The Co-construction of Conversation in Group Oral Tests

This book explores how language test-takers with different extraversion and proficiency levels co-construct interaction in group oral tests. It compares interactions across three tasks and between two group sizes. The findings offer useful implications for international language testing by enhancing our understanding of the group test construct.

International language tests increasingly use group oral formats in both high- and low-stakes contexts. But how do test-takers with different characteristics interact in such formats? This book explores how test-takers with different extraversion and proficiency levels co-construct spoken interaction in groups. The impact of the two test-taker characteristics was examined across three task types and with two group sizes. Examination of group performances using both statistical and Conversation Analysis tools offered insights into how group conversation is co-constructed. By enhancing our understanding of the group oral test construct, the findings have useful implications for international language test development and enable appropriate choices regarding task type and group size.

Autorentext

Fumiyo Nakatsuhara is Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA), University of Bedfordshire (UK). She holds a PhD from the University of Essex. She has carried out a number of international testing projects, working with ministries, universities and examination boards.

Inhalt

Contents: Conversation analysis of group oral test discourse Exploring co-constructed interaction in groups Impact of language test-taker characteristics (extraversion and oral proficiency) on conversation style in groups Comparing information-gap, ranking and free-discussion tasks Comparing groups of three and four in spoken language assessment.