Recent Trends in Language Testing
Heidi Byrnes · IALLT Journal of Language Learning Technologies · 1992
Before one can engage in language te~t ing in general, in testing a learner's speaking ability specifically, one must first clarify a number of central issues regarding essential features oflanguage and its use and how these are acquired by non-native speakers.For this reason I will address the following major points.I will begin by exploring the connection between testing and our basic professional beliefs.I will then summarize current assumptions in foreign language pedagogy that have attained prominence in the United States and Europe, assumptions that are captured by the term "communicative language teaching."The unique challenges to established testing practice brought on by this shift will be outlined in the third section.And finally, the largest portion of this paper will be devoted to exploring approaches to oral language testing that have developed in the United States in the last decade or so.