Page 9 - DEDU504_EDUCATIONAL_MEASUREMENT_AND_EVALUATION_ENGLISH

Unit 1: Educational Testing and Assessment : Concept, Context, Issues and Current Trends

gather the data or evidences required. In testing technique we may use written examinations, oral Notes
testing and practical examination corresponding to the assessment of cognitive or psychomotor
outcomes of learning. Written tests are more reliable for measuring the learning outcomes in cognitive
domain, whereas practical examinations are more dependable for measuring the learning outcomes
in psychomotor domain. Likewise personality tests, interest inventories and attitude scale are more
relevant for measuring the learning outcomes in affective domain. Written tests are still most
acceptable due to better reliability than oral and practical tests for judging the students’ achievement,
in spite of some limitations.
Oral Examinations
Need for development of oral skills and expressions, which are necessary in day-to-day living, was
stressed as back as in 1964 in the fifth Conference of Chairman and Secretaries of the Boards of
Secondary Education. But unless oral skills are tested in the external examinations or certified in
school-based assessment, these are not going to attract the needed attention of the teachers in
developing these skills. Subjectivity in assesment, greater number of examiners, time span, inter-
examiner variance, subjective interpretation etc. are a few among many more problems and difficulties
in using oral tests in external examinations. However, their use in instructional process would
continue to provide the diagnosis, feedback and their use as instructional tool for readiness testing
and review of lessons.
Purpose of oral examination is :
(a) to test oral skills that cannot be tested through written examinations.
(b) to confirm and probe further evidences gathered through written examination whenever desired
(viva);
(c) to judge the extent to which such skills are warranted by the nature of subject; and
(d) to make quick oral review for informal assessment of what the pupils have learnt or their
deficiencies.
For improving validity and reliability of oral examinations, and systematic evaluation in the field of
languages it is necessary to :
(i) identify clearly listening, speaking, reading and written expression;
(ii) delineate the aspects of evaluation of language and content elements in case of oral expression;
(iii) define oral expression in terms of expected competencies like use of appropriate words in
right context using correct sentence pattern, pronouncing words correctly, modulating voice
according to the situation, speaking at a reasonable speed, arrange idea in logical sequence,
using proper gestures, avoiding mannerism etc.;
(iv) develop criteria of assessment;

(v) define each criterion;
(vi) prepare a scale for each component;
(vii) develop marking scheme;
(viii) decide about the mode of conducting the examination;
(ix) devise questions and exercises;
(x) interpret responses; and
(xi) provide feedback of results for remediation.
Oral examination can profitably be used to validate content, oral skills, work experience, project
work, functional understanding about practical skills etc. when used as an external moderation
device. For younger children it is an indispensable device for testing to get on-the-spot feedback
about their learning and provide basis for remediation.

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