning through tasks. As demonstrated by the authors in this special issue, the FA rating scale is a reliable and easy-to-use tool. And as I argue, the rating scale can be expanded to assess interactional tasks and tasks mediated by technology, and that has repercussion for practice in the language classroom as well as for research in the fields of TBLT, TBLA, and L2 Pragmatics.

Measurement of functional adequacy in different learning contexts

AbstractLinguistic performance elicited by language tasks has generally been operationalized in terms of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). However, this study argues that assessment of L2 proficiency is impossible without taking into account the adequacy and efficacy of L2 performance. To that end, we developed a rating scale for measuring functional adequacy (FA). In order to investigate the validity, reliability, and applicability of the rating scale, a number of studies are reviewed in which FA was assessed by both expert and non-expert raters, in different learning contexts, for L2 and L1, involving various source and target languages, proficiency levels, task types and modalities. We discuss perspectives and challenges for the use of the FA rating scale, particularly with regard to task-based language assessment (TBLA).

The Distinguishing Characteristic of Task-based Language Assessment

Since its advent, the principles of Task-Based Language Teaching have been extended to assessment giving rise to Task-Based Language Assessment. Despite the growing body of research on the efficacy of Task-Based Language Teaching in instruction, the application of the assessment based on the tenets of Task-Based Language Teaching has been mainly neglected in some studies owing to their lack of use of Task-Based Language Assessment to measure the effectiveness of Task-Based Language Teaching (viz., Li, et al., 2016). The present study emphasizes the importance of Task-Based Language Assessment and highlights the feature that distinguishes this type of assessment from other assessments. The study concludes that while the performance-referenced feature of Task-Based Language Assessment is an essential characteristic thereof, it is, in fact, the holistic and direct feature of Task-Based Language Assessment that distinguishes it from other assessments. The more the assessment measure is incorporated in the performance of assessment tasks, the more the assessment tasks are based on the tenets of Task-Based Language Assessment. Therefore, the holistic and contextualized assessment tasks improve the confidence with which language teachers could generalize the results of the assessment tasks to real-life situations.

A Survey of the Issue of Generalizability in Task-based Language Assessment

The use of authentic tasks in Task-Based Language Assessment seems to facilitate the extrapolation of assessment performance to the real-life situation. The question arises as to how effective Task-Based Language Assessment is in predicting test-takers’ performance in the real-life situation based on their task performance in the assessment settings and what proposals there are to improve the generalizability of Task-Based Language Assessment. The study draws upon Bachman and Palmer (1996) and Douglas’s (2000) frameworks in order to identify the fixed and varied characteristics of assessment tasks and conditions in the Target Language Use (TLU) situation. These frameworks function as a template by presenting an organized list of the items to compare and contrast the assessment tasks with the real-life target tasks. The present study proposes standardizing the fixed conditions present in both the assessment and the TLU situation, such as setting and equipment. However, since the standardization of the varied conditions could undermine the extrapolation inferences at the cost of improving the reliability of assessment, the study concludes that the assessment procedure should standardize a set of short tasks or observation conditions that are representative of the TLU domain rather than just one specific type of task or condition.

The Significance of EFL Learners’ Criteria Awareness of Task-Based Language Teaching

The purpose of this study is to explore whether L2 learners improve their L2 speech presentations for English communication in TBLT, and whether their awareness of criteria influences their learning. It also seeks to determine the relationship between learners’ awareness and leaners’ performance test results. A questionnaire for learners’ awareness was developed to measure to what extent learners are aware of the criteria of Task-based Language Assessment (TBLA). The criteria provide an indication of what L2 learners need to develop: introduction, body, conclusion, performance, contents quality, language quality, practice, fluency, and grammar. Data were collected from 67 learners who enrolled in a speech presentation class and participated in the present study. The results showed statistically significant improvement in performance test of TBLT in the Experimental Group (EG) with higher criteria awareness. In addition, the correlation coefficient was significant between performance test results and higher results in the criteria awareness questionnaire. The overall results indicated that L2 learner’s intentional focus on criteria in TBLT had a strong influence initiating a type of criteria awareness and stimulating related types of awareness, ushering L2 learners toward more autonomous learning. However, further refinement of the criteria should be considered depending on the EFL context. Keywords: criteria awareness, task-based language teaching (TBLT), task-based language assessment (TBLA), presentation class, speech management Applicable levels: secondary, tertiary

Task-Based Language Assessment: Implications for the Language Classroom

With a communicative approach to language testing, performance assessment has taken on a prominent role in testing systems around the world. Specifically, task-based assessment (TBA) is now being used to make inferences about people’s language ability and what they can do with this construct under realistic communicative scenarios. This reflection paper discusses central issues in TBA, and in doing so, it shows that TBA can be observed through a classroom-assessment lens, an idea I present as Instructional Task-Based Assessment (ITBA). The paper starts by reviewing the meaning of tasks, then discusses problems with TBA and finally offers a checklist for teachers to explore TBA in classroom contexts. I also include limitations of the proposal and conclusions

A Study of Localization of Task-Based Language Teaching in China

Abstract In view of a series of challenges since Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) was introduced into China, we interviewed 14 front-line teachers in primary and secondary schools about their viewpoints and classroom strategies of TBLT. The results show teachers’ willingness to use TBLT. They adopt flexible teaching procedures, apply TBLT creatively, and explore task-based language assessment. The authors argue for inclusive non-doctrinaire approaches to TBLT, and propose to construct localized TBLT theory and practice with Chinese characteristics.

An Approach to Assessing the Linguistic Difficulty of Tasks

This article proposes an approach to assessing the linguistic difficulty of tasks, that is, the linguistic features involved in performing a communicative task that may make it more or less challenging for language learners. The procedure follows the methodology proposed by Pallotti (2019) for operationalizing task interactional difficulty. This consists, firstly, in identifying what linguistic-communicative features are particularly difficult for language learners, based on previous research showing that they appear late in the course of acquisition. Secondly, native speakers’ performance is observed in order to determine which tasks most involve these difficult linguistic features. The dimensions observed in this study concern lexical diversity and sophistication, morphological complexity, and length and depth of syntactic constructions. Data come from 10 native speakers of Italian performing 5 communicative tasks. Results show that different dimensions of linguistic difficulty are relatively independent of each other, and that inter-individual variation is rather limited as regards the lexicon and morphology, but more pronounced for syntax. Implications for SLA research, Task-Based Language Teaching and Task-Based Language Assessment are discussed.

Integration of Task-based Language Assessment into Young Learner Classrooms

Task-based language assessment (TBLA) is a way of providing information about language learning in authentic settings. Not only does it present language learners with a meaningful and embedded context of assessment but also promotes communication in the target language. Within the framework of TBLA, this study aims to integrate the 4 th grade language testing into language learning process through ILTPY (Integrated Language Testing Program for Young Learners). ILTPY includes ten-unit assessment tasks which have been developed in accordance with the young learners’ characteristics and the 4 th grade curricular objectives at state primary schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Turkey. In order to test the effectiveness of ILTPY, two-unit assessment tasks were employed in the 4 th grade classrooms. At the end of the two-unit implementation, follow-up interviews were conducted with the students and teachers in order to understand the influence of ILTPY on language learning process. The study findings show that the assessment tasks in ILTPY significantly increased the level of language attainment in the 4 th grade . The two-unit implementation motivated a majority of language learners by offering them to reinforce what they had learnt. The students’ increasing enthusiasm and participation, and the opportunity for professional development motivated most of the language teachers to teach English and assess the students as emphasized in ILTPY. However, task development and implementation were regarded as the demotivating factors in view of practicality. The assessment tasks mostly met the young learners’ needs of assessment, but they should be supported with more visuals and technology. Finally, it is considered that ILTPY generally affected language learning positively.

Linking task-based language teaching and assessment: Practices and possibilities

Linking task-based language teaching and assessment: Practices and possibilities

Language Testing: Current Practices and Future Developments

Concepts of second language proficiency and how proficiency may be assessed have changed considerably over the last 20 years. New notions of validity with respect to the interpretation and uses of test scores have begun to shape discussions about test validity and quality assurance in college world language departments, in government, and in business, obliging us to revisit established methods of proficiency assessment. This article first discusses the evolution of the term proficiency, particularly in its use within the U.S. government starting in the 1950s and by ACTFL starting in the 1980s. It will then examine how test theory, especially the notion of validity, has changed in the last 30 years in the field of educational measurement, and it will argue that Evidence‐Centered Design (ECD) (Mislevy, Steinberg, & Almond, ), a model that grew out of task‐based language assessment (TBLA), may help us better conceptualize language proficiency assessment. After a discussion of what is currently known about proficiency levels of German students in U.S. colleges, some promising developments in proficiency assessment, which have the potential to considerably increase student proficiency levels, will be identified.

Task-Based Language Assessment Aligning Designs With Intended Uses and Consequences

Task-Based Language Assessment Aligning Designs With Intended Uses and Consequences

Assessing Tasks: The Case of Interactional Difficulty

This article is a conceptual and methodological exploration of a new construct, task interactional difficulty, and of a possible approach to assessing task demands in general. After arguing for the use of ‘task difficulty’ instead of ‘task complexity’, the notion of task interactional difficulty is analyzed, first by reviewing previous SLA research, then by elaborating an explicit theoretical definition. An operationalization is suggested in terms of three dimensions: number of turn exchanges, number of initiating moves, and visual access among participants. The first two parameters can be measured on native speakers’ task performance, while the third may be assessed with two categorical values. To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, these measures are applied to a corpus of native speakers of Italian performing six different oral tasks, which are then ranked according to their interactional difficulty. Implications for SLA research and task-based language teaching and assessment are discussed, as well as possible ways of extending this procedure to other types of tasks and other facets of difficulty.