TESTING VOCABULARY

What is vocabulary? The set of words within a language that are familiar are known as a person’s vocabulary. Vocabulary develops with age and is a crucial tool for communicating and acquiring language. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the largest challenges in learning a second language. The coining of new words never stops. Nor does the acquisition of words. Even in our first language, we are continually learning new words, and learning new meanings for old words. Can you think of an example?

What is a word then? A word is a highly complex phenomenon.  Words have different functions.  The same word can have a variety of forms.  Words can be added to, or combined, to form new words.  Words can group together to form units that behave as if they were single words.  Many words commonly co-occur with other words.  Words may look and/or sound the same but have quite different meanings.  One word may have a variety of overlapping meanings.  Different words may share similar meanings, or may have opposite meanings.  Words can have the same or similar meanings but be used in different situations or for different effects

What does to know a word mean? Knowing a word means:  having the ability to recognize it in its spoken and written forms  knowing its different meanings.  knowing its part of speech [eg. a noun, a verb]  being able to pronounce it properly  being able to use it correctly within a sentence in an appropriate grammatical form  for technical words, recognizing it in context  being able to recognize different types of English e.g boot/trunk, lift/elevator [British/American].

The importance of vocabulary A large vocabulary helps us to communicate and express what we mean. The size of your vocabulary is directly linked to your reading comprehension. A person may be judged by others based on his or her vocabulary.

WHY TEST VOCABULARY ?

Because knowledge of vocabulary is essential to the development and demonstration of linguistic skills.

We test vocabulary to measure the comprehension and production of words used in speaking and writing.

Vocabulary WHICH ASPECTS OF VOCABULARY DO YOU USUALLY TEST? meaning collocation pronunciation spelling part of speech register WHICH ASPECTS OF VOCABULARY DO YOU USUALLY TEST? HAVE YOU EVER TESTED REGISTER OR COLLOCATION ?

WE MOSTLY TEST MEANING…

HOW TO CHOOSE THE VOCABULARY ITEMS TO ASK IN TESTS Record the words which students misuse. Ask other subject teachers (In Anadolu (Anatolian) High Schools, science subjects used to be taught in English in the past). Usually the syllabus tells you which words must be learned and tested.

FOUR GENERAL KINDS OF VOCABULARY TESTS

FOUR GENERAL KINDS OF VOCABULARY TESTS Limited Response Multiple-choice completion Multiple-choice paraphrase Simple completion

1. Limited Response Is this an apple? Yes !!! For Beginners, usually short (limited) responses like “yes, no” are required Is this an apple? Yes !!!

Limited Response allows Individual testing E.g. T to st: “Go to the door” (The student walks to the door) 2. Group testing E.g. T to sts: “ Draw a circle around the tree”. (Sts draw a circle around the tree on the exam paper) T to sts: “My friend is eating” (Sts mark the correct picture)

ADVANTAGES OF LIMITED RESPONSE                                                                                                                                                                                 ADVANTAGES OF LIMITED RESPONSE It causes less stress than other types of tests. It avoids skills such as reading and writing that have not yet been developed. It can be scored easily and objectively.

LIMITATIONS OF LIMITED RESPONSE It requires individual testing, which takes longer than group testing. It is usually difficult to test abstract words with this technique. Sketches are sometimes ambiguous. (e.g., an orange may look like a ball; running may look like dancing or jumping)

2.Multiple-choice completion This kind of item is constructed by deleting a word from a sentence She quickly ………. her lunch. a) drank b) ate c)drove d) slept

Following steps should be taken in writing multiple-choice completion test items: Select the word to be tested. Get the right kind of sentence to put each word in (this sentence context is called the stem). Choose several wrong words to put the right word with (these wrong words are called distractors ). -Three disractors plus the right word are enough for a written item. Finally, prepare clear and simple instructions. And if this kind of test item is new to your students, prepare one or two examples.

Vocabulary Choice for multiple-choice completion test items From reading passages that your students have read before the test. Ask content words. (adj, verb, noun..) Function words (article, prep, auxilary verbs., etc) appear in grammar tests

CONTEXT PREPARATION 1. Make your stems (contexts) clear. Sometimes you may need two sentences. E.g. “I want to paint, too. “All right. Use that ………..over there. a) *brush b) pencil c) broom d) spoon

CONTEXT PREPARATION (Continued) 2. You can find a passage in sts’ level and select the stem (the sentences) from that passage. 3. Avoid contexts that are too difficult. Which context lets you understand the meaning of “imply”. 1 “Present an analogy which implies the concept you wish to convey” 2. “He didn’t actually say so, but he implied that you lied”.

DISTRACTOR PREPARATION Use sts’ errors to use as distractor. Make sure the distractors are the same form of word. Examine the poor item below. She had to help the ………old man up the stairs. a) *weak b) slowly c) try d) wisdom 3. Don’t give grammatical clues to indicate the correct answer. Examine the following poor item. It is always wet in England, you must buy an …………… . a) book b) spoon c) fork d) *umbrella 4. Do not include more than one correct answer. Examine the poor items below. -She sent the ……….yesterday. a) letter b) gift c) friend d) book -She wrote a ……….yesterday. a) letter b) gift c) friend d) book

Instruction Preparation Be Brief When giving only oral instructions consider late students. Both oral and written instructions preferably for beginners. (or instructions in L1 for beginners) By giving an example, instructions can be made more comprehensible.

Alternate Forms of Multiple-Choice Completion Definition -To………..someone means to save him or her from danger. a) praise b) injure c) rescue d) announce 2. Phrase Completion a) Idioms -The commitee …………….choosing you as president. a) wound up b) buttoned down c) wiped out d) sat in b) Appropriatenes to context -The newspaper says, “ A two-year-old girl….......today when struck by a bus. a) kicked the bucket b) was eradicated c) was killed d) departed

Alternate Forms of Multiple-Choice Completion (Continued) 3. Phrasal Context (Not sentence completion) ………..his fingernails. a) tailored b) reduced c) remodeled d) manicured 4. Multiple-Choice Cloze (use stories or essays)

ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPLE_CHOICE COMPLETION                                                                                                                                                                                 ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPLE_CHOICE COMPLETION It helps the students see the full meaning of words by providing natural contexts. Also, it is a good influence on instruction: It discourages word-list memorization. Scoring is easy and consistent. It is a sensitive measure of achievement.

LIMITATIONS OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE COMPLETION It is rather difficult to prepare good sentence contexts that clearly show the meaning of the word being tested. It is easy for students to cheat by copying what others have circled.

3.Multiple-choice paraphrase e.g. He was irate when he heard about the new plans. a) interested b) surprised *c) angry d) sad For this type of item, it is easier to prepare contexts. Follow the steps below: 1.Select the words to be tested. 2.Prepare a sentence context. 3.Choose distracters. 4.Write instructions

DISTRACTOR PREPARATION 1. Distractors must be in the same topic. See the poor example below - He just hit his shin . a) *leg b) cousin c) fender d) fruit 2.Try to avoid a word of opposite meaning with the right answer. See the poor example below. - He plans to purchase some candy for his mother. a) make b) *buy c) sell (opposite of “purchase) d) steal 3.Try to avoid distractors with the same meaning. See the poor example below. -His remorse was great indeed. a) wealth b)* sadness c) strength d) power (c and d are same) 4. Avoid tricky items that use close spelling or sound contrasts. Remember this is a vocabulary test not spelling. - They crossed the ocean on a liner. a) sheep (ship ??) b) streamer c) bolt (boat??) d) vessel

DISTRACTOR PREPARATION (Continued) 5. Be careful that the correct answer is not generally the longest. - That boy is unusual; he’s a genius. a) can see the future b) has received much money c)*has unusual mental, inventive, and creative ability d) has a terrible illness 6. The multiple-choice items should normally be easier than the word in the stem. (irate is more difficult than sad, angry, interested, surprised) 7. Students errors can be used as distractors.

ALTERNATE FORMS OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE PARAPHRASE 1. Idioms & other phrases - The salesman seemed quite down and out. a) *poor b)disappointed c)lost d)angry 2.Phrasal context - a considerate little lady a) worried b) tired c) happy *d) kind 3. Reading passage context. - Just then we saw him run out of the side door. As he turned the corner, a slip of paper fluttered to the ground…. With that paper, the poilice were able to trace the man’s whereabouts. In this passage trace means. a) copy b) enter *c) locate d) eliminate

4. Related-word identification 4. Related-word identification.(Not synoynms, but examples and nonexamples of the word tested. - He eats lots of vegetables a) bananas b) peaches c) oranges *d) carrots 5. Unrelated-word identification. - He lives in a big house. a) attic *b) car c) basement d) bedroom

ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE PARAPHRASE                                                                                                                                                                                 ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE PARAPHRASE Context preparatıon is rather easy. Scoring is easy and consistent. It is a sensitive measure of achievement.

LIMITATIONS OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE PARAPHRASE It is difficult to prepare good synonyms. It is easy for students to cheat.

SIMPLE COMPLETION (WORDS) Students fill in missing parts of words that appear in sentences. These missing parts are usually prefixes and suffixes. - He was driving very care lessly and he would eventually…………have an accident. ..etc .

CONTEXT PREPARATION FOR SIMPLE COMPLETION Be careful that the context is not ambiguous and does not allow more than one correct answer. Otherwise you have to accept both of the correct answers. E.g. He was a very nervous person. (However, nervy is also possible) You should also check sts’ knowledge of when NOT TO ADD a prefix or suffix. E.g. This tool is very useful. You can use...X... it for eveything.

ALTERNATE FORMS OF SIMPLE COMPLETION 1) Stem-first procedure E.g. (similarity) It is quite similar to this one. 2) Phrasal context E.g. An un tidy room. For low level sts grammatical clues such as (a/an)may be given. 3) Compounds (compound nouns) E.g. He sent a post card to his brother for his birthday.

4) Inflectional Cloze

References Madsen, H. S. (1983). Techniques in Testing. Oxfords: Oxford University Press. Hughes, A. (1992). Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Magdalena, J. (2017). Testing Vocabulary. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/songoten77/testing-vocabulary?qid=6782c004-d6ec-4700-a3b3-6615e50e073d&v=&b=&from_search=3 Al Zolaibani, A. Et all (2017).Testing Vocabulary. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/SalhaSaud/testing-vocabulary-final?qid=6782c004-d6ec-4700-a3b3-6615e50e073d&v=&b=&from_search=2 Candilas, K. S. (2017). Testing Vocabulary. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/mrkurtz21/testing-vocabulary-and-literature?qid=6782c004-d6ec-4700-a3b3-6615e50e073d&v=&b=&from_search=5

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