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Strategies for speaking tests: corpus-based tips for preparing students

facebook.com/TrinityCollegeLondon. facebook.com/TrinityCollegeLondon. twitter.com/trinityc_l. twitter.com/trinityc_l. Strategies for speaking tests: corpus-based tips for preparing students. A study of ‘active listening’ strategies Trinity Lancaster Corpus Research.

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Strategies for speaking tests: corpus-based tips for preparing students

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  1. facebook.com/TrinityCollegeLondon facebook.com/TrinityCollegeLondon twitter.com/trinityc_l twitter.com/trinityc_l Strategies for speaking tests: corpus-based tips for preparing students A study of ‘active listening’ strategies Trinity Lancaster Corpus Research Gemma Bellhouse, Test Production Manager Trinity College London 9 April 2017 – BALEAP, Bristol www.trinitycollege.com www.cass.lancs.ac.uk

  2. Agenda Background to the study Research Questions Research Results Conclusions Q&A

  3. The ‘Communicative Movement’ What is it? And what are its goals? Practising language functions Using realistic, or ‘authentic’ scenarios Reflecting real-world use of language Encouraging interactive language Enhancing impact

  4. GESE: Graded Examinations in Spoken English

  5. The Interactive task, GESE Candidates are expected to… Take responsibility for the direction and maintenance of the interaction Utilise turn-taking conventions to ensure that the interaction flows and develops naturally Relate his or her own contributions closely to those of the examiner

  6. The GESE Exam - interactive task To begin the interactive task, the examiner reads a standardised prompt, for example: ‘I’m amazed at the high salaries that some sporting personalities can command; take footballers as an example. It seems very questionable for a number of reasons.’

  7. Trinity Lancaster Corpus GESE 4 tasks Grades 6 – 12 (B1 – C2) Approx. 200 hours of transcribed spoken data Now approx. 3 million words/tokens Public in 2018 Picture credit: Inmyownterms.com

  8. What is ‘active listening’? Back-channelling (listening cues) Cues such as ‘ah’, ‘um’, ‘yeah’, ‘yes’, ‘uhu’ Backward inferencing (repetitions) Reprises/repetitions of words or phrases, eg. Examiner: ‘I kind of dress in the middle.’ Candidate: ‘in the middle uhu’’ Examiner: ‘yeah not too formally and not too casually’ Forward inferencing (Questions) Common questions using ‘why..?’, ‘what…?’, ‘how…?’, ‘do you..?’ Hesitation markers Cues such as ‘er’ and ‘erm’ and pauses (Vandergrift, 1991)

  9. Previous Research by Gablasova, D. (2014) • Grades 7 & 8 • 28 transcripts from the TL Corpus 1. Listening cues More continuation signals = higher marks 2. Question More common questions = higher marks Hesitation Less hesitation = higher marks

  10. The Study Who? 93 L2 candidates (speakers of English as a second/other language) Marks - 7 Fail, 31 Pass, 40 Merit, 15 Distinction Age range from 14-67 years 32 male, 61 female 6 nationalities (China, Italy, Mexico, Sri Lanka, India, Spain) What? Interactive task in the GESE exam, Grade 10 (C1) How? Trinity Lancaster Corpus

  11. Research Questions Research Question 1: Are some listening strategies used more by successful English language test candidates? Research Question 2: Are there patterns or combinations of strategies that are used by more successful test candidates?

  12. Strategies – what to expect? 1. Listening cues More continuation signals = higher marks? 2. Repetition Less repetition = higher marks? 3. Question More common questions = higher marks? 4. Hesitation Less hesitation = higher marks?

  13. Strategies – Results Listening cues More continuation signals = higher marks? This strategy was found to be used less by more successful candidates

  14. Strategies – Results 2. Repetitions Less repetition = higher marks? This strategy was found to be used less by more successful candidates

  15. Strategies – Results 3. Questions More common questions = higher marks? This strategy was found to be used less by more successful candidates

  16. Strategies – Results 4. Hesitation markers Less hesitation = higher marks? This strategy was found to be used less by more successful candidates

  17. Strategies – Results Summary 1. Listening cues were found to be used less by more successful candidates 2. Repetitions were found to be used less by more successfulcandidates 3. Questions were found to be used less by more successful candidates 4. Hesitation markers were found to be used less by more successful candidates …So what did the more successful candidates do, exactly?

  18. Strategy patterns ‘Interrogation’ Assertive and bold Frequent questions with some instances of repetitions/listening cues ‘Interview’ cautious and seemingly passive using a pattern of a question followed by listening cues ‘Chit-chat’ Seemingly organic strategy orchestration Various strategies giving evidence of engaged, original language

  19. Strategy patterns – Results Example: (Pass) Candidate: so why do you think erm what why does he think that it is better to play chess instead of playing football if he has been playing football for a little bit for a little bit? Examiner: no I think the I think the the problem is er for me should he should be looking at erm having the boy do both but he perhaps his er he's holding the boy back from playing sport I don't know why exactly Candidate: well and what about the her and what about his wife? what does she think about this does she does she believe that it is better to develop her mental skills by by playing chess? or it is better to -I don't know work out by by playing a little bit of exercise what does she think about this does she does she believe that it is better to develop her mental skills by by playing chess?or it is better to - I don't know work out by by playing a little bit of exercise ‘Interrogation’ Illustration by Cat Bio

  20. Strategy patterns – Results Example: (Merit) Candidate: uhu so you think their er function or their ertrib- contribution is too much over emphasised Examiner: mm mm Candidate: oh okay Examiner: yes yes I think they're overvalued Candidate: uhu Examiner: in contrast to many other members of society Candidate: mm I can understand your opinion erm but I was still wondering how about your next generation's opinion? for example your son or your daughter do they think as well do they think it is reasonable? Examiner: well I think it creates ambition Candidate: mm Examiner: in in young people Candidate: ah Examiner: it crea= it creates a kind of goal I would love to be a footballer because I would earn a fortune Candidate: uhu 2. ‘Interview’ Illustration by Cat Bio

  21. Strategy patterns – Results Example: (Distinction) Examiner: well I agree with you I agree that erm everybody has their worth a-and their value and so on but when I just think of somebody like David Beckham very nice guy but he could get something like nine million pounds from one advertisement on Japanese television Candidate: yeah Examiner: advertising chocolate Candidate: advertising chocolate and underwear Examiner: you know and you think - well it's - the world gone crazy really Candidate: yeah gone crazy you know but what it is today looks or looks? the industry is looking for good-looking people so he has the requirements - what can I say? good for him you know Examiner: mm Candidate: it's not you know it's not that I pity myself cos I dunno myself but if I had the looks why shouldn't I try? you know like Examiner: oh yeah I w= I wouldn't say I blame him as you say Candidate: “laugh" 3. ‘Chit-Chat’ Illustration by Cat Bio

  22. Conclusion No unique ‘winning strategy’ for a communicative test… Most successful candidates seem to use a relaxed, engaged, organic, original orchestration of strategies So… how can test candidates practice? ‘Relaxed and sassy’: Gustavo Dudamel, Leading the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Credit: The Telegraph.co.uk

  23. Classroom Activities Eight different Worksheets for Students (and supplementary ‘Teachers Notes’) can be found here: www.trinitycollege.com/corpus Click on ‘Useful Corpus resources’ then ‘Classroom activities for speaking’ Feel free to take a look at the samples today! Worksheet 1 Worksheet 3 Worksheet 4 Worksheet 5

  24. References Brumfit, C., & Johnson, K. (1979). The communicative approach to language teaching. Oxford University Press. Gablasova, D. (2014). ‘Areas of difference between more and less successful candidates in GESE at Grades 7 and 8’. Commissioned report. Trinity College London. Messick, S. (1996). Validity and washback in language testing. ETS Research Report Series, 1996(1), i-18. Rost, M., & Ross, S. (1991). Learner use of strategies in interaction: Typology and teachability. Language learning, 41(2), 235-268. Trinity College London. (2009). GESE Exam Specifications. Vandergrift, L. (1997). The Cinderella of communication strategies: Reception strategies in interactive listening. The Modern Language Journal, 81(4), 494-505.

  25. Questions? Thank you for listening, and enjoy Bristol! Corpus Links: http://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=3328 http://cass.lancs.ac.uk

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