Outlines the history of the use of dictation in foreign language teaching from the 16th century to the present day. Shows that the evolution of attitudes toward dictation has run parallel to the evolution of attitudes toward foreign language teaching.(SED)

Regression analyses and classification accuracy on 136 kindergarteners indicated that performance on the Language Identification Screening Test for Kindergarten was at a level comparable to the Bankson Language Screening Test and above the Test of Language Development, the Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language, and the Carrow Elicited…

Evaluates John Oller's contribution to a theory of language testing, particularly his provision of detailed empirical work. Argues that Oller's work is of sufficient importance for serious flaws to be noted. Three flaws are discussed in the areas of communication, pragmatics, authenticity, and the unifactorial/one best test approach. (Author/SED)

Discusses the grading of the 1984 examination for the advanced placement Latin program. The program consists of two courses, one on Vergil and one on Horace and Catullus and is for secondary school students capable of taking college level courses. Lists essay questions from the exam and reader reactions to them. (SED)

Reports on study in which students of Hebrew as a second language took four versions of oral proficiency test. Results indicate that different speech styles and topics significantly affected students' scores, and correlational analyses between pairs pointed to low reliability and lack of stability of the test. Urges caution in making decisions…

This digest discusses the simulated oral proficiency interview (SOPI), a performance-based, tape-mediated speaking test. The SOPI follows the general structure of the oral proficiency interview (OPI) used by government agencies and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) to measure speaking proficiency. Whereas the OPI is…

General recovery of an aphasic patient was monitored via averaged electroencephalic response audiometry and standard language testing. (Author/CB)

Describes the preparation, structure and experimental testing of an examination designed to test student achievement in the subsidiary German course at the Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry, one of several subsidiary language courses aimed at giving Modern Language students a sound working knowledge of a third language. (FB)

Defining vocational English as a specific vocabulary of individual words and phases connected with a certain occupation, the author outlines principles of testing, lists types of vocational English tests, and attempts to show that in constructing such tests a whole range of types of question can be used. (FB)

Describes the content areas and types of questions on the advanced placement Latin tests and gives the complete multiple choice section (questions and answers) from the 1980 test. (EKN)

The study involving 18 four year old children was designed to determine whether or not similar processes would be identified when responses obtained through a delayed word imitation task were compared to those obtained through a delayed sentence imitation task. (SB)

Language samples were obtained from 12 Head Start preschool children under the following three experimental conditions: Condition I, Retelling a Story with Toys; Condition II, Playing with Toys; Condition III, Toys with Questions. Results indicated that retelling a story produced the largest mean length of utterance, but toys and questions…

Language sampling was studied with normal four- and six-year-old children in three conditions (conversation, picture description with the experimenter and child looking at the stimuli, and picture description with the experimenter unable to view the stimuli with the child. (Author/CL)