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The Effect Of Test-Taker Sex, Audience And Topic On Task Performance In Tape-Mediated Assessment Of Speaking, Tom Lumley, Barry O'Sullivan
The Effect Of Test-Taker Sex, Audience And Topic On Task Performance In Tape-Mediated Assessment Of Speaking, Tom Lumley, Barry O'Sullivan
Dr Tom Lumley
There is growing interest in the effect on candidate performance of characteristics of the interlocutor in tests of speaking. A range of variables associated with the interlocutor may cause systematic variation in linguistic performance, and consequently in scores awarded. This paper hypothesises that there may be effects on performance attributable to an interaction of these variables; in the present study, the task topic, the sex of the person presenting the topic and the sex of the candidate. This investigated in the context of a tape-mediated test of speaking, where no interlocutor is actually present; instead, stimulus material is presented by …
The Judgements Of Language-Trained Raters And Doctors In A Test Of English For Health Professionals, Tom Lumley
The Judgements Of Language-Trained Raters And Doctors In A Test Of English For Health Professionals, Tom Lumley
Dr Tom Lumley
Research to date has produced conflicting findings concerning the relative harshness and other characteristics of language- trained raters versus 'naive' native speaker or occupational expert raters. This question is considered in the context of a recent standard- setting project carried out for the Occupational English Test, an occupation specific test of English for overseas- trained health professionals. 20 audio recordings of role plays from recent administrations of the tests were each rated by 10 trained ESL raters and 10 medical practitioners. Broad similarities in judgements indicate reliance on ESL-trained raters can be justified.