The 5th Annual International Conference of the Asian Association for Language Assessment (AALA) (AALA 2018)

270 / 2018-04-16 21:23:24

Developing a Discipline-sensitive English Language Proficiency Assessment

ESP Assessment; ESP Testing; Assessment Development; Communicative Competence

Plenary track > Standards in developing language assessments

The question of whether the construct of English for Specific Purposes exists, and if so, whether it can be assessed is contentious. Some scholars hold the view that the language varieties for different academic disciplines and professions are simply general English embedded in different specific contexts, and therefore ESP proficiency cannot be assessed. Others argue that the proficiency of ESP can be assessed and that the ESP construct should be redefined to include features beyond strictly linguistic ones. With an increasing level of discipline specificity as students progress through their education, there is a pronounced need for assessments to reflect this progression in the curriculum. A joint project between Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Education University of Hong Kong aims to address these issues by examining the construct of ESP and developing a series of ESP tests for tertiary students in Hong Kong. This presentation will summarize findings of the needs analysis including surveys and interviews conducted to investigate (a) the discipline classification of tertiary-level academic programmes in Hong Kong, (b) the objectives, assessment tasks and teaching materials of ESP courses across disciplines, and (c) perceived learning needs by curriculum leaders and key faculty members. The presentation will then explain the rationale for the communicative approach adopted and introduce the design of the test guided by the findings.