Ina Ferbežar

Jezikovno testiranje na tečajih slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika
Language Testing in Courses of Slovene as a Second/ Foreign Language


Slovenski sinopsis
English synopsis
English summary

V zadnjem času je pri oblikovanju učnih programov v ospredju komunikacijski pristop, to pa poenostavljeno pomeni simuliranje realne jezikovne rabe pri pouku. Za jezikovno testiranje to pomeni oblikovanje avtentičnih testov, to je takih, ki bi izzvali (testno) performanco, kot je značilna za netestne situacije. Taka izhodišča usmerjajo delo pri projektu Strokovna nadgradnja testiranja slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika, katerega cilj je oblikovati različne vrste testov za različne stopnje jezikovnega znanja.

In recent years the domain of curricular design has been dominated by the communicative approach, which in simplified terms means simulating real-life language use also in the classroom. In terms of language testing this means designing authentic tests, i.e. tests that will trigger (test) performance typically occurring in non-testing situations. This is also the basis for the work in the project Advancement of Testing Slovene as a Second/ Foreign Language, whose objective is to produce various types of tests for various levels of language knowledge.

One of the main objectives of language teaching is linguistic competence, which is evaluated by testing. In recent years the domain of curricular design has been dominated by the communicative approach, which in simplified terms means simulating real-life language use also in the classroom. In language testing this means designing authentic tests, i.e. tests that would trigger (test) performance identical to that characteristic of non-testing situations: simulated real-life activities, material relevant to the tested population, etc. These are the guidelines for the work on the project Advancement of Testing Slovene as a Second/ Foreign Language. Authors of tests are faced with the important task of defining as exactly as possible what is being measured, because this is the only way to obtain the information we want and need. Depending on the aim, there are various kinds of tests: entrance tests, classifying tests, progress tests, proficiency tests, tests of language for special purposes, tests of active language use. The latter are a measure of general linguistic capacity, which includes language knowledge, communicative competence and the individual's psycho-physical mechanisms. In the vast range of definitions of linguistic competence --- the problem is even more complex when it comes to defining competence in a second/ foreign language --- the most suitable one seems to be Bachman's, which includes also performance, since it is performance that can actually be measured by tests.

All these insights and demands of modern language testing are put to use in courses of Slovene (Year-Long School, Summer School, Winter School), where testing is part of the curriculum and is used systematically. The criteria are related to the curricula and individual groups, but it is more difficult to define them as measures of general language capacity, i.e. as a basis for tests of active language knowledge (language proficiency). One of the aims of the project is to revise the existing tests of proficiency in Slovene and to devise tests for various levels of language use. Simultaneous with the improved testing procedure a need is felt to bring up to date the current Standards of Knowledge of Slovene as a Second/ Foreign Language, which serve as the basis for the criteria and thus for the entire system of language knowledge evaluation.