EVALUATION OF LANGUAGE IN SCIENCE

Dr. VMS
LSP
 Language for special purposes, LSP, is the traditional
term for the various linguistic variants used in
professional settings. 
 LSP is a widely applied approach to second or foreign
language teaching and training that addresses immediate
and very specific needs of learners who need that
language as a tool in their education, training or job. 
LSP DOMAINS
 Language for special purpose is a branch of applied
linguistics which deals with a variety of language used
by members of a particular subject field, concentrating
on its genres, stylistic features and technical lexis.
MAJOR DIVISIONS IN LSP
 Language for Academic Purposes (LAP): e.g.
 English for Science and Technology (EST), English for
Medical studies/purposes (EMP) English for Legal
Purposes (ELP),
 English for Business and Economics (EBE), English for
Social Studies (ESS)
MAJOR DIVISIONS IN LSP
 (2) Language for Occupational Purposes/
 Professional Purposes/Vocational Purposes (EOP)

 & English for Business Purposes(EBP): e.g. English for

Technician,
 English for Chemists,

 English for Educationists,

 English for Advertisements,

 English for Media,

 English to become a Tourist Guides,

 English in Business / management / Hotel / Catering

English.
KEY FEATURES OF LSP

 Two central aspects of LSP are (1) needs analysis and (2)
 description of language use in target situations.

 1. Need Analysis: the attempt to systematically collect

information about the communicative demands faced by those
in the target situation. This includes information about
language use in specific academic, professional, or vocational
groups, the linguistic skills used most frequently in the target
situation, and the difficulties second language learners
experience there. This information is then used in designing
second language courses tailored to help second language
learners meet those demands.
KEY FEATURES OF LSP

 2. Description of Language Use In Target Situations:

 describes how language is used in specific academic,
professional, or workplace contexts.
ESP CONCERNS
1. One view is that a specific purpose language is a
restricted repertoire of a general language system.
2. Another view is that languages for specific purposes are
varieties of language and that there is no such thing as
general-purpose language.
3. Should be based on objective assessments of
communicative demands in target situation.
LSP TEST AND PURPOSES

 The LSP tests were started from 1970s. LSP tests, whether in
English or other languages, are typically used for selection or
accreditation purposes, for example, to determine readiness for
academic study, as is the case with the widely used IELTS
(International English Language Testing System); to license
foreign health professionals to practice in an English medium
environment. LSP tests may be used to promote the use of a
minority language in a majority language environment.
TESTING, ASSESSMENT AND
EVALUATION
 Testing
Testing is an important phenomenon from science to arts, in
 

order to weigh, measure and qualify the validity and the

quantum of things.

In order to find out the nature and state of the students

proficiency, tests are to be conducted and the results are the
only source, which provide valuable ideas, and suggestions.

The most common use of language tests is to pinpoint

strengths and weakness in the learnt abilities of the
students.
 RICHARDS, (1999)

 Tests are any instruments of evaluation which measure

ability, knowledge or performance by eliciting observable
behaviour from the test taker as they try to make accurate
predictions about small samples of performance in a
complex structure like language .
 In language context, a test‘ is designed to measure and
evaluate students‘ language proficiency according to
different qualities
TESTING PROCESS
 EVALUATION
 Evaluation is an activity through which the human
behaviors, actions and happenings of the world are
identified, perceived and realized. It is the only activity that
controls and provides valid judgments and conclusions about
each and every activity of the day-to-day events.
 Test is a part in the process of evaluation but not the whole
of it.
 An evaluation process may be complete when the tests are
rightly interpreted with pros and cons of it.
 TESTING AND EVALUATION IN
CURRICULUM DOMAIN
 Tests do not always follow evaluation procedures and in
many cases the purpose of the tests is specific and they do
not necessarily include the evaluation procedures. Mostly
tests are conducted and made use of for pedagogical and
recruitment purposes.
 GRANT HENNING (1987,P: 9)
Evaluation of the language tests should consider
 Purpose of the test

 Characteristics of the examinees

 Accuracy of measurement

 Suitability of the format and features of a test

 Developmental sample

 Availability of equivalent or equated forms

 Nature of the scoring and reporting of scores

 Procurement and

 Political compatibility of the test.

 ROLE OF EVALUATION
 Identification of course objectives. (the expected or desired
learning outcome)
 Defining the objectives in terms of learners’ terminal
behavior.
 Constructing appropriate tools or instrument for measuring
the behavior.
 Applying or administering the tools/instruments and
analyzing the results to determine the degree of learners’
achievement in the instructional program.
 The above four steps are basically the same in the
evaluation of instructions, curriculum or the program as a
whole. Both measurement and evaluation require broad
variety of tools or instruments such as, tests, rating scales,
inventories, check lists, questionnaires etc.
TYPES OF EVALUATION

Evaluation

Ongoing Terminal

Formative

Summative

Brief

Extensive
 ONGOING EVALUATION
 Ongoing evaluation is meant for getting the feedback
regularly after the completion of every step
during its process viz. planning, preparation, production and
application. This would enable the program to improve at
various stages at that time of the program itself. This type
of evaluation is more helpful to modify anything if
necessary in the course of the didactic process.
 TERMINAL EVALUATION
 Terminal evaluation is a type of evaluation that is made
after the completion of the program and it is used to know
whether the program is success or failure. This type of
evaluation would not be used for any improvement of the
program. In general, evaluation has been further classified
into four categories: They are:
 Formative evaluation

 Summative evaluation

 Brief evaluation and

 Extensive evaluation

 
 TYPES OF EVALUATION
 Formative evaluation
 Formative evaluation is a process of evaluation that is made
from time to time in the case of an instructional program and
from one stage to the other. It does not provide a totalitarian
impression of the quality either of the instructional programs,
the techniques and methods, materials or media.
  

 Summative evaluation

 Summative evaluation is that kind of evaluation which takes

into consideration the periodic evaluation that has been made
and in addition to a total evaluation of the program: process or
product made and the conclusions are arrived at keeping in view
the outcome of the periodic evaluation in addition to the final
evaluation.
 TYPES OF EVALUATION
 Brief evaluation
 Evaluating a program can also be made taking into account
only some aspects and the evaluator can also give a judgment
based on the few aspects chosen for evaluation. But it will be
subjective and impressionistic and not a realistic one. This can
be useful to roughly compare two (or) more programs.

 Extensive evaluation
 Extensive evaluation involves the analysis of a program in its
entire main and sub aspects. The evaluator has to rate and
weigh each of them individually and consolidate the total
rating based on which he makes his value judgment. This is
more objective and valid.
 RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
1. data collection techniques
 Observational
 Experimental

2. causality relationships
 Descriptive
 Analytical

3. relationships with time

 Retrospective
 Prospective

 Cross-sectional

4. medium of application
 Clinical
 Laboratory

 Social descriptive research

 SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

 Scientific research can be classified in several ways.

Classification can be made according to the data collection
techniques based on causality, relationship with time and
the medium through which they are applied.
 Scientific research Non-scientific research

Logical Not Logical

Expanding understanding Reproduction may result in varied
Reproduced and demonstrated results

Truth and factual enquiry Acquiring knowledge and truths about

Scientific techniques are utilized the world using techniques without
Identification of problem following the scientific method.
Formulation of hypothesis
Data analysis and interpretation
Recommendations and conclusions

Systematic Investigation based on natural

Experimentation phenomenon
Observation
 PRE-SCIENTIFIC MOVEMENT
 characterized by translation tests developed exclusively by
the classroom teachers.
 Relatively difficult to score objectively; thus, subjectivity
becomes an important factor in the scoring of such tests
(Brown, 1996).
Thank You