The Testing of Oral Interaction: A Research Perspective

Abstract

This paper reviews some of the research that has taken place in relation to the validation of tests of speaking. It considers four facets in some detail. These are the candidate, the examiner, the rating scales and the language elicited. A number of research projects are reviewed in the paper. Work in progress by Cambridge and UCLA is focusing on the characteristics of the test taker with a view to investigating relationships between these and test performance and content. The language of the candidate is considered from a discourse perspective based on work by Young and Milanovic (1992). Lazaraton's work on examiner language (1993) in relation to CASE is considered and the development and analysis of rating scales is examined by Milanovic et al. (1992).