- 上一篇：关联理论维度之交流环境中的误解探析
- 下一篇：农村中学英语教育现状及对策
Most learners formally started learning English systemically from junior school, so the English courses during this time are foundational for their further learning. How to improve the English learning efficiency in junior school is an issue many English experts and teachers are working.
As an important part of English teaching, testing has great influences on English quality education. How to combine the English test with the quality education in junior school is an issue which has important theoretical and practical meaning.
II. English Testing in Junior School
2.1 Definition and Functions of English Testing
A psychological or educational test is a procedure designed to elicit certain behavior from which one can make inferences about certain characteristic of an inpidual. The terms “measurement”, “test” and “evaluation” are often used synonymously, indeed they may, in practice, refer to the same activity. Although there are some distinctions among these terms, I do not discuss that since it is not this paper’s priority. Here I will attach much attention to 3 main functions of language.
2.1.1 Feedback.
The feedback function is the most important function in improving the teaching, but it is often neglected. Language test can improve the quality of teaching and learning by offering helpful information of feedback in time for teachers and students. The information of the feedback offered by the test also has two functions. First, adjust. It means using feedback information to adjust the behavior in order to get a certain teaching aims. Both teachers and students can use the result of test to adjust their teaching and learning activities in foreign language learning. So testing is an inseparable part of English teaching. The lack of teaching feedback information has great influence on both teachers and students. Teachers will find it is difficult to organize and arrange the teaching activities scientifically. It also has negative effect on students to find their learning weakness. Second, motivate. Motivation is the inner power to inspire the people to do things. It can be appraise from the parents or teachers, award and competition among classmates. These can also improve student’s positivity, so do test. According to N.keys research, test which is held every week can improve student’s grades about 12% than the test which is held every month. The reason is that the former test gives student more information and their learning motivation is stronger. But the test may also bring test anxiety to students. So the frequency of the test must be controlled scientifically. The feedback function of the test has more education value since it put more attention on the teaching process.
2.1.2 Assessment.
The assess function is also the main function of test, it also the most used function used by teachers. It is used to assess the student’s learning result. For example, the testing grades are usually regarded as the norm by teachers to give students rank or certificate. The assess function is attached great importance when it occurred. Differenced with the feedback function of test, test assess function emphasis the teaching results.
2.1.3 Selection.
Selection is a function which the test grades was used as the norm to choose the particular talent. It is best exemplified by the national college entrance examination held every year. The select function is based on a hypothesis: testing grades can distinguish people whose language ability is different, so the different of test grades stands for difference of one’s language ability. The quality of the test is the precondition of the select function. There are two important elements of language testing: reliability and validation. A test must be both reliable and valid if we want to get helpful and scientific information from test. The assessment result cannot be helpful for us if the test itself is not reliable and valid.