Педагогические науки/2. Проблемы подготовки специалистов

Василишина Н. M.

Національний Авіаційний Університет

assessment’s Validity of foreign language learners’ literacy skills in discourse

Tutors always carry out assessment to measure their learners‘ performance and provide them useful feedback. Thus, assessment means measuring students‘ performance in any one of many different ways, diagnosing the problems and measuring the progress the students make. Assessment is an estimate, judging the value of learners' knowledge. However, this concern is left actual and not solved, because there are a plenty of factors that have a direct impact on the effective and productive assessment of foreign language learners’ skills and abilities [1].

As a matter of fact, the purpose of this paper is to define circumstances under which the evaluation and assessment of students’ achievements in foreign language will be the most efficient. So, in order to reach mentioned above goal, we have set such two tasks, as: firstly, to give an overview of language, educational background and cultural factors; secondly, to present language proficiency levels of successful assessment.

It is purposeful to start from the language factors. Varying levels of proficiency in English— students vary widely in their level of English language proficiency, and furthermore, they may have varying levels of oral and written English proficiency. In

other words, compared with native speakers, foreign language learners generally take longer on tasks presented in English. This is important to keep in mind when designing and scoring the assessment, as well as when making decisions about testing accommodations [2].

Next come educational background factors, that are varying degrees of formal schooling in English— students also vary in the number of years they have spent in schools where English is the language of instruction. A distinction may also be made between students who have studied English as a foreign language while in their home countries and students who have studied English as a second language only in the Ukraine. Furthermore, foreign language learners differ in the type of instruction they have received while in English-speaking schools. Bilingual, full English immersion, and English as a second language are but three of the many existing instructional programs for non-native English speakers, and there are great variations in how these programs are implemented [2].

Further, analysis is related to cultural factors. In our perception it means that students who are unfamiliar with American culture may be at a disadvantage relative to their peers because they may hold different assumptions about the testing situation or the educational environment in general, have different background knowledge and experience, or possess different sets of cultural values and beliefs, and therefore respond to questions differently. Students from cultures where cooperation is valued over competition, for example, may be at a disadvantage in those testing situations in the Ukraine where the goal is for each individual student to perform at his or her best on his or her own.

Foreign language learners from economically disadvantaged backgrounds may also respond to questions differently and may have background knowledge and experiences that are different from those presumed by a test developer [2].

Having conducted the brief survey of language, educational background and cultural factors which impact on successful assessment of students’ studying results, we would like to present the outlook of standards of foreign language learners’ proficiency in English. In our terse research language proficiency or linguistic proficiency we consider as the ability of foreign language learner to speak or perform in an acquired language. So, there are three types of users: basic user, independent user and proficient user.

Basic user (A1, A2). A1. Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. A2. Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevanc. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

Independent user (B1, B2). B1. Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. B2.Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics,including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Proficient user (C1, C2). C1. Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns,connectors and cohesive devices. C2. Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating shades of meaning even in more complex situations [1, 2].

On balance, the assessment of foreign language learners’ practical literacy skills in discourse will be effective in case of paying attention on language, educational background and cultural factors alongside with correct estimation of user type – basic, independent or proficient in the framework of learning process.

References:

1. Анісімова А. І. Сучасні аспекти методики викладання англійської мови. Теорія і практика / А. І. Анісімова, Л. С. Кошова –Д.: РВВ ДНУ, 2010. – 326 с.

2. Pitoniak The Guidelines for the Assessment of English-Language Learners / Pitoniak, John W. Young. – USA, Educational Testing Service, 2009. – P. 6 – 8.