English language assessment practices in ASEAN

Richard Watson Todd

King Mongkuts University of Technology Thonburi

http://arts.kmutt.ac.th/crs/workshop.htm

English in ASEAN
English as an Official Language (EOL)
Brunei Malaysia Philippines Singapore

English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

Cambodia Indonesia Laos Myanmar Thailand Vietnam

English in ASEAN
English as an Official Language (EOL)
High average scores on TOEFL (e.g. Singapore: 99) High ratings for general English (e.g. on EF EPI, Malaysia is High) Widespread use of English Some English-as-L1 speakers

English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

Low average scores on TOEFL (e.g. Vietnam: 70) Low ratings for general English (e.g. on EF EPI, Indonesia is Very Low) Little use of English outside major cities and academic and international business environments

English and education

How do the different roles and different general proficiency levels of English in EOL and EFL countries affect English language education?
Observe classrooms Examine policies Investigate assessment practices (reflective of educational philosophies)

Assessment in EOL countries

Case 1: Singapore
Test-centric system Promoting meritocracy and social mobility?

Assessment in EOL countries

Case 1: Singapore
High-stakes tests using variety of item types E.g. reading comprehension measured through short-answer questions and summary writing

Assessment in EOL countries

Case 1: Singapore
Increase in open-ended assessment Introduction of holistic assessment The ongoing gathering of information on different facets of a child from various sources, with the aim of providing quantitative and qualitative feedback to support and guide the childs development E.g. drama, role-plays, show-and-tell activities Teacher, self- and peer- assessment

Assessment in EOL countries

Case 2: Malaysia
Similar to Singapore: test-centric, variety of item types

Assessment in EFL countries

Case 1: Thailand
National Education Act Education institutions shall assess learners performance through observation of their development; personal conduct; learning behaviour; participation in activities and results of the tests accompanying the teaching-learning process commensurate with the different levels and types of education.

Assessment in EFL countries

Case 1: Thailand
Influence of university entrance exam
Secondary school teachers rate the influence of the university entrance exam as their most serious problem School exams are based on the university entrance exam (e.g. 2006) Only multiple-choice items Multiple-choice accounts for about half of secondary school scores

Assessment in EFL countries

Case 1: Thailand
The effects of multiple-choice testing
Practicality Reliability Content validity Predictive validity Washback

Assessment in EFL countries

Case 1: Thailand: Washback effects of multiple-choice testing
Restricting what to learn Less higher-order thinking Promoting rote learning Ignoring productive skills

Assessment in EFL countries

Cases 2 and 3: Indonesia and Vietnam
Similar test-centric education systems Similar dominance of multiple-choice testing Single major exception is Vietnamese B-level exam

Comparing assessment in EOL and EFL countries

Nearly all ASEAN countries have testcentric education systems Regular national-level exams with major impact on students future EOL countries: mix of item types EFL countries: heavy reliance on multiplechoice testing

Comparing assessment in EOL and EFL countries: Testing speaking

Malaysia
Individual presentation Situation: Your class has organised a forum to discuss the topic Stress among teenagers. Each member of the team is to focus on one aspect of life which is stressful. Task: You are to focus on the stress arising from relationships with your peers. You may want to talk about peer pressure and girl-boy relationships.

Thailand
Situation: A secretary is talking to a caller. Caller: This is Jim Smith. Can I talk to Mr. Johnson please? Secretary: __A__ Caller: __B__ Secretary: Ill tell him as soon as I see him. A.1. Pardon me. I dont know him. 2. Can you talk to him now? 3. Im afraid hes just gone out. 4. Sorry. He doesnt want to speak to you. B.1. Could I hold on? 2. Can you call me later? 3. Can you ask him to return my call? 4. Could I return his call later?

Comparing assessment in EOL and EFL countries: Testing writing

Malaysia
Read the following passage carefully. Based on the information given, summarise the passage about dangers in the home in about 100 words

Thailand
In most countries around the world, __A__ to school __B__. A.1. children having to go 2. children must go 3. every child has been 4. every child must have been B.1. when they reach a certain age 2. as they are growing old enough 3. since they reached a certain age 4. if they are too old to learn

Comparing assessment in EOL and EFL countries

EOL countries
Prioritise validity over reliability Focus on language use English is a living language to be used in the future

EFL countries
Prioritise reliability over validity Focus on language knowledge English is an academic subject to be studied

English in ASEAN
With the ASEAN economic community coming into effect in 2015 and with English the de facto language of ASEAN, EOL countries will have an advantage over EFL countries Need to change view of English in EFL countries from an academic subject to a living language Changing assessment practices (to include more open-ended items) may help to change view of English EOL countries can help EFL countries by acting as model and mentor