Oral Proficiency Interview

Last updated

An Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is a standardized, global assessment of functional speaking ability. Taking the form of a conversation between the tester and test-taker, the test measures how well a person speaks a language by assessing their performance of a range of language tasks against specified criteria. [1] In the United States, the criteria for each of ten proficiency levels are described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, devised by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

Contents

In an OPI, the test-taker is interviewed by a certified ACTFL tester, who guides the conversation to explore the abilities and limits of the individual’s oral target language abilities. During the course of the interview, the interviewee is guided to engage in a variety of tasks such as describing, narrating, and hypothesizing. The interview is recorded and scored by the interviewer as well as a second certified tester using the following scale: Superior, Advanced High, Advanced Mid, Advanced Low, Intermediate High, Intermediate Mid, Intermediate Low, Novice High, Novice Mid, Novice Low. [2]

The OPI test format consists of four stages. In the first stage, otherwise known as the "Warm-up" stage, the interviewee is put at ease and provides the interviewer with information they can use later in the interview. The interviewer may ask "What are some things that interest you?" This stage is also used to indicate the interviewee's skill level before moving further into the interview. The second stage, called "Level Checks," helps identify what the interviewee can do and finds the highest level of sustained performance by the speaker (floor). Questions at the second stage might be,"Which cryptocurrency would you buy?" or "How is cryptocurrency changing the way we interact monetarily?" The third stage, known as "Probes" shows the interviewer what the interviewee cannot do, and finds the lowest level of performance which they are unable to sustain for prolonged periods of time (ceiling). Questions at the third stage might be, "Is Cryptocurrency a waste of money? Why or why not?" or "Explain to me why Cryptocurrency has more or less value." An effective OPI will show an interviewee what they can and can't do with their speech in the target language. The fourth and final stage, known as the "Wind-down," is designed to ease the interviewee and bring them to a comfortable level of speaking. The interviewer may end the interview by asking, "Do you have any plans for this weekend?" As the interviewer wraps up the interview, the interviewee will feel a sense of confidence as they exit the interview. [3]

The levels of ACTFL’s scale can be conceived as an inverse triangle, with the “Superior” rating at the top representing a wide range of skill in linguistic structures, vocabulary, and fluency. The Novice Low category forms the bottom point of the triangle, showing little functional knowledge of the language. Each progressive category represents broader skills and depth of knowledge. While one can progress relatively quickly through the Novice levels, progress is much slower through the upper ratings.

OPI is generally used for native speakers of English, but it was adopted in South Korea after the computer version was developed by the Korean computer company Credu. In September 2009, 40,000 people applied to take the test in South Korea. [4]

Oral Proficiency Interview - computer

Oral Proficiency Interview - computer (OPIc) [5] is a computerized test of English-usage skills [6] developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and Language Testing International (LTI). It is a computer-based version of the OPI. [7] OPIc is a kind of test business interview. The one-hour test is a series of recorded questions that are assessed by a computer. The test scores have seven levels. The evaluations are done by ACTFL professionals in the United States.

Criticism

In addition to presenting both test takers and test users with a significant time and finciancial burden, some researchers have also noted that the ACTFL OPI is limited by the fact that its scores are based on a series of subjective statements, rather than empirical measurements of linguistic performance. [8] [9] Researchers have also shown that OPI test takers' ratings can be significantly affected by their anxiety during the test, [10] [11] and that rating judgements can vary significantly between individual raters. [12]

Related Research Articles

Language education – the process and practice of teaching a second or foreign language – is primarily a branch of applied linguistics, but can be an interdisciplinary field. There are four main learning categories for language education: communicative competencies, proficiencies, cross-cultural experiences, and multiple literacies.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated in English as CEFR, CEF, or CEFRL, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly, in other countries. The CEFR is also intended to make it easier for educational institutions and employers to evaluate the language qualifications of candidates for education admission or employment. Its main aim is to provide a method of learning, teaching, and assessing that applies to all languages in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Job interview</span> Type of interview

A job interview is an interview consisting of a conversation between a job applicant and a representative of an employer which is conducted to assess whether the applicant should be hired. Interviews are one of the most common methods of employee selection. Interviews vary in the extent to which the questions are structured, from an unstructured and informal conversation to a structured interview in which an applicant is asked a predetermined list of questions in a specified order; structured interviews are usually more accurate predictors of which applicants will make suitable employees, according to research studies.

The Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) is a battery of foreign language tests produced by the Defense Language Institute and used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). They are intended to assess the general language proficiency of native English speakers in a specific foreign language, in the skills of reading and listening. An Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is sometimes administered to Defense Language Institute students to establish the graduate's proficiency in speaking following training there, but it is not part of the DLPT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STEP Eiken</span>

The Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency, informally Eiken and often called STEP Eiken or the STEP Test, is an English proficiency test conducted by the Eiken Foundation of Japan, a public-interest incorporated foundation. The foundation is backed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

The Versant suite of tests are computerized tests of spoken language available from Pearson PLC. Versant tests were the first fully automated tests of spoken language to use advanced speech processing technology to assess the spoken language skills of non-native speakers. The Versant language suite includes tests of English, Spanish, Dutch, French, and Arabic. Versant technology has also been applied to the assessment of Aviation English, children's oral reading assessment, and adult literacy assessment.

ACTFL is an organization aiming to improve and expand the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction. ACTFL is an individual membership organization of more than 13,000 language educators and administrators from elementary through graduate education, as well as in government and industry.

The TestDaF, formally Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache, is a standardised language test of German proficiency for non-native German speakers. It aims at people who would like to study at, or academics and scientists who want to work in, German universities. The test is run by the TestDaF-Institut.

Language proficiency is the ability of an individual to use language with a level of accuracy which transfers meaning in production and comprehension.

Fluency refers to continuity, smoothness, rate, and effort in speech production. It is also used to characterize language production, language ability or language proficiency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communication apprehension</span>

Communication apprehension is a degree or measure of the anxiety triggered by the real or anticipated communication act, as defined by James C. McCroskey. The fear of judgment from the audience and self-image are two factors which fuel the anxiety. Since communication can be oral or written, communication apprehension (CA) is divided into oral communication apprehension (OCA) and written communication apprehension (WCA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language</span> Taiwans test of Mandarin proficiency for non-native speakers

The Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language is the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s standardized test of proficiency in ROC Standard Chinese for non-native speakers such as foreign students. It is administered by the Steering Committee for the Test Of Proficiency-Huayu (SC-TOP). The committee is under the direction of Taiwan's Ministry of Education. The test was formerly known as the TOP or Test Of Proficiency-Huayu.

The Interagency Language Roundtable scale is a set of descriptions of abilities to communicate in a language. It is the standard grading scale for language proficiency in the United States's Federal-level service. It was originally developed by the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR), which included representation by United States Foreign Service Institute, the predecessor of the National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC).

Foreign language anxiety, also known as xenoglossophobia, is the feeling of unease, worry, nervousness and apprehension experienced in learning or using a second or foreign language. The feelings may stem from any second language context whether it is associated with the productive skills of speaking and writing or the receptive skills of reading and listening.

The European Language Certificates are international standardised tests of ten languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish as a second or foreign language</span>

The term Spanish as a second or foreign language is the learning or teaching of the Spanish language for those whose first language is not Spanish.

The Certificate Examinations in Polish as a Foreign Language, also referred as State Certificate Examinations in Polish as a Foreign Language, are standardized tests of Polish language proficiency for non-native Polish speakers. The examinations are held by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language starting from 2004 in Poland as well as in foreign countries. Candidates passing the examinations would obtain a certificate indicating the level of their proficiency in Polish. There are currently three levels of examinations set according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, namely, B1, B2 and C2. The State Certification Commission is at the meantime working on the introduction of examinations for the remaining levels.

Language power (LP) is a measure of the ability to communicate effectively in a given language, specifically one that is not native to the speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lourdes Ortega</span> Professor of applied linguistics

Lourdes Ortega is a Spanish-born American linguist. She is currently a professor of applied linguistics at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on second language acquisition and second language writing. She is noted for her work on second language acquisition and for recommending that syntactic complexity needs to be measured multidimensionally.

References

  1. ↑ Breiner-Sanders, Karen E.; Pardee Low, Jr.; John Miles; Elvira Swender (January–February 2000). "ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines--Speaking" (PDF). Foreign Language Annals. 33 (I): 13–18. doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.2000.tb00885.x . Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Testing for Proficiency". Proficiency Testing. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "OPI Test Online - LTI Oral Proficiency Interview Assessment".
  4. ↑ "[In depth interview] English more than just a resume-builder". 6 October 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Oral Proficiency Interview by Computer® (OPIc)". Language Testing International. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Daum 카페" . Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "New English tests frustrate employees". 27 November 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Liskin-Gasparro, Judith E. (2003). "The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and the Oral Proficiency Interview: A Brief History and Analysis of Their Survival". Foreign Language Annals. 36 (4): 483–490. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.467.4444 . doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.2003.tb02137.x.
  9. ↑ Fulcher, Glenn (1996). "Invalidating validity claims for the ACTFL oral rating scale". System. 24 (2): 163–172. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.471.5251 . doi:10.1016/0346-251X(96)00001-2.
  10. ↑ Young, Dolly J. (1986). "The Relationship Between Anxiety and Foreign Language Oral Proficiency Ratings". Foreign Language Annals. 19 (5): 439–445. doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.1986.tb01032.x.
  11. ↑ MacIntyre, Peter D.; Noels, Kimberly A.; Clement, Richard (1997). "Biases in Self-Ratings of Second Language Proficiency: The Role of Language Anxiety". Language Learning. 47 (2): 65–287. doi:10.1111/0023-8333.81997008. S2CID   5864676.
  12. ↑ Brown, Annie (2003). "Interviewer variation and the co-construction of speaking proficiency". Language Testing. 20 (1): 1–25. doi:10.1191/0265532203lt242oa. S2CID   145408720.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.