Task 14 -- Communicative Approach2

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Date Posted: 15:56:44 08/05/03 Tue
Author: Lidiane Luiza da Cunha
Subject: Task 14

How we can test communicative competence
According to the article "Testing Communicative Competence", a test in communicative approach does not simply analyze students' ability to form correct structures of the foreign language, it also verify whether they can use certain structures at appropriate situations (especially situations which they are likely to find in real life). As in real language a speaker produces more than one skill, these tests should make students use different abilities, which could not be isolated in the test.
First, these communicative language texts measure students' ability to use language in order to understand and respond (reception and production) in real time. But they should test communicative competence of both learners' input and output, not producing or reception in isolation. In addition, communicative tests emphasize appropriateness over correctness in testing production and analyze speakers' understanding of the content of the message (the general idea) rather than specific details in testing reception.
Second, these tests are very context-specific, that is, it should be designed based on the description of language students are going to need. This description should consider the context, the purpose, and the situation the speaker has defined (if it has happened), which means that this language should reflect the communicative or social situation the speakers are likely to find. Because of this, tasks used in communicative tests evaluate learners' competence to communicate in these relevant situations they may face in real life. I t is important to highlight that since learners are going to be examined in their ability to solve these tasks, the communicative language course should be designed to prepared them for this kind of test. The course thus, should cover activities in which students are asked to solve a problem or perform a situation, that is, they should be asked to produce and receive meaningful utterance in appropriate and specific contexts.
Finally, the test could use activities that analyze this competence students should have. The authors suggest activities that simulate real life communicative situations rather than activities that measure reliability of the results in order to test students' communicative competence. They are tasks such as role plays, information gap, etc that are evaluated by a band scale, which is based on a description of the quality (and sometimes quantity) of the receptive or productive performance of the speaker, instead right or wrong answers that non-communicative activities aim. Besides engaging learners in communicative situations, these tasks provide a context that stimulates students to share information (information gap); they access students' ability to carry out a function required by a given situation or a role (role play); they also give realistic reason for doing the tasks whether it involves reading, writing, speaking or listening skills.
Thus, testing students in a communicative language teaching takes in consideration language use and appropriateness in real communication by examining learners' communicative competence after providing them a context and communicative elements to perform, solve, or exchange information productively and receptively.
Reference:
Kitao, S. K, Kitao, K. "Testing Communicative competence"

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Re: Task 14 -- Vera, 08:34:54 08/07/03 Thu