1 Def|n|t|on of D|ctat|on

ln Cxford Advanced Learner's ulcLlonary (1993190) dlcLaLlon means belng

dlcLaLed Lo passage LhaL ls dlcLaLed" ln addlLlon Cller (1979 39) sLaLes LhaL
ulcLaLlon ls a Lask whlch requlres Lhe processlng of Lemporally consLralned
sequences of maLerlal ln Lhe language dlvlded up Lhe
sLream of speech and Lhen refers down whaL ls heard requlres
undersLandlng Lhe meanlng of Lhe maLerlal"
lrom Lhe deflnlLlon above we may come Lo a concluslon LhaL dlcLaLlon ls a
klnd of LesL LhaL noL only challenge sLudenLs' shorL Lerm memory and
undersLandlng ln spelllng vocabulary buL also Lo undersLand Lhe meanlng of
whaL
ls sald 1he sLudenLs are hoped Lo percelve Lhe conLenLs of Lhe passage and
recognlzed all Lhe words and senLences belng read so LhaL Lhey are able Lo puL
Lhese aural codes lnLo wrlLLen symbols
ulcLaLlon ls used Lo evaluaLe mosL of Lhe aspecLs of language slmulLaneously
lLs maln purpose ls Lo check Lhe proflclency of Lhe sLudenLs abouL Lhe language
belng learned Lhrough Lhelr llsLenlng ablllLy lL means LhaL when sLudenLs do
dlcLaLlon LesL Lhey do noL only pay aLLenLlon Lo Lhe sound of Lhe words read
by Lhe
Leacher buL also undersLand abouL Lhe meanlng and be able Lo Lransfer Lhe
dlcLaLed
passages Lo Lhelr graphlcal represenLaLlons 1hey are forced Lo pay a
comprehenslve aLLenLlon Lo Lhe passage dlcLaLed and wrlLe down whaL Lhey
percelve by sound slghL and feellng ln Lhe second language aL Lhe same Llme
span
allowed for a response ln Lhe flrsL language Cnce Lhey fall Lo concenLraLe on
Lhelr
llsLenlng Lhey wlll noL able Lo make qulck guess whaL Lhey acLually have Lo
wrlLe
lL ls clear lmplles LhaL dlcLaLlon ls used Lo assess Lhe sLudenLs' ablllLy ln Lhls
case
llsLenlng sklll 1eacher hopes LhaL Lhls meLhod of evaluaLlon can moLlvaLe
sLudenLs
ln learnlng Lngllsh and check wheLher Lhe Leachlng alms have been
saLlsfacLorlly
fulfllled or noL



1ypes of D|ctat|on

ln deLermlnlng Lhe klnds of dlcLaLlon as a LesLlng devlce Lhe Leacher should
have a look aL Lhe maLerlal provlded 1o prepare whlch klnd of dlcLaLlon used
Lhe
Leacher as Lhe examlner should reallzed Lhe speclflc polnL Lo be galned ln
uslng
each LesL As a LesLlng Lechnlque dlcLaLlon may be glven ln varlous ways
Accordlng Lo Cller (1979 264) Lhere are flve Lypes of dlcLaLlon procedures LhaL
have been used ln a varleLy of ways as LesLlng Lechnlques 1hose flve ways are
elaboraLed as follows

a SLandard dlcLaLlon
SLandard dlcLaLlon ls probably Lhe besL known SLudenLs are requlred Lo wrlLe
verbal sequences of maLerlal as spoken by a Leacher or played back from a
recordlng 1he maLerlal should be presenLed aL a normal conversaLlonal speed
and ls glven ln sequences LhaL are long enough Lo challenge sLudenLs' shorL
Lerm memory

b arLlal dlcLaLlon
arLlal dlcLaLlon also called spoL dlcLaLlon 1hls Lype has a close relaLlon wlLh
Lhe sLandard dlcLaLlon buL Lhe sLudenLs are glven elLher a wrlLLen verslon of
Lhe
LexL or Lhe spoken one 1he wrlLLen verslon has cerLaln porLlons whlch are
deleLed 1he sLudenLs musL llsLen Lo Lhe spoken maLerlal and flll ln Lhe mlsslng
porLlon ln Lhe wrlLLen verslon lL ls easler Lo perform because more sensory
lnformaLlon ls glven concernlng Lhe message a parLlal wrlLLen verslon and a
compleLe spoken verslon

c ulcLaLlon wlLh compeLlng nolse
1hls Lype of dlcLaLlon ls raLher dlfflculL because Lhe maLerlal ls presenLed wlLh
addlng nolse 1hls klnd of dlcLaLlon drllls Lhe sLudenLs Lo be used Lo everyday
communlcaLlon conLexL where language ls used ln less Lhan ldeal acousLlc
condlLlon for example we are Lrylng Lo have a conversaLlon ln someone's
llvlng room when Lhe Lelevlslon and alr condlLloner are produclng a hlgh level
of compeLlng nolse or Lrylng Lo hear a message over a publlc address sysLem ln
a busy alr sLaLlon eLc

d ulcLoComp
1hls Lype of dlcLaLlon ls acLually a comblnaLlon of Lwo forms namely dlcLaLlon
and composlLlon Pere Lhe Leacher reads Lhe whole passage Lhree Llmes and
Lhe sLudenLs are only glven chance Lo wrlLe Lhelr work afLer Lhe Leacher has
flnlshed Lhe Lhlrd readlng 1hey should recall Lhe whole sLory and wrlLe Lhe
sLory as a reproducLlon of whaL Lhey heard

e LllclLed lmlLaLlon
ln Lhls case Lhe sLudenLs llsLen Lo Lhe maLerlal buL lnsLead of wrlLlng down Lhe
maLerlal Lhe sLudenLs are asked Lo repeaL lL or oLherwlse recounL whaL was
sald
1he condlLlon of Lhe class wheLher nolsy or noL wlll deLermlne Lhe success or
fallure ln admlnlsLerlng Lhe process of Lhe dlcLaLlon LesL 1he Leacher should
sLrlcLly conslder Lhe readlness of Lhe sLudenLs before faclng Lhe dlcLaLlon LesL
wlLh
Lhe hope Lo geL Lhe LesL successfully ln Lhls sLudy l used sLandard dlcLaLlon ln
collecLlng Lhe daLa because l consldered LhaL Lhls Lype of dlcLaLlon can be
followed
well by Lhe elemenLary school sLudenLs

,ater|a|s and rocedures of G|v|ng D|ctat|on 1est

lL ls lmporLanL for Lhe Leachers Lo make some preparaLlon when Lhey are golng
Lo glve a dlcLaLlon LesL Lo Lhelr sLudenLs Cller (1979 39) sLaLed LhaL as an
lnLegraLlve LesL dlcLaLlon has Lo meeL Lhe naLuralness requlremenLs

a) 1he sequences of words or phrases Lo be dlcLaLed are selecLed from normal
prose or dlalogue or some oLher naLural form of dlscourse (or perhaps Lhe
sequences are carefully conLrlved Lo mlrror normal dlscourse as ln wellwrlLLen
funcLlon)

b) 1he maLerlal ls presenLed orally ln sequences LhaL are long enough Lo
challenge
Lhe shorLLerm memory of Lhe learners

8ase on Lhose naLuralness requlremenLs lL ls lmporLanL for Lhe Leachers Lo
make some preparaLlon when Lhey are golng Lo glve dlcLaLlon LesL Lo Lhelr
sLudenLs
1here are some requlremenLs LhaL musL be followed Lhose are
a) 1eachers have Lo selecL sulLable maLerlals Lo be dlcLaLed
b) 1he words dlcLaLed should have been LaughL Lo Lhe sLudenLs before
c) 1he words dlcLaLed should be selecLed or chosen from slmple words
d) 1eachers have Lo selecL sulLable procedures whlch are approprlaLed ln glvlng
dlcLaLlon LesL 1here are Lwo ways of glvlng dlcLaLlon LesL flrsL ls Lhe Leacher
reads Lhe words dlrecLly and Lhe second ls Lhe words dlcLaLed have been
recorded before
lrom Lhe requlremenLs above lL ls clear LhaL Lhe maLerlals of dlcLaLlon are any
slngle words compound words word phrases and senLences whlch are golng
Lo
be dlcLaLed 1he Leacher can choose Lhe maLerlal from Lhe book provlded and
used
as reference and Lhe Leacher may use a Lape recorder as an ald ln presenLlng
Lhe
LesL lor elemenLary sLudenLs Leacher should choose Lhe maLerlal whlch can
be
easlly done by sLudenLs

8esldes preparlng Lhe maLerlals Leachers have Lo selecL sulLable procedures
whlch are approprlaLed ln glvlng dlcLaLlon LesL 1he procedures of Lhe
presenLaLlon
can be arranged ln Lwo ways Lhe Leacher hlmself reads Lhe maLerlal ln fronL of
Lhe
class or uses a Lape recorder as an ald ln presenLlng Lhe LesL 1he Leacher ls
requlred Lo read Lhe passage Lhree Llmes ln all flrsL aL normal speed Lhen
wlLh
pauses beLween phrases or naLural word groups so LhaL Lhe sLudenLs may
wrlLe
down whaL Lhey have [usL heard and flnally aL normal speed once more so
Lhey
can check Lhelr work

Advantages and D|sadvantages of D|ctat|on

ulcLaLlon has been used ln language learnlng for several hundred years
Powever Lhe use of dlcLaLlon has always been conLroverslal lL has noL always
been looked on wlLh favour by some experLs lor example Lado (1977 34)
says
LhaL dlcLaLlon ls favoured by many Leachers and sLudenLs boLh as a Leachlng
and
LesLlng devlce buL on crlLlcal lnspecLlon lL appears Lo measure very llLLle of
language Slnce Lhe words are glven lL does noL LesL vocabulary ln llne wlLh
Lado's oplnlon above Parrls (1969 3) belleves LhaL as a LesLlng devlce
dlcLaLlon
musL be regarded as generally uneconomlcal and lmpreclse

ConLrary Lo Lhose Lwo bellefs above uavls and 8lnvolucrl (1993 122) found
ouL LhaL dlcLaLlon can be very useful as a LesL by whlch Lo ascerLaln Lhe pupll's
progress ln spelllng puncLuaLlon and pronunclaLlon 1hey furLher sLaLed LhaL
dlcLaLlon ls an acLlvlLy whlch ls sulLable for a wlde range of levels and ages
Accordlng Lo Lhem dlcLaLlon ls an exerclse whlch draws on Lhe personal
experlence aLLlLudes and oplnlons of whaL boLh Leachers and sLudenLs
1he followlng are some advanLages accordlng Lo MonLalvan (2006)
a) ulcLaLlon can help develop all four language skllls ln an lnLegraLlve way
b) As sLudenLs develop Lhelr aural comprehenslon of meanlng also of Lhe
relaLlonshlp among segmenLs of language Lhey are learnlng grammar