In this paper, we explore the extent to which a stay abroad in a Danish university in which English is a frequent medium of instruction can be a very suitable context for students to increase their language proficiency and to develop both awareness of their communicative skills and their confidence in them. The data analysed come from (i) a pre-…

Assessing speaking is one of the most difficult tasks in computer based language testing. Many countries all over the world face the need to implement standardized language tests where speaking tasks are commonly included. However, a number of problems make them rather impractical such as the costs, the personnel involved, the length of time for…

Using 10 kindergarten children with poor articulation of /s/, this study sought to determine whether modification of speech sounds by the use of an electroacoustic filter improved the children's /s/ articulation, as compared to training of /s/ using non-filtered words. Posttest scores, as measured by "A Deep Test of Articulation," showed…

To establish normative standards against which to contrast the speaking performance of aphasia patients, a sample of 54 adults representing a broad range of age and education were administered the picture cards of the Thematic Apperception Test to stimulate speech. The stories thus elicited were tape recorded. Each word spoken was grammatically…

A study examined procedures used to test the oral communication skills of students between the ages of 15 and 18 in the United Kingdom, with special attention given to strategies which might be of value to adopt in the United States. Subjects were 4 pairs of students tested from a randomly selected sample of 112 schools. Twenty-two assessors were…

The paper examines aspects involved in providing an accurate evaluation of speech and language of culturally different preschool children. Dialectical differences of Spanish and Black English speakers are detailed. Culturally based nonverbal behaviors and situational factors, including touching behavior and eye contact, are considered. Cultural…

Issues involved in teaching and assessing communicative competence are identified and applied to adolescent native English speakers with low levels of academic achievement. A distinction is drawn between transactional versus interactional speech, short versus long speaking turns, and spoken language influenced or not influenced by written…

Improving the quality of undergraduate speech communication education depends to a large extent on effectively measuring student achievement in college level communication skills. While formal tests are not as well developed for speaking skills as for other areas of the curriculum, they are available. The two used most frequently are the…

The development of the oral component of the Test in English for Educational Purposes (TEEP) for foreign students in British universities was undertaken using information from previous oral test development efforts and a survey of 645 university admissions officers concerning students' communication skill needs. The resulting test is intended to…

Focusing on the interpersonal communication course offered at Golden West College in California, this paper describes the competency-based approach of the course, the involvement of peer tutor/evaluators, and the use of the speech laboratory, where students demonstrate six specific skill competencies an average of two times during the course. The…

The Functional Language Assessment (FLA) is a screening test which, when used in combination with teacher ratings and English achievement test scores, helps identify students, aged 5 through 13 from non-English speaking backgrounds, in need of bilingual programs. The language proficiency test can be administered by school staff who do not speak…

Golden West College's (GWC's) Interpersonal Communication course was designed to help students develop communication skills, understand the criteria used in selecting the most appropriate way to communicate, implement these choices effectively through verbal and nonverbal means, and evaluate the effectiveness of these choices. Students learn the…

The oral interview may be viewed as a criterion-referenced test for making either/or decisions about functional use of spoken language. Speech production can be tested by either the oral interview or the Valdis (1972) "Performance Objectives for Speaking," and dialogue between the two systems can be profitable. Current literature on…

This study examined the need to develop reliable and valid procedures for screening large populations for possible speech and language problems and the use of the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test (FPSLST) as such a device. The test was administered to 260 preschool children, ages three to six. There were 166 Blacks and 94…