Language Assessment (Ch. 8–16) Vocabulary and Structure Key Terms

Vocabulary and structure-related terms from the lecture notes, with concise definitions suitable for quick review.

Passive vocabulary

Words a learner recognizes in stimuli but does not regularly use in speech or writing.

Active vocabulary

Words a learner fully command and uses frequently in speech and writing.

Content words

Main lexical categories tested in vocabulary tests: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Function words

Grammar-related words (articles, determiners, prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, auxiliary verbs) tested in structure tests.

Lexical items

Entries in the vocabulary lexicon; the items targeted in vocabulary assessments.

General Service List (GSL)

A frequency-based list of English words used to guide word selection (West, 1953).

West (1953)

Author associated with the General Service List of English Words, a baseline frequency resource.

Frequency list

A compilation showing how often words occur, used to inform item selection.

Paraphrase-type item

A vocabulary item where the tested word is underlined in context and four paraphrase meanings are offered as choices.

Deletion (Cloze) type item

An item in which the tested word is deleted from context and the learner chooses the correct completion from four options.

Cloze procedure

A task where a paragraph has deletions; test-takers fill blanks to assess language processing and grammar knowledge.

Cloze passage

A connected text with blanks used to test word selection and text processing in context.

Definition-type item

An item asking for the meaning of a word (e.g., 'Adjourn means…').

Scrambled sentence

An item where test-takers rearrange given elements to form a grammatical sentence.

Sentence-completion

A completion-type item where a missing word must be supplied to complete the sentence.

Short-answer

A structure item type requiring a brief, content-focused response.

Open-ended

A structure item where test-takers provide their own answer rather than selecting from options.

Distractor

Incorrect options in multiple-choice items meant to reveal misconceptions or misinterpretations.

Balanced length of options

Ensuring all answer choices are about the same length to avoid cues.

Backwash effect

Unintended learning effects where testing influences later learning, often promoting rote memorization.

Context clarity

Providing enough clear context to disambiguate meaning without adding extra difficulty.

Natural dialogue

A stem that imitates everyday spoken language rather than overly formal text.

One acceptable answer

An item where only one option is clearly correct and defensible.

Notional-Functional (NF) framing

A perspective focusing on communicative functions rather than isolated forms (relevant to dictation in NF contexts).

Dictation

An integrative test type where learners write what they hear, used to assess processing and production.

Exact Word Method (EWM)

Cloze scoring where only the exact deleted word earns credit.

Acceptable Word Method (AWM)

Cloze scoring granting credit for contextually acceptable words (requires glossary testing).

Weighted Response Method (WRM)

Cloze scoring assigning partial credit based on contextual suitability of responses.

Dicto-Comp (Dictation-Composition)

A dictation task where test-takers reconstruct or compose text as they listen.

Partial Dictation

A dictation variant where only certain parts of the text are missing and must be filled.

Elicited Imitation

Test-takers imitate or repeat heard phrases to assess processing and production at short terms.

Dictation with Competing Noise

Dictation task with added background noise to simulate adverse listening conditions.

Dictation scoring variants

Methods like word-for-word scoring or chunk-based scoring for dictation tasks.

Reading readability formulas

Formulas (e.g., Fog index, Fry, Dale-Chall, Spache) used to estimate text difficulty.

Fry Readability Graph

A user-friendly tool to estimate passage readability.

Real-world reading materials

Stimuli resembling authentic everyday texts (ads, descriptions, labels) used in tests.

Stimulus materials (listening)

Media such as pictures, dialogues, or recordings used to elicit listening responses.

Two raters reliability

Using two raters to improve scoring reliability in speaking and writing assessments.

Holistic vs discrete scoring

Two scoring approaches: overall impression vs component-based scores (e.g., accent, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension).