993 hits

This qualitative study investigated the backwash effect of the Oral English Test (OET) conducted at school-based level in selected secondary schools in the Batang Padang district ofPerak. More specifically, the study looked at how English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers prepare students for the School-based Oral English Test in school, how ESL teachers test Oral English in a school-based context, and examined the backwash effects of the Oral English Test conducted at school level on classroom instructions and student performance. A total of five teachers and five students from three secondary schools in the district of Batang Padang were interviewed in the study. Data analysis results produced several findings which indicated that the School-based Oral English Test produced beneficial backwash on the ESL teachers' classroom instructions and on the performance of the students in the test. Results also indicated beneficial backwash effecting the students tested in relation to the con.....

1190 hits

Twenty-eight TESL students in UPSI and one experienced English SPM Examination examiner (Expert Rater 1) assessed twenty-five samples of Form Four ESL secondary school students' writing. Twelve of the TESL students used the analytic scoring method; seven used the primary trait scoring method; and eight used the holistic scoring method. The expert rater and one of the TESL students (Teacher A) used the English SPM Examination scoring method. Teacher A and Expert Rater 1 assessed the writing samples individually, but the other twenty-eight TESL students were gathered during three separate seminars and workshops. The scores that twenty-eight TESL students, Teacher A and Expert Rater 1 gave to the writing samples were correlated using descriptive statistics and parametric (Pearson R) and non-parametric (Spearman Rho) calculations. The analysis of these scores showed that there was significant correlation coefficient among the scores obtained from all the subjects, even though they used thr.....

805 hits

Fourteen TESL undergraduates in UPSI were chosen as subjects in this research. Each of them was given a task to assess seventy samples of essays written by Form Four ESL secondary school students. Three scoring methods were devised for the subjects to refer to when assessing the essay samples and each of them was given one type of scoring method. Three of the subjects were given the holistic scoring method; six of them were given the analytic scoring method; and five of them were given the primary trait scoring method. They were told to assess the essay samples individually and each of them was required to record down their salient features of assessment (verbal protocol). The scores that the subjects gave to the essay samples were correlated to find the relationship; and the salient features of assessment were analysed descriptively. The findings of the research showed that the scoring methods could not be used to generalize the overall result of the students' performance in writing. .....

683 hits