Reliability Analysis on English Writing Test of SHSEE in Shanghai

jsjt@overseaen.comISSN 1009-5039htp://ww.overseaen.comOverseas English海外英语Tel:+86- -551-65690811 65690812Reliability Analysis on English Writing Test of SHSEE in Shanghai黄玉麒,黄芳(上海理工大学外国语学院，上海20093)Abstract: As a subjective test, the validity of writing test is acceptable. W hat about the reliability? W riting test occupies a specialposition in the senior high school entrance examination (SHSEE for short). It is important to ensure its reliability. By the analysisof recent years’English writing items in SHSEE, the author offer suggestions on how to guarantee the reliability of writing tests.Key words: reliability; writing; testing中图分类号:G642文献标识码:A文 章编号:1009-5039(2014)21-0091-021 Background4) Ensure long enough samples to make sure there is enoughinformation ofered to the examiners to score.Testing is an important means of assessment in English lan-Arthur Hughes (1989:75) put forward 3 prineiples for the di-rect test of writing:tests students' vocabulary, usage and grammar, but the organiza-1) Setting writing tasks that are properly representative of thetion, analysis and reasoning abilties. W riting test occupies a spe-population of tasks that the students should be able to perform;cial position in SHSEE. It is important to ensure its reliability. By2) Eliciting samples of writings that can truly represent stu-the analysis of recent years' English writing items in Shanghai'sdents' writing ability.SHSEE, the paper analyzes those writing items to get information3) Ensuring that samples can be and will be scored reliably.about the reliability of writing tests and thus better our teachingThe first two principles are related to validity. And the thirdand learning in future.one is connected with reliability. So we will talk about the third2 Theoretical Basisprinciple.Generally, we evaluate a test from validity, reliability, ificul-Ensuring that samples can be and will be scored reliably re-ty, discrimination and practicality, while the most important index-fers to the control over writing samples. Apart from charts, the rhet-es are validity and reliability. Test reliability is indispensable fororic construct, length of article, writing objective, target readersany test. It can be defined as the consistency of measurement,etc. can also be used to control writing. And this kind of writing is(Bachman, 1996). The objective of our study is to minimize the ef-also called guided or controlling writing.As for scoring, there are two different ways, that is, holisticfects caused by testing derivation. (邹申,2012)It is common for such subjective testing items like writing toscoring and analytic scoring. The reliability of analytic scoring ishigher than holistic scoring.testing design and evaluation, there is an increasing need for us to 3 Reliability Analysesput more emphasis on reliability of writing tests. And we should dis-Then we will further discuss the application of reliability intocuss things from different angles and offer ourselves different re-different writing items in recent years’ English writing test ofquirements, to be more specific, to better the reliability of writingSHSEE in Shanghai.test.Year2008以Lovearoundme为题,写篇不少于60个词的As for a test, we should pay attention to the design of a test be-短文,标点符号不占格。re testing, the control of testing environment during testing and(注意:短文中不得出现考生的姓名、校名及其他相关信息,否则不予评分。)Arthur Hughes (1989) thought, when design a test, we can im-Year 2009 I Want to Do Something for My School (以Iprove the reliability from the followving aspects:1) Set as many tasks as possible. We can spit a big topic intowant to do something for my school(我想为学校做-Ensuring that samples can be and will be scored reliably refers toseveral questions to test students ’writing ability. The more tasksthe control over writing samples.写篇不少于60个词的短文,标there are, the more reliable the sum-up result is.2) Restrict candidates. Give tasks as definite as possible. Gen-点符号不占格。)erally speaking, the more restrictions there are, the more reliablethe sum-up result is.Year 2010 I'm proud of myself不少于60个词3) Give no choice of tasks. It will be easier for students to be1) What kind of person are you?compared with each other by the same article.中国煤化工MHCNMHG收稿日期:2014-06-06修回日期:2014-07-01本栏目责任编辑:代影业委遵教高公 91Overseas English海外英语2014年11月2) What makes you proud of yourself (Give an example/exam-4) Give no choice of tasks. It will be easier for students to beples)?3) W hy are you proud of yourself?Year 2008以 Love around me为题(注意:短文中不得出现考生的姓名、校名及其他相关信Year 2009 I W ant to Do Something for My School息，否则不予评分。)5) Ensure long enough samples to make sure there is enoughYear 201 1 I'm a member of .. (+picture)information offered to the examiners to score.(注意:短文中不得出现考生的姓名校名及其他相关信All the writing items require no less than 60 words.息,否则不予评分。)Year 2012 Write a ltter in at least 60 words according to4 Conclusionsthe given situationSo we can roughly come to a conclusion that W riting Test ofSuppose you are Joe. Your friend Betty is upset about a com- SHSEE in Shanghai bacally meets the need of the requirement ofing exam for she cares tooreliability. It is a rather good combination of theory and practice.much about the result. W hat do you think? Try to offer her some ad-However, it is far from enough to see only from the writing items.vicThe comprehensive assessment calls for diferent requirements dur-(注意:短文中不得出现考生的姓名、校名及其他相关信ing the whole procedure of writing test, including the design, theimplement, the score etc.After the comparison of different items of the writing test, weHere are some suggestions:may find following features of the writing test of SHSEE in Shang-1) Not only do the examination takers need a quiet, comnfort-hai:able environment, so do the scorers. It is easy for scorers feeling1) The combination of native language and target language.tired after long time and so-called repeated scoring work, so a goodIt is easy to find both native language and target languageenvironment for them is crucial. It can better the reliability of test-from the writing item of each test. Such arrangement on one hand2) The participation of another scorer- computer. It may seemweaken the influence of reading ability on writing, on the otherhand avoid students copy the English sentences.difficult to practice since computers haven' t been fully applied in-2) Offer topics from pictures.to education. It is just a supposition- to separate the whole writingYear 2011 I'm a member of .. (+ picture)into different sectors. And computers can first make a rough scoreCharts or pictures can be used to control writing. And thisbefore mankind. Then after the first scoring, we can classify paperskind of writing is also called guided or controlling writing. It meansinto diferent levels. And different teachers who are responsible forensuring that samples can be and will be scored rliably refers to and familiar with difrent levels can make a quicker and more relithe control over writing samples. So of course it can be used to im-able contibution to scoring.prove the testing reliability.3) Training for scorers. They have to be reminded of the de-3) Set as many tasks as possible.tails and criteria of the whole scoring. Also it is good for their pro-From this, we can spit a big topic into several questions to lest fssionalism.students’writing ability. The more tasks there are, the more reli- References:able the sum-up result is.[1] Bachman L F,A S Palmer.Language Testing in Practice[M].Ox-Year 2010 I'm proud of myself不少于60个词ford: Oxford University Press, 1996.a. What kind of person are you?b. What makes you proud of yourself (Give an example/exam-[2] Hughes A.Testing for Language Teachers[M].Cambridge Uni-versity Press, 1989.ples)2[3]邹申.语言测试[M].上海: 上海外语教育出版社,2012.c. Why are you proud of yourself?中国煤化工MYHCNMHG92 /唤语督本栏目责任编辑:代影