Autonomous University of Baja California

Bachelor in Language Teaching

Educative Evaluation

“Vocabulary Tests”

Tutor: Icela López G.

Presenters:
Bazua Solís Deyanira Socorro
Ruiz Serrano Luz Marina

April 5th, 2019

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Vocabulary Tests
 The purpose of vocabulary tests is
to measure the comprehension
and production of words used in
speaking or writing.

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 In this presentation:

▪ Limited Response

▪ Multiple-Choice Completion

▪ Multiple-Choice Paraphrase

▪ Simple Completion (Words)

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1 Limited
Response
 👦👧 Individual
▪ Children and Testing
beginning-level adults

Limited
▪ Simple physical
responses and visuals
Response

▪ Avoid skills that

haven’t been mastered

Group
Testing

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 ▪ Individual Testing
The S can show what
he/she understands by
DOING.
Directed physical
responses can easily be
used when you test one
student at the time.
▪ Group Testing
Use of nonverbal physical
responses to test the whole
class at the same time
Drawing/Sketching

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 Examples:

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 Advantages and
Limitations of Limited
Response

1. Less stress than other types of 1. Requires individual testing, which

tests takes longer time

2. Avoids skills that have not yet 2. Difficult to test abstract words
been mastered

3. Can be scored easily and 3. Sketches are sometimes

objectively ambiguous

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2 Multiple-Choice

Completion
 M-CC

▪ Constructed by ▪ Depends on ▪ Good

deleting a word context clues and vocabulary test
from a sentence sentence meaning

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 Steps to Consider

Select the
01 words to be
tested
Get the right
02 kind of
sentence to put
each word in
Choose several
03 wrong words
(distractors)

Prepare clear
04 instructions

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 Vocabulary Choice

▪ Sentence-completion items = ▪ Only content words are

to test passive vocabulary included in vocabulary tests
▪ Use words that are useful to (Nouns, verbs, adjectives,
your students and adverbs)

▪ Function words (articles, determiners,

preposition, conjunctions, pronouns)
appear in gramar tests
▪ Be careful of bias
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 Distractors

Teacher’s Student’s
Own errors

 Make sure the  One source is the

distractors are the compositon and the
same form of word as speech.
the correct answer  Look at the homework
 Don’t give away the and classrooms
right answer excercises .
 M-CC ítems should be
about the same level of
difficulty
 Not include more than
one correct answer

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 Advantages and
Limitations of M-CC

1. It helps students to see the full 1. Difficult to prepare good sentence

meaning of words by providing contexts that shows the meaning of
natural contexts the word
2. Discourages word-list 2. It’s easy for students to cheat
memorization

3. Scoring is easy and consistent

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3 Multiple-Choice

Paraphrase
 M-CP

▪ Context easier to prepare

▪ Understanding is checked by
Ss having to choose the best
synonym or paraphrase to the
vocabulary item

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 Vocabulary Choice and
Context Preparation

▪ Same steps to ▪ Choose words

prepare Multiple- where you can
Choice spend less effort
Completion in preparing
sentence context.

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 Avoid using distractors with
the same meaning

Keep in mind the

suggestions in the Avoid trick items that we close
Distractors
section of Multiple- spelling or sound contrast
Choice Completion.

Don’t write the correct answer

as the longest.

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 Alternate Forms of M-CP

There are two kinds of paraphrase

questions:
1. Ask to find the best synonym or related
word
2. Match the best phrase or paraphrase, or
definition of the key word.
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 Advantages and
Limitations of M-CP

1. Context preparation is easier. 1. Difficult to find good synonyms

2. Easier and consistent scoring. 2. Cheating.

3. Sensitive measure of
achievement.

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4 Simple
Completion
(Words)
 SP

▪ Word-formation items
require Ss to fill in missing
parts of words that appear in
sentences.
▪ These are usually prefixes
and suffixes
▪ No distractors needed
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 Vocabulary Choice and
Context Preparation

Recalling that ▪ Ss success will

cooperative is part of depend on the
their passive vocabulary, sentence context
you decide to challenge ▪ Sometimes more
them on the test. You context is needed
will see if they can to clarify which
produce uncooperative. word we mean.

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 Instruction Preparation

▪ ‘’Complete the words in these sentences.

When nothing needed, put and ‘’X’’ in
the blank.”

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 Advantages and
Limitations of SC

1. Reflects teaching approaches. 1. Fewer words can be tested in this

way tan M-C

2. Faster and easier to construct that 2. Difficulty in avoiding ambiguous

items with distractors. context.

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 Testing vocabulary is an essential step in the
process of learning a whole new language. By
applying these kind of tests, teachers can
measure student’s comprehension and
understanding of new vocabulary to, later,
apply it in their own context.
Bazua Solís Deyanira S.
deyanira.bazua@uabc.edu.mx
Ruiz Serrano Luz Marina.
27 marina.ruiz57@uabc.edu.mx
 References

▪ Madsen, H. (1983). Techniques in

Testing. Oxford University Press: New
York. Pp. 12-33
▪ Cambridge Dictionary. Recover from:

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