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Language Educational Policy and Language Learning Quality Management: The Common European Framework of Reference
Abstract
The major goal of the Council of Europe to promote and facilitate communication and interaction among Europeans of different mother tongues has led to the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR). Among other things, the CEFR is intended to help language professionals reflect on their current practice and situate and coordinate their efforts. The last two objectives are similar to quality management goals. The aim of this article is to present a standard model of quality management, and show how the CEFR may be used to introduce quality management goals in foreign language learning settings to improve the quality of foreign language teaching and learning and to document its results.
... In the 1980s and 1990s, "pressure for accountability from the government, taxpayers, and policymakers initiated a systematic student outcomes assessment movement" (Ricardo-Osorio, 2008, p. 590), and the influence of that movement has now reached teaching and learning from the university level to the preschool level and across a range of academic disciplines, including the discipline of foreign and second language pedagogy. Language learning standards have streamlined and improved students' development by providing educators with "a common yardstick" (Bärenfänger & Tschirner, 2008)-that is, a shared pedagogical framework with theory-driven and evidence-based benchmarks and goals. The standards are educational road maps that were designed to help educators provide strong and effective learning opportunities for all learners, regardless of their geographic or socioeconomic context. ...
... To retain that rigor, LTI is the only provider of official ACTFL ratings (Malone, 2012), although most certainly, institutions and teachers use unofficial ACTFL-like descriptors (normally written with lower-case labels such as novice, intermediate, and advanced) to define students' proficiency. This unofficial and widespread use, coupled with the official worldwide presence, demonstrates the extent to which the descriptors guide the operationalization, discussion, and investigation of the constructs underlying second and foreign language proficiency and confirms the extent to which the descriptors and their associated assessments have become the lingua franca in the United States and in contexts abroad, where the guidelines exist alongside other national and international scale descriptors, such as the influential Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages (see Bärenfänger & Tschirner, 2008, for an overview), which we describe in more detail later in this article. ...
... en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages), the European standards for foreign language education we have mentioned (see Tschirner, 2012). In sum, the CEFR is a European language scale of foreign language proficiency and development that includes six levels, ranging from COX ET AL. | 107 A1 (the lowest) to C2 (the highest), and has independent descriptors and guides for measurement for more than 40 languages (Bärenfänger & Tschirner, 2008). At the time of the CEFR's creation in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were no official correspondences between the ACTFL and CEFR scales, both of which are used for learning, teaching, and assessing foreign language (Tschirner, 2012). ...
As Foreign Language Annals concludes its 50th anniversary, it is fitting to review the past and peer into the future of standards-based education and assessment. Standards are a common yardstick used by educators and researchers as a powerful framework for conceptualizing teaching and measuring learner success. The impact of standards on language assessment, teaching, curricula, course design, and educational policy is indisputable, but can they even be more impactful, more beneficial? In this article, we reflect upon the role of language learning standards on world language practices and assessments and discuss standards’ design, implementation, and appropriation issues that will challenge the field over the next few decades. Although predicting the future is risky, forward thinking is critical when examining an issue as large and complex as the teaching and learning of world languages.
... As Barenfanger and Tschirner (2008) suggest, the CEFR was developed on the basis of research in second language acquisition, foreign language education, and test research. North (2004) also states that the CEFR draws on theories of communicative competence and language use in order to describe what a language user has to know and do in order to communicate effectively. ...
... CEFR is a framework which has gained momentum as a reference tool for curricula, educational standards, schoolbook publishers and language assessment in Europe and beyond (Harsch & Martin, 2012). It is a prominent example of successful language (education) policy (Council of Europe, 2001;Baker, 2002;Barenfanger & Tschirner, 2008;Morrow, 2004) and is one of the most ambitious examples of the gradual formation, shaping and reshaping, and most recently, implementation of language education policies (Byrnes, 2007). In addition, the CEFR offers a comprehensive and systematic overview of exactly what foreign language learners need to learn and how they need to learn it (Barenfanger & Tschirner, 2008). ...
... It is a prominent example of successful language (education) policy (Council of Europe, 2001;Baker, 2002;Barenfanger & Tschirner, 2008;Morrow, 2004) and is one of the most ambitious examples of the gradual formation, shaping and reshaping, and most recently, implementation of language education policies (Byrnes, 2007). In addition, the CEFR offers a comprehensive and systematic overview of exactly what foreign language learners need to learn and how they need to learn it (Barenfanger & Tschirner, 2008). Among other things, as Barenfanger and Tschirner (2008) suggest, the CEFR is intended to help language professionals reflect on their current practice and situate and coordinate their efforts. ...
The objectives of this study were (a) to examine the writing performance of L2 learners on the level-specific tasks based on Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and (b) to study the likely difference between students' self-assessed level of writing and those reported by raters. The study was conducted with 138 Iranian students at BA and MA levels in Alborz Institute of Higher Education. The participants' majors were Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), English Literature, and Translation Studies. DIALANG writing self-assessment grid, CEFR writing self-assessment grid, and three writing tasks at B1 (i.e., intermediate), B2 (i.e., upper intermediate), and C1 (i.e., advanced) levels were administered. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were run to determine each student's writing level based on their performance on the writing tasks and the self-assessment grids. The results showed that (a) no one in the BA group was placed at the C1 level, and only 17.3% of MA students could reach this level; (b) students of both groups rated their writing ability higher on the CEFR grid, whereas they rated themselves lower on the DIALANG grid; and (c) the learners' self-assessment did not correspond closely with their performance on the writing tasks, and only one-third of them were accurate in assessing their writing ability. Writing teachers are suggested to implement self-assessment and introduce CEFR and DIALANG statements as part of the language instruction and to train students to conduct self-assessment based on the can do statements.
... As occurs within the context of this research, there are occasions when a chasm exists between the theoretical component of professional development and the practical output of teachers in training. It is significant to note that Bärenfänger and Tschirner (2008), in their examination of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR), indicate that in its intention to situate and coordinate the efforts of language professionals who reflect on their current practice, the CEFR is actually engaging in quality management. While most educational authorities plan for teacher supervision through their school management policies, it is safe to assume that quality management on the ground, as far as teaching practice goes, is far from adequate. ...
... It may well be that content coverage takes precedence over teaching method and delivery. Overall, the particular context of this research suggests an urgent need for quality control in the planning and implementation of teaching and learning (Bärenfänger & Tschirner, 2008). ...
This paper examines the issue of ―context‖ in foreign language teaching. It focuses on nine teachers at the secondary school level in Trinidad and Tobago who were students in a one-year in-service professional development programme. The teachers are all graduates with a B.A. in either Spanish or French, or both, and have varied degrees of experience as teachers. Teachers entered the programme with limited understandings of context and its role in teaching, and with little or no experience of using it in their foreign language lessons. During their encounter with the context issue during the year-long professional development programme, they were able to make a link between the theories of effective teaching and learning and the use of context in lessons. They were also able to overcome the challenges of lack of creativity, finding suitable support material, and motivating their students. By the end of the programme, teachers were not yet using context spontaneously but found that planning lessons with appropriate contexts was time-consuming. The findings of this study are especially relevant for teacher educators who promote communicative language teaching.
... However, the Council of Europe set out a specific goal to promote and facilitate communication among Europeans of various native languages as part of its language policy. The Council of Europe's language policy is based on the political and social realities of forming a single European education space for its citizens (Bärenfänger & Tschirner, 2008). interaction of Europeans be facilitated in order to overcome prejudice and discrimination and to promote European mobility, mutual understanding, and cooperation. ...
Mediation is a novel concept in language teaching and learning, and the needs and attitudes of language teachers towards it are largely unexplored. This article provides a brief overview of European language policy and discusses the action-oriented approach in the context of this paradigm shift in language learning and teaching. Finally, an exploratory study is presented that examined the needs and attitudes of language teachers from four European universities regarding mediation, as it has been formulated in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) (Council of Europe, 2001) and redefined in the CEFR Companion Volume with New Descriptors (Council of Europe, 2018). The participating teachers were from the language centres of Charles University in the Czech Republic, Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania, the University of Helsinki in Finland, and the University of Warsaw in Poland. The study survey measured the strength of (dis)agreement of the teachers with 12 statements concerning various aspects of mediation in the context of their teaching practice. These related to understanding what mediation is and its importance, mediating a text, mediating concepts, mediating communication, and mediation strategies. In addition, two open questions concerned the practice of promoting multilingual and intercultural education and the needs of teachers in the area of mediation. Although the vast majority of the 79 participating teachers (91%) agreed that mediation is vital in language learning and teaching, only a third of them claimed that they understood the concept. Furthermore, the findings indicate that some aspects of mediation are more challenging for the teachers to embrace than others and that some fundamental aspects of mediation do not seem to be part of the current teaching practice of all teachers. Overall, the present study confirmed some of the challenges with the implementation of the CEFR into teaching practice at the higher education level.
... There are a number of benefits for the language programs when an outcomes-based assessment is implemented. Bärenfänger and Tschirner (2008) state, Focusing on the outcome of a program emphasizes the effects a program has on the life of a particular learner or a particular social group; creates transparency and raises the accountability of the people responsible for the success of the program; encourages the responsible use of resources; and helps teachers, learners, institutions, and politicians make informed decisions (p. 83). ...
... In a context in which our globalised societies are becoming more complex, unstructured and 'liquid" (Baumann, 2007) as they are increasingly faced with a plurality of languages and cultures (Bärenfänger & Tschirner, 2008;Byrnes, 2007a, b), the CEFR aims to promote valorisation of the plurilingual pro les of learners with an immigrant background. The sophistication of its descriptive scheme laid the foundations for a paradigm shift in language education away from a linear concept of language learning, seeing the learner as a future speaker/hearer of a new code (four skills model: Lado, 1961) towards a view of a user/learner as a social agent engaged in the necessarily complex process of meaning (co)construction in interaction and mediation, in addition to the more traditional reception and production (the four skills). ...
Plurilingual/pluricultural competence, introduced in the Common European Framework of Reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) (Council of Europe, Common European framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001) from its first drafts in 1996 and supported by Coste, Moore, and Zarate (Compétence plurilingue et pluriculturelle: Vers un cadre européen commun de référence pour l’enseignement et l’apprentissage des langues vivantes. Éditions du Conseil de l’Europe, Strasbourg, 1997) encompasses a variety of conceptualisations and operationalisations both at the social and the pedagogical levels that have been developed over the last 20 years. The chapter discusses the way scientific evidence validates the claims about plurilingualism that the CEFR makes, describing further development of the concepts of plurilingual and pluricultural competence and their associated ‘pluralistic approaches,’ together with some current pedagogic applications of these related notions. Finally, the chapter presents one project in particular: the development, validation and calibration of new CEFR descriptors for mediation across languages and cultures and for aspects of plurilingual and pluricultural competence associated with increasing language proficiency level. The descriptors were developed in a large-scale 3-year Council of Europe project involving over 1200 informants from over 50 countries in cyclical phases of development, empirical validation and consultation.
... The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, developed in the 1980s based on the U.S. Civil Service Commission's 1952 Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) proficiency scale (Herzog, 2003), describe what individuals can do in real-world situations using various language modalities (speaking, writing, listening, and reading). The ACTFL guidelines have become the gold-standard for assessing language skills in the United States and bear some resemblance to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) developed in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Bärenfänger & Tschirner, 2008;see Tschirner, 2012, for correspondences between the ACTFL descriptors and the CEFR levels). ...
In response to a growing demand for highly-proficient foreign language (L2) speakers, scholars and educators have increasingly turned their attention to methods for developing greater fluency. Engaging in persuasive writing and argumentation has been shown to promote both written and oral proficiency among advanced L2 learners (Brown, 2009). This study focuses on the application of American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines and standards to the design of teletandem courses in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and Russian as a Foreign Language developed to promote Advanced and Superior-level language gains. ACTFL Can-Do statements were used to evaluate learners’ self-reported language gains as a result of participating in the course. Results indicate that such an approach can indeed yield significant language gains, especially for spoken language, for all participants regardless of target language and home institution.
... The validity of CEFER has been proven in various studies (Alderson, 2002). Regarding the validity of its use in Iranian context, Barenfanger and Tschirner (2008) claim this scale has been devised based on a research on second/foreign language education, and in their study, Taghizadeh, Alavi, and Rezaee (2015) utilized this grid in the Iranian context. ...
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of two major approaches of Dynamic Assessment, namely, interventionist and interactionist approaches, on learners’ oral narrative performance and anxiety. To this end, 34 Iranian EFL learners were assigned to an Interactionist Group (InA.G) and Interventionist Group (InV.G). Initially, both groups were given the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and a pretest of speaking. In the treatment phase, the InV.G was asked to narrate a video and received instructions on their errors. The InA.G narrated the video while being provided with scaffolding during narration. Then both groups were given a posttest and, two weeks later, a delayed posttest. The results indicated that both groups’ oral performance significantly increased, while their anxiety reduced. In the end, a semi-structured interview was conducted whose results revealed that the InA.G experienced more anxiety mostly due to feeling a sense of interruption and losing face.
... With respect to teachers' use of language learning standards, Bärenfänger and Tschirner (2008) suggested that the CEFR standards could be used to create a quan- tifiable quality management system for foreign language educators and curricula in order to improve foreign language teaching and learning in Europe. Furthermore, they asserted that the CEFR framework is especially useful for prompting language educators to reflect on their current practices and for helping teachers, learners, course designers, administrators, and examining bodies to "situate and coordinate their efforts" (Bärenfänger &Tschirner, 2008, p. 81). ...
This exploratory study examines the potentially beneficial role of utilizing an interactive video program (BBC’s Mi Vida Loca) in aiding second language learners of Spanish to enhance intercultural competence via pragmatic training. The results of a discourse completion task shows that students who watched MVL significantly improved their performance in a series of tasks that are appropriate for a Spanish context such as ordering food, giving directions, etc., while the control group did not. Based on our findings, we believe that MVL is a tool that would lend itself readily towards fostering their intercultural and pragmatic competence to help students prepare for future encounters with native speakers of Spanish in the U.S. and abroad. Pedagogical implications on the integration of pragmatic training with authentic native speaker input are discussed.
... Expanding languages in education could help corporate and diplomatic negotiations (Barenfanger & Tschirner, 2008). Schools of the 21st century grapple with educating multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial, and multilingual populations (Brinkbaumer, 2006;Burns & Roberts, 2010). ...
Globalization requires improved communication skills for diplomacy, business, media, science, and tourism.
The problem is that monolingual students miss opportunities for cognitive and communicative development.
Outcomes of 38 higher education studies demonstrated that multilingual students outperform other students.
Minorities, immigrants, and poor students suffer the worst in monolingual education.
By comparison, Europe spends half as much money and delivers multilingual education.
The study reveals recommendations from the 18 researcher participants for improving education.
... These tests are used for various high-stakes purposes: immigration, employment decisions, university admission, college credit, and teacher certification among others. In addition, these frameworks are used for textbook development, curriculum development, and educational standard settings (Bärenfänger/Tschirner: 2008;Huhta/Figueras: 2004;Liskin-Gasparro: 2003;Little: 2006;Little/Lazenby Simpson: 2004;North: 2004). Despite the fact that both systems have co-existed for over 10 years, there have been very few empirical studies to establish correspondences between them (Mosher: 2012, this volume; Mosher et al.: 2010;Slagter et al.: 2012, this volume). ...
The aim of the present chapter is to make a contribution towards establishing correspondences for reading proficiency. Performances on two tests are linked by having a common group of examinees take both tests and statistically comparing the two sets of performances. 88 students at the University of Leipzig took both the Leipzig Reading Test for Professionals (RTP), a CEFR-based test of reading proficiency in English, and the NATO Benchmark Advisory Test – Reading (BAT-R), based on NATO's STANAG 6001 NTG (Edition 4) – Language Proficiency Levels which are commensurate with the ILR and ACTFL guidelines. Results from classical and proba-bilistic test theory indicate a high degree of reliability for both tests which point to a considerable amount of concurrent validity between the RTP and the BAT-R. The study shows that there are statistically significant correspondences between two reading tests that, if replicated with other groups and other languages, indicate a correspondence between the ACTFL Intermediate and the CEFR A level, the ACTFL Advanced and the CEFR B levels, and the ACTFL Superior and the CEFR C1 level.
... The French curriculum follows the precepts from the Common European Framework of Reference in regards to the development of cultural and communication skills alongside language proficiency (Barenfanger and Tschirner, 2008). The learning objectives target the four language skills and the lessons emphasise active participation in class. ...
In foreign language teaching and learning, technology mediated pedagogy fosters active participation by facilitating access to resources. However, current facilities such as computer laboratories and lecture classrooms often dictate how technology is to be accessed and thus limits the flexibility of course delivery. Ideally, classrooms should bridge the advantages of all settings and provide educators with mobile, versatile and reliable technology. Recent studies have shown that tablet computers can perform as interactive whiteboards, transform into mobile computer laboratories while catering for ubiquitous, individualised and collaborative learning. A qualitative action research was implemented to explore the ease-of-use and usefulness of introducing tablet computers from pedagogical and technological perspectives. The intervention was conducted in a French undergraduate course. The lecturer adapted and designed course material, selected applications and taught using the iPad. The data was collected through observations, artefacts and field notes, interviews, learners' self-reflexive logs as well as lecturers' memos before being analysed and coded using ATLAS.ti. Findings confirmed that the devices' features and applications were relevant to language teaching and learning. Embedded aids such as dictionaries and predictive text-input provided instant support. Multimedia recording and sharing tools engaged the learners in dynamic presentations. Additionally, an active online community provided useful resources for both learners and educators. Although designing and delivering course material necessitated some adaptation, the results outweighed the efforts. Nevertheless, the all-in-one technological and pedagogical advantages are hindered by connectivity issues. It is thus recommended to establish a conducive environment before iPads can be successfully incorporated in the classroom. iafor The International Academic Forum
... Despite its opponents, the CEFR has impacted second language education not only in Europe, but also in other regions of the world (Bärenfänger & Tschirner, 2008;Parmenter & Byram, 2010) including countries such as Argentina (Porto & Barboni, 2012) and Canada (Faez, Majhanovich, Taylor, Smith, & Crowley, 2011). Interest is also increasing in Asia (Wang, Kuo, Tsai, & Liao, 2012), where national tests of English language proficiency in Hong Kong and Taiwan have been mapped to the CEFR (Hsiao & Broeder, 2013;Wu, 2012). ...
Both the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) and the CEFR-J (CEFR-Japan) use illustrative can-do descriptors to describe a learner's communicative competences in five language skills across six levels of language proficiency. This paper reports on Japanese English learners' self-assessments on the CEFR-J's 50 A-level descriptors using either a four-point or a five-point scale to determine if a neutral response option (neither agree nor disagree) influenced participants' responses. Self-assessment by Japanese language learners has been shown to be subject to cultural factors related to social desirability phenomena, resulting in high selection rates of mid-scale response options no matter the content of the item or the size of the scale. Overall, no significant differences between mean responses on a four-point (no neutral category) and a five-point (contains an inherent mid-point) rating scale were found following controls for scale size. Conversely, significant interactions were found for rating scale, skill (reading and spoken production) and descriptor difficulty level (A1.1 and A2.2). When the distance between responses and the scale mid-point was measured and compared across rating scales to determine whether the inclusion of a neutral option appeared to influence selection rates, no significant differences were found for 68% of all descriptors. While inclusion of a middle response option had far lesser impact on responses than has been previously shown, further research is required to determine the impact of differing scale types on Japanese English learners' self-assessments. This paper discusses the influence on responses from socio-cultural factors, response styles, task-familiarity, language skills, the number of response scale categories and language proficiency. Background One of the strengths of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) developed by the Council of Europe (2001) is that it allows educational institutions to compare the outcomes and content of language programmes (North, 2000) by providing a guide as to what a language learner can do with language at any given time (Council of Europe, 2001). The six main proficiency levels consist of scales of illustrative descriptors or can-do statements that describe second language learner proficiency across several language skills: listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production and writing (Council of Europe, 2001). In addition to usage at an institutional or curricular level, the CEFR can also " support the development of learner autonomy and learner self-assessment " (Little, 2006, p. 176). Glover (2011) has found that using CEFR can-do statements increases learners' self-awareness of language use, subsequently improving their overall development as a language user. Performing a self-assessment, typically by " using checklists based on the CEFR's common reference
The objectives of this study were (a) to determine a reading level based on Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for the male and female undergraduate students of Engineering and (b) to compare the self-reporting of their reading comprehension on the CEFR and DIALANG reading self-assessment statements with the level specified by their teachers based on their performance on the reading tasks. This research was conducted with 162 Iranian male and female learners (male=78, female=84) at the BSc level at the Iran University of Science and Technology. In this research, DIALANG and CEFR reading self-assessment grids and four reading comprehension tasks at four levels (i.e., A2, B1, B2, and C1) were administered to the participants. The results of the study revealed that about 33.3% of the female students were placed at C1, while 30.8% of the male students were placed at B2. However, approximately a considerable number of participants (about 40%) in both groups were considered 'Below B1'. The results also showed that both male and female learners rated their reading ability lower on the CEFR and DIALANG grids as they assessed themselves mostly at B1 on both these grids. The highest matches (28.6%) were related to the female students' ratings on the DIALANG grid, while the highest mismatch (51.3%) was the underestimation of the male students on the DIALANG grid. Language teachers are recommended to use CEFR can do statements for assessing and teaching reading skill in order to promote their students' awareness of their level of reading comprehension.
Der Europarat veröffentlichte 2018 einen Begleitband zum Gemeinsamen europäischen Referenzrahmen (GeR), der die bestehenden GeR-Skalen ergänzt und Abhilfe für eine Reihe ihrer Schwachstellen liefern soll. Aus diesem Anlass wird dem Dokument eine Themenreihe in der Zeitschrift „Deutsch als Fremd-sprache“ gewidmet. Dieser einführende Gastherausgeberbeitrag fasst zunächst Verdienste und Kritik-punkte des GeR im Allgemeinen und seiner Skalen im Besonderen zusammen, geht dann auf den Hinter-grund des Begleitbandes ein und schildert dessen inhaltliche Neuerungen und methodische Vorgehensweise. Der Artikel schließt mit einem Ausblick auf die in der Themenreihe vorgesehenen Beiträge.
In 2018, the Council of Europe published a „Companion Volume“ (CoE 2018) to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which addresses some weaknesses of the CEFR scales and adds a considerable range of new descriptors. The present article by the guest editors introduces a thematic series on the Companion Volume by first discussing both the merits of the CEFR and its scales and the criticisms both have received. It then describes the Companions project’s background, the new content, and the methodology used for the scaling of the new descriptors. Finally, it provides an overview of the articles which are to appear in the thematic series.
This chapter will argue that intercultural communication is a core skill for students of higher education. Yet, high school graduates are not adequately prepared for the global environments that are today's higher education institutions. The focus is on the learning and teaching of intercultural communication at high school and the skills carried by the learner into higher education. The authors examine why, despite the guidelines from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and the High Schools English Curriculum standards express instructions for teaching intercultural skills in the classroom, students lack the core skills on completion of language studies at high school. The material for this chapter is drawn from the experience of the authors in learning, teaching, and assessing language competence in South-Eastern China, Central Europe, and the Eastern Seaboard of the USA.
Avrupa’da ana dil dışında diğer dillerin de konuşulmasını özendirmek ve yabancı dil öğretiminde belli
noktalarda bir standardı yakalamak amacıyla Avrupa Konseyi tarafından ortaya çıkarılan Avrupa Diller için Ortak
Başvuru Metni ve Türkiye’nin Avrupa Birliği’yle uyum çalışmaları kapsamında Avrupa Konseyi’nin yabancı dile verdiği önem ışığında Ortaokul 3. Sınıf (İlköğretim 7. Sınıf) İngilizce Öğretim Programı’nın arasındaki uygunluk düzeyini belirlemeye yönelik olarak hazırlanan bu çalışma nitel bir çalışmadır. Doküman İncelemesi tekniğinin kullanıldığı araştırmada programın kazanımlar, içerik, eğitim durumları ve sınama durumları yönleri benzerlik ve farklılıklar bakımından karşılaştırılmıştır. Araştırma sonunda aşağıdaki sonuçlara ulaşılmıştır: Türk Milli Eğitimi genel amaçları ile OBM genel amaçları arasında %92 oranında uyuşma olduğu bulunmasına karşın dil becerileri İngilizce Öğretim Programı’nda eşit oranda ele alınmamıştır. Tüm dil becerileri arasında A2 düzeyi en çok değinilen düzey olmuştur. A2 ile karşılaştırıldığında, A1 ve B1 düzeylerine az değinilmiştir. Sözel üretim becerisi, öğretim programında en çok betimleyici ile temsil edilen dil yeteneği kategorisi olmuştur. Öğretim programındaki bütün değerlendirme araçları Avrupa Dil Gelişim Dosyasından alınmıştır.
The growth of interest in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in Canada has moved from academic discussions and feasibility studies to the publication of institutional documents informing language education policies. Far less attention has been given so far to the need for professional development aimed at helping teachers grasp the conceptual density of the document. Following an exploratory phase aimed at investigating issues and challenges teachers are faced with in the domain of assessment, a qualitative study was conducted in the Canadian context to investigate the impact of targeted professional development on teachers’ perceptions of the potential of the CEFR. The results of the study show how a four-phase guided reflective process can help teachers overcome their perception of the CEFR as a standard setting tool and consider the vision of assessment it proposes as a way for deeply questioning their own teaching practice.
This article is the result of a theoretical investigation and a reflection guided by a revision of literature and a set of interviews conducted of two members of the Nasa community: Adonias and Sindy Perdomo, father and daughter who belong to a Nasa sub-community located in Tierradentro, Cauca,
southwestern Colombia. The article addresses three major factors. Firstly, it depicts identity processes that are constructed and constituted through language. Secondly, it explores the power structures perceived by two Nasa people, one of Colombia’s minority groups. Finally, it identifies and connects
correlating dots between the literature, the testimonies of Adonias and Sindy Perdomo and the teaching practices, approaches and beliefs in the area of ELT (English Language Teaching) in Colombia.
Key words: Identity construction, bilingual education, minority groups, power structures
Este artículo es el resultado de una investigación teórica y una reflexión cimentada en una revisión literaria y en entrevistas aplicadas a dos personas de la comunidad nasa: Adonias y Sindy Perdomo, padre e hija, pertenecientes a la población ubicada en Tierradentro, Cauca, en el suroccidente
colombiano. El artículo trata tres aspectos principales. Primero, describe procesos identitarios construidos y constituidos por medio del lenguaje. Segundo, explora la distribución de poder tal como es percibida por dos personas de la comunidad nasa, uno de los grupos minoritarios de Colombia. En último lugar, traza las correlaciones entre la literatura, los testimonios de Adonias y Syndi Perdomo, y las prácticas y creencias existentes y predominantes en el área de la enseñanza del inglés en Colombia.
Palabras clave: constitución de identidad, educación bilingüe, grupos minoritarios, estructuras de poder
The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) is intended as a reference document for language education including assessment. This article describes a project that investigated whether the CEFR can help test developers construct reading and listening tests based on CEFR levels. If the CEFR scales together with the detailed description of language use contained in the CEFR are not sufficient to guide test development at these various levels, then what is needed to develop such an instrument? The project methodology involved gathering expert judgments on the usability of the CEFR for test construction, identifying what might be missing from the CEFR, developing a frame for analysis of tests and specifications, and examining a range of existing test specifications and guidelines to item writers and sample test tasks for different languages at the 6 levels of the CEFR. Outcomes included a critical review of the CEFR, a set of compilations of CEFR scales and of test specifications at the different CEFR le...
It is widely argued that engaging in communicative language tasks helps a learner develop in an L2 in several ways. Tasks provide an opportunity not only to produce the target language, but also, through conversational adjustments, to manipulate and modify it. Checking and clarifying problem utterances ('negotiating for meaning') ensures that task participants receive comprehensible input and generate comprehensible output, both of which have been claimed as crucial to second language acquisition (SLA). Task type is considered significant, with those tasks requiring an exchange of information most likely to prompt negotiations for meaning. This paper reports a classroom observation of the language produced by intermediate EFL students engaged in required and optional information exchange tasks in both dyads and small groups. The results show no clear overall effect for task type or grouping, though there was a discernible trend for dyads doing a two-way task to produce more negotiated interaction. However, it was noticeable that many students in the small groups did not speak at all, many more in both dyads and small groups did not initiate any negotiated interaction, and very few students in either setting produced any modified utterances. Such positive results as were obtained seemed to be due to the disproportionate influence of a small number of the students, and so were not typical of the group as a whole. The setting of the study within a classroom, as opposed to a venue especially arranged for data collecting, is suggested as a significant variable, with important implications for group work research methodology. It is also suggested, contrary to much SLA theorizing, that 'negotiating for meaning' is not a strategy that language learners are predisposed to employ when they encounter gaps in their understanding.
The International Handbook of Physics Education Research: Teaching Physics covers the topics of educational technologies, learning environments, teacher education, and assessment in relation to physics education. As the field of physics education research grows, it is increasingly difficult for newcomers to gain an appreciation of the major findings across all sub-domains, discern global themes, and recognize gaps in the literature. The current volume incorporates the understanding of both physics and education concepts and provides an extensive review the literature in a wide range of important topics.
The International Handbook of Physics Education Research: Teaching Physics includes:Various teaching perspectives including active learning, the modeling method, and teaching environments.Distance/online education, formative and summative assessment, and assessment in online education.Gender, race, and ethnicity equity.
Readers will find this comprehensive treatment of the literature useful in understanding physics education research and extending to all the physical sciences including chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, and other related disciplines.
This book is the product of 30 years of experience with program evalua tion. During this time, both service recipients and educational and social programs have experienced major cultural and political shifts in service delivery philosophy, including a focus on quality, mainstreaming, deinsti tutionalization, community inclusion, and an emphasis on measurable outcomes. Recently stakeholders of these programs have demanded more than just the provision of service, forcing program administrators to evalu ate their programs' effectiveness and efficiency. The "era of accoun tability" is here, and my major goal in writing this book is to help current and future program administrators understand that they need to look beyond simply the provision of service. Indeed, they need to be competent in outcome-based evaluation, which I define as a type of program evaluation that uses valued and objective person-referenced outcomes to analyze a program's effectiveness, impact or benefit-cost. By design, this book can be read from the perspective of a consumer or producer of outcome-based evaluation. As a consumer, the reader will be introduced to the various techniques used in outcome-based evaluation and how to interpret data from outcome-based evaluation analyses. As a producer, the reader will be instructed in how to do outcome-based evalu ation analyses, along with how to use and act on their results. For both the consumer and producer, two questions should guide the use of outcome based evaluation.
ISO/TS 16949:2002 (TS2) will have a huge impact on the whole of the automobile industry as it formalises, under a single world-wide standard, the quality system that must be met by vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers. This handbook is the only comprehensive guide to understanding and satisfying the requirements of ISO/TS 16949:2002. Written by best-selling quality author David Hoyle (ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook) this new book is ideal for those new to the standard or establishing a single management system for the first time, as well as those migrating from existing quality management systems. It will suit quality system managers and quality professionals across the automotive industry, managers and executive level readers, consultants, auditors, trainers and students of management and quality. * The only complete ISO/TS 16949:2002 (TS2) reference: essential for understanding both TS2 and ISO 9001:2000 * TS2 becomes mandatory for all auto manufacturers and their many thousands of suppliers in 2006 * Includes details of the certification scheme, the differences with previous standards, check lists, questionnaires, tips for implementers, flow charts and a glossary of terms * David Hoyle is one of the world's leading quality management authors.
Welcome to the 1990s! In case you haven’t noticed, things have changed significantly in the world of service delivery and program evaluation over the last few years. The term that is used most frequently to reflect this change is paradigm, which refers to how we approach or think about something. Indeed, both human service programs and the techniques we use to evaluate their efforts and outcomes are currently undergoing a “paradigm shift” characterized by terms such as empowerment, equity, supports, inclusion, accountability, and pragmatic evaluation. This paradigm shift, occurring at the same time that we are seeing an increased competition among service providers and constant social-cultural change, has resulted in new ways of thinking about program evaluation and the techniques we use to evaluate a program’s effectiveness, impact, or benefit-cost.
The Common European Framework describes language proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening on a six-level scale. The Framework provides a common language with which to discuss students' progress. This report describes a study conducted with two panels of English language experts to map scores from four tests that collectively assess Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening on to two levels of the Framework. Panel 1 recommended cut scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL®), the Test of Spoken English™ (TSE®), and the Test of Written English™ (TWE®). Panel 2 recommended cut scores for The Test of English for International Communication™ (TOEIC®). A modification of the Angoff (1971) standard-setting approach was used for multiple-choice questions, and a benchmark method (Faggen, 1994) or examinee paper selection method (Hambleton, Jaeger, Plake, & Mills, 2000) was used for constructed-response questions.
This commentary provides a critical and historical review of the Common European Framework of Reference: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEF). It is presented within the context of political and policy issues in Europe, and considers the role that the CEF is likely to play in that context, which is beyond the control of language testers. The dangers of institutionalization through political mandate are explored for test providers, test takers, and score users. It is argued that the CEF should be treated as just one of a range of tools for reporting test scores.
Two current developments reflecting a common concern in second/foreign language assessment are the development of: (1) scales for describing language proficiency/ability/performance; and (2) criterion-referenced performance assessments. Both developments are motivated by a perceived need to achieve communicatively transparent test results anchored in observable behaviors. Each of these developments in one way or another is an attempt to recognize the complexity of language in use, the complexity of assessing language ability, and the difficulty in interpreting potential interactions of scale task, trait, text, and ability. They reflect a current appetite for language assessment anchored in the world of functions and events, but also must address how the worlds of functions and events contain non skill-specific and discretely hierarchical variability. As examples of current tests that attempt to use performance criteria, the chapter reviews the Canadian Language Benchmark, the Common European Framework, and the Assessment of Language Performance projects.
This article reviews insights into second-language (L2) learning that have been revealed through over a decade of research on the social interaction and negotiation of L2 learners and their interlocutors, begining with the seminal work of Hatch (1978a, 197810) and Long (1980 et passim), and withereferenceto a corpus of informal, experimental, and classroom data from published studies. This research illustrates ways in which negotiation contributes to condi- tions, processes, and outcomes ofL2 learningby facilitating learners' comprehension and structural segmentation of L2 input, access to lexical form and meaning, and production of modified output. The research points out areas in which negotiation does not appear to assist L2 learning, especially with respect to the learner's need to access L2
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