Selective assessment – Can it predict performance in all four skills?

Eoin Jordan*, Gareth Morris

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Limited time and resources mean that comprehensive assessment of the four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking is not always possible. One example of this is when placement or diagnostic tests need to be conducted before the start of language courses. In this situation, selective assessments, such as the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT), are sometimes employed. This study examined the extent to which the OOPT’s selective assessment could predict students’ performance on language courses that tested all four skills. Data was collected over two years from cohorts of approximately 2200 first year undergraduate students at an English-medium university in China. Correlations between these students’ pre-entry OOPT scores and performance on first year English for Academic Purposes (EAP) modules were analysed. Medium-strength, significant correlations were observed, indicating that selective assessment does have some value as a predictor of performance on all four skills.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThai TESOL proceedings 2019
Subtitle of host publicationchanges and chances in ELT professionals
Place of PublicationOnline
PublisherThailand TESOL Organization
Pages64-76
Number of pages13
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • Language testing
  • Assessment
  • ELT
  • English language
  • TESOL
  • Language proficiency
  • Selective assessment
  • Performance prediction
  • EAP

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Selective assessment – Can it predict performance in all four skills?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this