Muldagalieva A.A., Okusheva G.T.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SELECTION OF APPROPRIATE TESTING
TASKS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY EVALUATION
It is universally recognized that an evaluation component is an essential part of educational
process; practically it is part of everyday learning process. Before starting teaching a foreign language
we should take a decision how we are going to measure outcomes and make clear for ourselves the
role of assessment and its instructional value in language acquisition process.
Assessment occurs in many contexts and is done for a variety of reasons. It has become a
widely accepted tradition that the most common way to measure outcomes is the test.
Depending on the aims of the tests there are proficiency, placement, diagnostic, and
achievement tests. As a rule our students are exposed to all these tests. On enrolling to the university
they take proficiency, placement tests because we set the aim to identify the right level for a particular
student, the peculiarity of this test is that there is no good or bad score, only recommendation for the
most suitable group
On the distribution of students into groups on the basis of the placement test results it is
necessary to conduct a diagnostic test the aim of which is to check the students’ knowledge before
starting a particular course. According to Hughes diagnostic tests are supposed to determine the
students’ weak and strong points [1]. It provides the students with a variety of language elements,
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which will help the teacher to make a decision what language material he / she should focus on to
achieve the desirable outcome. As a rule, at our university we offer a diagnostic test including two
parts: writing a short composition on various topics as “My family”, “My school”, “About myself”,
“My hobby” and interviewing.
In the course of studies after the completion of a certain unit a progress test is conducted with
the aim to measure learner’s degree of mastery of different components that have been covered in the
curriculum. The student’s progress may be tested in most various ways – orally or in writing. It
depends on the teacher’s choice. At the department of foreign languages the teachers prefer to check
the students’ current knowledge of the material covered through giving a writing task – short
compositions where the students are acquired to use active vocabulary and the grammatical structures
of the unit. Besides, oral skills are tested through such speaking activities as role plays, answering
provocative questions, group discussions, case studies etc. much depends upon the teacher’s creativity
and resourcefulness. Thus we have an opportunity not only to measure the progress of our students’
knowledge, but also to develop their communicative competences. Such method of evaluation of the
students’ progress in learning activities will not be stressful but an enjoyable experience.
One of the most important questions in measuring the students’ language knowledge and skills
acquired in the course of studies is to select the appropriate testing method. The content of the test
should fully represent the content of the course. Specifically, the test tasks should correspond to the
types of classroom learning activities included in the program. The selected testing method should
enable teachers to make inferences about the students’ abilities to use their skills in non-test language
contexts- in real life situations.
At the end of the course of studies the achievement test is administered. Achievement test
answers the question: How much the learner learnt from a particular course? Achievement test helps
find out how well the students have mastered the language material and skills that have been covered
on the course. As a rule, achievement tests are all-inclusive and occur at the end of the semester. In
fact an achievement test is the measure of students’ progress towards definite goals. It is the means for
monitoring performance and evaluating the final outcome.
Al-Farabi university curriculum includes the course “Professionally oriented foreign language”.
It is a university course which has its own knowledge base, content and structure that aims to achieve
Common European Standard of foreign language competence. The aim of the course is to develop
professional communication competence in the fields of natural sciences, social sciences and
humanities based on the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages” [2]. The aimed
results are the effective use of language in both daily and professional communication and provide
students with the skills to use foreign language as a means of broadening and deepening systemic
specialized knowledge and a means to enhance their professional qualification, prepare students to
function in a technologically and socially changing world.
It must be pointed out that secondary school graduates who enter our university have different
degrees of language proficiency and depending on this fact we define the end result in the following
language skills. By the end of the course the students should be able to communicate on a variety of
general, educational and professional issues, understand the main points and a general idea of
presentations and lectures on their professional topics, understand texts of common and professional
content, built on the frequency language material, make presentations, etc.
The purpose of students' knowledge control is to encourage active participation of students in
the educational and research work and to provide maximum objectivity of comprehensive assessment
of knowledge and students’ practical skills, their ability to conduct independent research work.
According to the study program the evaluation and assessment are carried out constantly at
every lesson. Twice within the semester the student’s progress is tested in midterm and final controls.
In the end of the semester achievement test is administered when students take final examinations.
Current test is carried out at every lesson in oral and written forms. In accordance with the
course program the students' current performance is evaluated during the whole foreign language
learning period in the form of written control works, lexical and grammar tests, presentations, oral
control of the material covered, essays, round tables, discussions, role-plays, case studies, reports and
translation of texts on their specialties, etc. Total grade point for the student's academic performance is
assigned for the level of overall achievement, i.e. grade for each attestation is taken into account when
placing an overall assessment of the subject. Midterm test is carried out on the 7th and 15th weeks in
the form of oral and written tests which check the achievements in the following aspects: listening,
vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension and writing.
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We prefer to test the students’ speaking skills in Midterm examinations. Testing speaking skills
deserve special consideration. In this paper we think it appropriate to dwell shortly on this topic.
Testing speaking skills has always been one of the most difficult aspects within language teaching
program. It is because formally speech involves two persons: a person who speaks and a person who
listens. It is a two-way system of communication and there must be one more person who assesses that
speech. In oral tests there doesn’t exist any ‘test’, it is the people and their communication skills that
are evaluated. The aim of an assessor here is to encourage the people to talk as natural as possible.
Oral tests radically differ from conventional written tests; here we deal with real people and their
ability to perform in a foreign language, and namely this fact makes oral tests the most complicated
process of evaluation.
In general the test situation for most students is very stressful. Real people meet tet-a-tete and
communicate with each other on a given topic and within a limited time the only thing needed is to
talk to each other and behave as natural as possible so that he/she is able to demonstrate his/her
listening and speaking skills in the best possible way. Psychologically for some people it is difficult to
control their emotions because the requirement is to produce grammatically correct utterances, speak
fluently with proper intonation and pronunciation. Experience shows that very often they feel
unconfident about their skills, worry about their pronunciation and their grammatical accuracy. The
students may have word-finding difficulties that result in halting the conversation flow. It should be
always born in mind that testing in no way must have a negative effect on psychological state of a
testee.
The advantage of oral testing is that the learner is rated on his ability to manage to keep the
conversation going and not to lose the floor but not on grammatical accuracy although it is taken into
account. According to Stephen D. Krashen “encouraging students to participate in conversation and
develop their skills to manage conversations will contribute a great deal to the development of their
grammatical accuracy. Indeed, they will develop, perhaps, more grammatical accuracy in the long run
than any other kind of measure” [3]. The test techniques should necessarily be suited to the levels of
learners’ general proficiency, for example, ‘question answer’ technique is good for lower levels while
‘discussion /conversation’ technique is more suitable for higher levels. There exist a wide variety of
test techniques (approximately sixty) which can be divided into two big groups – dialogues and
monologues. We predominantly practice the following techniques: discussion / conversation, oral
report, learner-learner joint discussion / decision making, role play, interview, presentation, question
and answer, using a picture or picture story, giving instructions, précis or re-tell a story or text from
aural stimulus, translating / interpreting, sentence transformation, sentence repetition and others.
The final exam may vary in accordance with the competence level of a particular student, group
and the specificity of the material studied. This exam includes the written tasks which help identify the
level of students’ final achievement. At our University we choose rendering of the original text on
specialty of a student as the first test item.
Why rendering or translation? The debate over whether English language classrooms should
include translation has been a controversial issue for a long time [4]. Although the use of translation
was not welcomed by the supporters of the direct method at the end of the nineteenth century, lately
the positive role of the mother tongue has been recognized, if used judiciously, as one of the effective
means of foreign language teaching and learning [5]. We consider translation as an essential social
skill and a useful language learning tool preparing our students for real life situations. In English class
we try to develop translation skills of our students which enable them to read and understand the
original texts on their specialty and draw information they need for academic and professional
activities. Nowadays translation is recognized as the fifth skill as well as reading, speaking, listening
and writing. The overwhelming majority of non-native teachers of English agree that one of the most
essential prerequisites of the development of translation skills is vocabulary growth. Language
researchers state that for basic reading instruction students need to know 2000 most frequent
vocabulary items which account for 80% of all words in texts. When selecting the testing task
rendering or translation of the special text we stem from the assumption that translation and rendering
activities encompass a range of competences such as reading comprehension, knowledge of grammar
and vocabulary. Correct translation and rendering of the text involves knowledge of word order
variation, clause formation, complex noun phrase structures and types of style.
The second test item in the final examination is asking questions about the text. The reason for
including this test item in the final examination is as follows: it is our firm belief that questioning
plays a critical role in the way teachers shape the class environment, organizes the content of the
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course, and questioning also has deep implications in the way that students assimilate the information
that is presented and discussed in class. Asking the right question is a good stimulus to effective
communication and information exchange. By teaching students to ask the right questions in a
particular situation, we can improve their communication skills, for example, they can gather better
information and learn more; they can build stronger relationships, manage people more effectively and
help others to learn too.
Given that questioning can be a tremendously effective way to teach, and recognizing that
teachers strive hard to engage students in the process of asking questions correctly while instructing
we consider it right to include into achievement test asking questions about the text as a testing item.
The third testing item that achievement test includes is writing on the topic. As a rule the topics
offered are familiar to the students from the teaching material which they have covered in the course
of studies. In our case the topics reflect the professional areas the students major in.
As it is known writing skills are an important part of communication. Writing well involves
more than simply documenting ideas as they come to mind. It is a process that requires that the writer
thinks carefully about the purpose for writing, plan what to say, plan how to say it, and understand
what the reader needs to know. While developing writing skills we focus on teaching the following
writing strategies that include planning, drafting, sharing, evaluating, revising, and editing.
Although we have very limited time for teaching writing skills (only three credits) we try hard
to cultivate their skills to write on a variety of topics that are familiar or of personal interest.
According to the examination requirements the students should be able to compose simple and
complex sentences using a variety of verb tenses and moods.
The results of 2015-16 academic year final examination demonstrate that the overwhelming
majority of students have successfully completed “Professionally Oriented Foreign Language” course.
They showed that they can render the texts on their specialty from English into Russian or Kazakh, ask
questions about the text and write coherent stories on the topics they have covered during their
learning process. The analysis of the examination outcomes show that the testing item “Render the text
from English into Russian / Kazakh” hasn’t presented much difficulty for our students. Their written
rendering of texts on their specialty indicated that the sufficient vocabulary stock the students have
built during the learning process helped them to cope with the first testing task. We see that they had
more problems with the second and the third testing tasks: “Ask questions about the text” and “Write
on the topic”. There were mistakes in their questions and writing tasks, nevertheless we see that they
can convey their ideas and give information on the topics required. The mistakes they have made do
not interfere understanding the idea they wanted to express. It is a universally known truth that
learning a foreign language is a never-ending process, and we hope very much that our students will
continue learning English, and in the future they will definitely improve their language competence.
Reference
1. Arthur Hughes. Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge University Press, 1989, 250 p.
2. “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages”
3. Stephen D. Krashen. Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Prentice- Hall
International, 1994, p. 180.
4. Brown, H.D. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. NY: Longman, 2000
5. Cook, Guy. April 2002. Breaking Taboos. English Teaching Professional, Issue 23, 5 - 7.
Мунасбаева К.К., Тулепов М.И., Спанова Г.А., Тулепова С.И.
МОДЕРНИЗАЦИЯ ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНЫХ ПРОГРАММ ДЛЯ ГАРАНТИИ
КАЧЕСТВА ПОДГОТОВКИ КАДРОВ В СООТВЕТСТВИИ С ЦЕЛЯМИ ГПИИР-2
В Стратегии «Казахстан - 2050» - новый политический курс состоявшегося государства»
Президент Н.А. Назарбаев отметил: «Высшее образование должно ориентироваться в первую
очередь на максимальное удовлетворение текущих и перспективных потребностей нацио-
нальной экономики в специалистах. Необходимо усилить востребованные и перспективные
направления научных и образовательных дисциплин». В этой связи на общегосударственном
уровне успешно реализован первый этап государственной программы индустриально-
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инновационного развития Республики Казахстан (ГПФИИР). Для успешной реализации
второго этапа данной госпрограммы (ГПИИР-2) ведущие национальные университеты страны
должны направить свою деятельность на интеграцию своих научно-образовательных программ
и проектов на потребности субъектов реального сектора экономики.
В этой связи в контексте реализации данной госпрограммы КазНУ им. аль-Фараби, как
один из активных участников реализации кадрового сопровождения ГПИИР-2, в целях
выработки согласованного и эффективного взаимодействия субъектов рынка во главе угла
ставит обсуждение вопросов интеграции образовательных и исследовательских про-
грамм университетов с запросами реально хозяйствующих субъектов инновационной
экономики Казахстана. На примере опыта совместных интегрированных взаимодействии по
подготовке и выпуска компетентных «химиков-технологов» (в области химии и технологии
производства неорганических веществ и материалов) и «химиков-инженеров» ориентиро-
ванных для работы в дальнейшем в производственных предприятиях в рамках реализации
проекта МОН РК по кадровому сопровождению ГПИИР-2 предлагаются следующие
предложения по реализации.
Программа ГПИИР-2 разработана для того, чтобы помочь улучшить понимание роли
деятельности ППС по направлениям – «Университеты как предпринимательские и адаптивные
организации», «Исследовательская деятельность» и «Академическая деятельность», а также
развивать их способности к инновационной деятельности. Кроме того, данная программа
предоставит высшим учебным заведениям возможность для эффективного функционирования
в качестве организаций с большей степенью автономии в рамках устойчивой структуры
управления, обеспечения надлежащего уровня подотчетности и развития соответствующих
отношений с промышленностью и различными заинтересованными сторонами по мере того,
как Министерство образования и науки Республики Казахстан (МОН РК) будет предоставлять
университетам все больше академической свободы.
Основной целью ГПИИР-2 является обеспечение промышленности и бизнеса
квалифицированными профессиональными кадрами с уровнем компетенции, который сможет
удовлетворить потребности экономики и индустриально-инновационного развития страны.
Основной задачей всей программы является оказание содействия ППС принимающих
участие в данной программе, в развитии предпринимательских, исследовательских и
академических аспектов деятельности своих вузов в соответствии с целями ГПИИР-2, а также в
построении прочных отношений с различными заинтересованными сторонами с целью
удовлетворения их потребностей и достижения результатов, заложенных в национальном плане
развития Казахстана.
Программа по подготовке специалистов по ГПИИР 2 разработана таким образом, чтобы
являться:
Проблемно-ориентированной: аналитически сосредоточенной на актуальных
вопросах, стоящих перед вузами Казахстана на данном этапе их развития;
Целенаправленной и направленной на действия: обучение будет направлено на оценку
соответствия предоставляемых подтверждающих фактов и разработку соответствующих
планов действий для вузов и их подразделений, а также рекомендаций для МОН РК;
Совместной: посредством регулярных обсуждений и обратной связи будет
происходить широкое взаимообогащение опытом и передовой практикой;
Сравнительной: участники программы будут способствовать активному изучению и
обсуждению участниками опыта зарубежных и казахстанских вузов по отдельным вопросам и
проблемам.
Стимулирующей: в плане предоставления экспертной и аналитической оценки
адекватности национальных и международных ответов на вызовы, возникающие в решении
конкретных проблем.
Модернизация структуры подготовки магистрантов и предложения по их подготовке:
1. Создание бизнес школ в университетах имеющих свои полномочия и структуру.
Бизнес школы собирают проблемы, и определяет направления исследований в университетах.
Эти структуры являются мостом между промышленностью и университетами.
2. Программа производственной практики студентов определяется от существующих
проблем промышленности, в результате появляется непосредственная и непроизвольная связь
между Университетом и промышленностью.
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3. В классификатор специальностей ввести промышленная докторантура. Увеличение
количества PhD докторантов с определением тем исследований во взаимосвязи с
международной и внутренней потребностью в этих исследованиях. Уделить большее внимание
распределению докторантов по целевой подготовке. Повышение качества исследований с
публикациями в журналах с высоким импакт фактором.
4. Укрепление имиджа Университета через маркетинг в мировом сообществе.
Определение тем исследований через анализ и маркетинг, а не то, что мы умеем или знаем.
Коммерциализация знаний в странах ближнего зарубежья.
5. Заинтересовать промышленность на выход к университету через послабление
налоговыми каникулами.
6. Повышение качества исследований и укрепление имиджа университета позволяющая
набирать студентов и открывать филиалы в среднеазиатских университетах.
7. Усилить междисциплинарность в вузах, поскольку крупные проекты обычно
охватывают больше проблем. Формирование междисциплинарных групп определяется на
принципах взаимно выгодности и может решать разовые проблемы с промышленностью через
финансирование сторонних организаций. Формирование при Университетах центров
объединяющих химиков и экономистов для составления общего бизнес планов,
технологических регламентов и т.д.
8. Создание консалтинговой компании при университете предоставляющих услуги в
промышленном секторе.
9. При создании связи университетов и промышленности государство может внести
дополнительное финансирование для увеличения масштабов производства в зависимости от
спроса.
10. Создание менеджерских групп для выхода в горизонт 2020 помогающих ученым в
формировании заявки с оценкой востребованности подаваемой заявки.
11. При государстве организация Советов определяющих экономические приоритеты
развития в зависимости от востребованности той или иной промышленной продукции с
обязательной экономической оценкой.
12. Ввести изменения в структуры Университетов по трем направлениям.
13. Только преподаватель. 2. Только исследователь. 3. Академический работник ведущий
и занятия и исследования. 4 Менеджер связывающий университет и промышленность.
14. При подаче заявки на исследования необходимо предварительное обсуждение в
Советах с приглашением работодателей и промышленников, а не по принципу авторитета
ученого.
15. Обязательное участие промышленников и ученых в одних конференциях, с
определением выводов и резолюции рождающих новые направления в исследованиях.
16. Защита диссертаций магистрантов на промышленных объектах, что значительно
увеличит трудоустройство магистрантов.
17. Подача групповых заявок совместно не только с зарубежным партнерами, но и с
промышленностью.
18. Проведение тренингов преподавателей в промышленности. Приглашение ученых не
по принципу знакомства, а по уровню.
19. Создание малых предприятий и бизнеса в зависимости от местных условий,
например, в животноводстве можно определить направление развития текстиля и дизайна на
основе связи биологов, химиков, ремесленников и модельеров.
20. Коллегиальное использование оборудования и лицензирование на предоставления
услуг, в том числе экспертные услуги.
Участие в данной программе дало нам возможность собрать подтверждающие данные и
материалы по различным вопросам с тем, чтобы мы смогли составить планы действий для
наших собственных вузов, что, в свою очередь, будет способствовать достижению намеченных
планов Казахстана в сфере высшего образования и, в особенности, в рамках ГПИИР.
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