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Extending the Scope of the English Exit Exam: A Study from a Ukrainian Classical University

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Revisiting the Assessment of Second Language Abilities: From Theory to Practice

Part of the book series: Second Language Learning and Teaching ((SLLT))

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Abstract

The study explores the scenario of the English exit exam that Ukrainian students are required to take at the end of their BA program, addressing some challenges related to student exam performance. Such exams are formal and limited to quantitative assessment, they are traditionally oral and administered by the State Examination Board. The exam scenario commonly includes only the acts of sending and receiving information that are programed in advance and expected by its participants. These acts block the aspiration of examinees to expand their scope of thinking and narrow it to memorizing and answering according to a certain pattern. The study, which is based on a sample of 151 students who major in Ukrainian language and literature and minor in English as a foreign language, aims to change the existing exam scenario. We see the exam as a macro communicative act, and its scenario should imply a highly interactive activity of unique language personalities. The scenario we suggest includes a talk in interaction that shows symmetry and role reversal, and gives the participants an opportunity for spiritual and intellectual development. The function of examiners is to facilitate spoken interactions by getting examinees to think laterally. Results indicate that lateral thinking is a necessary condition for the successful implementation of the exam as a macro communicative act and serves as an instrument for ongoing learning. The study raises a number of topical issues related to the impact of assessment procedures on learners.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Methodology of Teaching Ukrainian and Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Institute of Philology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Tarasa Shevchenko Boulevard 14, office 134, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine

    Olesia Liubashenko

  2. Department of English Philology and Intercultural Communication, the Institute of Philology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Tarasa Shevchenko Boulevard 14, office 56, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine

    Olga Yashenkova

Authors
  1. Olesia Liubashenko
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  2. Olga Yashenkova
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olesia Liubashenko .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia

    Sahbi Hidri

Appendices

Appendix 1: Pre-exam Questionnaire

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figure b

Appendix 2 : Post-exam Questionnaire

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figure d

Appendix 3: Examinee Instructions

Dear Examinee!

  1. 1.

    Learn by taking your exam. The exam is not the end of the learning process. The exam questions are your learning materials.

  2. 2.

    Initiate interaction. Ask the examiner’s opinion. A few strategic questions can demonstrate your intelligence.

  3. 3.

    Think verbally. Verbalize your doubts and hesitations. Your approach may not always be right.

  4. 4.

    Cover the issue from various perspectives. There can be no unambiguous answer to the question. Finding alternative ways of analyzing the text means thinking laterally.

  5. 5.

    Trust examiners. The examiner is your partner-constructor of the successful learning process. Take his or her remarks as advice for further self-development.

Appendix 4: Examiner Instructions

Dear Examiner!

  1. 1.

    Learn from examinees. The exam is not only aimed at revealing examinees’ knowledge and skills, but also at your own pedagogic achievements. Take the failures of examinees as your own.

  2. 2.

    Use a variety of evaluation techniques. Combine the ways of testing—from control questions and correcting mistakes to adding the answers. Evaluate examinees’ suggestions to analyze the text from a different perspective.

  3. 3.

    Use the form of dialogue to express approval or disapproval of examinees’ performance. Take examinees’ verbal thinking as the material for analysis.

  4. 4.

    Encourage the attempts of lateral thinking.

  5. 5.

    Trust examinees. The examinee is your partner-constructor of the exam discourse. Search for the ways of strengthening examinees’ faith in their abilities.

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Liubashenko, O., Yashenkova, O. (2018). Extending the Scope of the English Exit Exam: A Study from a Ukrainian Classical University. In: Hidri, S. (eds) Revisiting the Assessment of Second Language Abilities: From Theory to Practice. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62884-4_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62884-4_20

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62883-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62884-4

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