Designing and Validating an English Speaking General Proficiency E-Test

Abstract

E nglish Speaking General proficiency Test is an e-test that was designed and applied to a wide range of EFL speakers: three hundred and thirty participants. The test was meant to be a valid and reliable tool that could be used as a trustful basis for estimating speaking proficiency. Seven speaking sub-skills were assessed for each testee: pronunciation, intonation and stress, vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, content and fluency. There were a number of alternatives for test delivery and administration: at language labs, on personal cell phones or on Google Drive or YouTube. Assessment rubrics were also designed by the researcher so as to score the measured speaking sub-skills. Test reliability was established by calculating Alpha Coefficient. Besides, criterion-referenced validity was statistically calculated by comparing the participants’ scores on the current test with their scores on an ILETS speaking test sample. Both reliability and validity were calculated by using the SPSS 11.0 program. Results showed that the current form of the test was reliable and valid for testing English speaking general proficiency