1. Testing Grammar
Tuba DEMİR

2. WHY DO WE NEED TO TEST GRAMMAR?
Because ….
To measure students’ profeciency in every field of language from inflections to syntax like word order, use of negative and questions

3. What are the components of grammar?

4. Language Areas/Fields
Vocabulary
Grammar
Pronunciation
Which one is the most popular of all?
GRAMMAR
WHY??????

5. Reasons for Grammar to be POPULAR
How do you teach English?
Mainly grammar-based teaching
Do the teachers agree on what to test or ask?
General agreement on what to test

6. Reasons for Grammar to be POPULAR
*Is it possible to tailor grammar to every level?
- Easy to adjust to according to every level
*Are grammar items and errors easy to be taught?
-Quickly spotted and counted grammar errors
-Easy identified grammar items

7. Reasons for Grammar to be POPULAR
*Is it possible to assess active and passive skills with grammar?
- Easy to check other skills with grammar
How????
Ask dialog completion
question to see
speaking&writing skills ;)
TWO BIRDS
WITH ONE STONE ;)
Reasons for Grammar to be POPULAR

8. Reasons for Grammar to be POPULAR
*measure the progress of students
*diagnose students’ needs

9. Different Approaches to Testing Grammar
1-Limited Response
2- Multiple –Choice Completion
3- Simple Completion
4- Cloze Tests

10. 1- Limited Response For which level students is
“Limited Response” suitable?
Beginner Level
* How can “Limited Response” be
applied to students? = What are the possible ways to apply “Limited Response”?
1- Test them one at a time
Test them in groups

11. 1- Limited Response – Individual Testing
*Who is it for??? =======Beginners ;)
*What are beginner students expected to do?
Answer simply by touching and pointing to the objects = not good at speaking

12. 1- Limited Response – Individual Testing
How can we test students individually with “Limited Response”?
*Basic commands - Ask for non-verbal actions - Use oral requests

13. 1- Limited Response – Individual Testing
Ask for easy spoken replies
Accept answers in their own language
Use familiar vocabulary and structures – living room-tea
Use pictures to test students both individually and in groups

14. 1-Limited Response (LR) – Group Testing
How can we apply “LR” to groups of students?
* Use a drawing activity to teach prep.
* Use pictures to check their understanding
*Check them with yes-no answers
*By checking them with true-false sentences

15. 1-Limited Response (LR) – Group Testing
Check them nonverbally + BUT is it easy to apply it to the group easily? WHY?
*NOT PRACTICAL- TIME CONSUMING
Drawing act. – Yes-No Q- Using pict.-True/False and Non-verbal
Is it acceptable to mix all questions at the same time for this level?
NO-Just ONE of them- PLEASE ONE AT A TIME

16. 1-Limited Response- ADVANTAGES
4 main advantages = Limited Response helps
1- avoid unnecessary stress by putting them at ease
2-avoid skills not totally acquired or learned thus decreasing the level of anxiety
3-score easily and objectively (Can students say yes or no? Can students do the actions ordered?)
4-For material development, instead of finding pictures, teachers can use their body language

17. 1-Limited Response -Limitations
Individual testing takes longer than group testing.
Finding pictures or preparing materials is not easy and will take a lot of time
Not every grammar topic can be tested

18. 2-Multiple-choice Completion
An efficient way to test grammar
Use an incomplete sentence stem by writing choices for the gap
Is it easy to use multiple choice for every skill or language area? What may be the best preference?
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Grammar ✔

19. 2-Multiple-choice Completion (MCC)- How to prepare MCC questions?
A-Choose the grammar points you want to or need to test B-Prepare the right kind of sentence context (stem) for the grammar structure C-Select logical distractors (the number depends on the number of the choices) D-Prepare simple and clear instructions

20. 2- MCC Questions Preparation Process
1- Grammar Choice How can grammar choice be determined? * determine what structures taught since the last test *check results of quizzes or homework-WHY? -tell teachers which topics are learned and need revising * the well-known points???? Should we ask them? - Please ignore them but they may be used to encourage students at the beginning of the exam as the first exercise

21. 2- MCC Questions Preparation Process
1- Grammar Choice *How should we give different”weight” to various grammar points? -decide how many grammar points will be covered in the test/exam -how much time is spent on the topic -the more time you spend the more questions should be asked

22. 2- MCC Questions Preparation Process
2- Context Preparation * What grammar points to be tested * What multiple choice type to be chosen * How many questions to be asked READY TO WRITE QUESTIONS? YEAH ;)

23. 2- MCC Questions Preparation Process
2- Context Preparation
Choose the structure and use it correctly in a sentence
Choosing a good context is important
CONTEXT????
– the words or sentences used to help to choose the correct grammar item
Example: The lights are on, so he _____be at home.
A) should b) must c) has to d) was able to e) used to
I want ____successful.
A) to be b) being c) been d) be e) to

24. 2- MCC Questions Preparation Process
3- Distractor Preparation
What is distractor?
Incorrect options to play trick to mislead learners
How can teachers determine the distractors?
Will it change according to experienced and inexperienced teachers?
Experienced ones have a good sense of what to use
*Inexperienced need help????

25. 2- MCC Questions Preparation Process
3- Distractor Preparation
Avoid using sound alike distractors
they’re there they are their
*avoid items that test divided usage
This is the teacher, ____I have taken the highest score from.
who b) that c) whom d) which e ) why

26. 2- MCC Questions Preparation Process
3- Distractor Preparation
*Spot students’ errors on exercises or other skills like writing and use them as distractors
*Avoid using the repeating unnecessary items in the choices. Instead please use them in the question stem.
I used to walk in this park, …....
a) but now I don’t. b) but now I didn’t.
c) but now I won’t. d) but now I haven’t

27. 2- MCC Questions Preparation Process
* avoid mixing categories as follows:
They just bought _______apples.
a) much b) little c) with d) some

28. 2- MCC Questions Alternate Forms
3 main alternate forms for MCC Qs:
1-Space saver: Put distractors inside the stem.
Tom lives (A-in B- on C- at D- --E- at) 14 MS Street.

29. 2- MCC Questions Alternate Forms
2- Dialog Context
Create a dialog context to create MCC questions
A: Did she ask you to go with her?
B: No, she asked someone ______instead.
a) else b) another c) other d) the other e)---

30. 2- MCC Questions Alternate Forms
3- Error Correction
Students are expected to find the part containing an error.
Have them give the correct form.
One of the(a) girls lost her wallet and doesn’t have (b) some (c) money for (d) the game.

31. 2- Multiple Choice Completion Questions Advantages
Scoring is easy and reliable.
Helpful for teachers to diagnose specific problems of students
Very good to evaluate students’ grammar point knowledge making students study all of them

32. 2- Multiple Choice Completion Questions Limitations
Not easy to prepare good items
Easy for students to cheat
To prevent students’ cheating answer choices may be re-changed with groups = time-consuming
Not evaluate students’ productive skills but only sub-skills not main skills.
Usage of this type of questions as an only way of assessment may decrease students’ motivation to use the language productively

33. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES
Take a sentence and create a gap in the stem by removing one grammatical items as follows:
Change the word form of the word in parenthesis.
1- She went _____school. (remove a basic item)
2- If I were you, __________.(an advanced open-ended item)
3- He drive_________(care)-
4-Let’s _______to the cinema. (choose an option)
a) going b) goed c) go d) to go

34. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES
How to prepare simple completion sentence questions?
Select the grammar points that need to be tested
Provide an appropriate context
Write good instructions
Decide what kind of simple completion question to ask or to use?

35. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES
A quick way to check the mastery of a few specific points like
He ______(sleep) well when he was a child.
How many types of simple completion sentences are there?
3-1) Option form
3-2)Inflection form
3-3) Free-response Form
Common aspects of the forms: vary in difficulty and objectivity

36. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES
Example: Complete the sentence with do or make
-He _____a lot of money last year.
-I always _____my best.
Example: Complete sentences with the best option from who, whom, where, what, when, how old, why, how, how much..
*_______is your grandmother?
3-1) Option Form
The easiest way of all types of SCS questions to apply using usually two options – sometimes the option number may be increased

37. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES
3-2) Inflection Form
*It takes a productive response
*Include grammar items from comparatives to verb tenses
*be careful about the context
EXAMPLE:
-He is the _______(tall) person in the class.
-They_____(be) in Canada last week.

38. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES
3-3) Free-response Form
The most productive type
Flexible
The most communicative approach
Take more language skill to evaluate questions properly
It is good to use an example sentence for such questions

39. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES
Which one is the best type?
He ________(sing) a song.
He is _________ (sing) a song ✔
He _____singing a song. ✔
He _____ ______ ______(sleep) for about an hour. ✔
Rewrite the sentences with present perfect.

40. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES- ADVANTAGES
Easy to prepare
Flexible items entailing productive skills
Increase creativity of students = original answers
No exposure to the incorrect answers
Provides sensitive measure of achievement

41. 3-SIMPLE COMPLETION SENTENCES - LIMITATIONS
Time-consuming to correct the errors
Inexperienced teachers may have difficulty to create
Irrelevant errors may occur rather than the items to be tested
Students may unexpectedly avoid the structure aimed to be tested

42. 4- Cloze Procedure
Use prose passages like a paragraph, an essay, a story
Context is important to fill in the gaps

43. 4- Cloze Procedure –Preparation Process
How to prepare cloze test items?
1- Select an appropriate passage – level-length-
2- Decide on the ratio of the words to take out
3- Write the instructions = Be careful about students’ familiarity of students
4-Prepare the questions

44. 4- Cloze Procedure –Preparation Process
BE CAREFUL while PREPARING the cloze,
1- Don’t use passages full of proper nouns, numbers, and technical words
2- Don’t pick article full of quotations
3- Edit or rewrite some parts if you have only a few problem
4- Take the words out as a gap at a regular intervals

45. 4- Cloze Procedure –Preparation Process
*WHAT is the BEST SHORTNESS or LENGHT between the gaps? One in five or ten words = every fifth or tenth word The most commonly used deletion length is one in 7= 7th word

46. 4- Cloze Procedure –Preparation Process
*How many words need to be deleted altogether?
-Only this test is used = 50 blanks for 350 words
*If this test is one part of the general, 25-30blanks will be OK = More gaps more reliability and stability
WELL actually it should depend on the context, length and level = (MY OPINION)

47. 4- Cloze Procedure –Alternative for CP
Selected-deletion cloze
Flexibility to use which words to delete
Delete only content words / function words/take out every 7th word except for duplications and proper nouns and numbers

48. 4- Cloze Procedure –Scoring the Cloze
2 ways to score the cloze tests
1-Give credit only to the exact word for the gap
2-Give full credit for equivalent words as well = BE CAREFUL natives can decide the equivalent not non-natives = if there is no native around, please use the exact word choice to score

49. 4- Cloze Procedure – Scoring the Cloze
Problems and solutions
1- misspelling???
No clear agreement on how to take off the half a point or give no grade
-any kind of spelling mistake
-no recognizable word

50. 4- Cloze Procedure – Scoring the Cloze
Problems and solutions
2- bad handwriting???
- Agreement is on no recognizable word no score
3-using two or more words in a gap???
Even though both perfectly fit for the gap, NO CREDIT should be given because instructions tell them only one word is acceptable for each gap
BUT I BELIEVE that teachers should use their discretion (takdir /sağduyu) to assess.

51. 4- Cloze Procedure – Adapting the Cloze to Test Grammar
Cloze tests measure general ability in English
Selected-deletion cloze measure grammar
Delete grammar items to be tested from the passage
To measure grammar, delete function words ( pronouns, articles, determiners, auxiliary verbs, prep. And conjunctions)
Be careful not to delete the same word too many times

52. 4- Cloze Procedure –Alternative Forms
Many variations = no fixed way of creating the form
The referred ones in the books:
1- Multiple-choice cloze
2- Selected deletion cloze
3- Inflectional cloze

53. 4- Cloze Procedure - Advantages
A good measure for an overall proficiency
Easy to prepare and to score
Good and easy to assess integrative skills

54. 4- Cloze Procedure - Limitations
Not measure short-term goals very well
Difficult for non-native English teachers to determine the acceptable equivalent words

55. THANK YOU 
TUBA DEMİR