THE MEASUREMENT OF BILINGUALISM BAKER, COLIN - FOUNDATIONS OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND BILINGUALISM- CHAPTER 2

THE PURPOSE OF MEASUREMENT OF BILINGUALISM Distribution: Census questions. Estimate the size and distribution of bilinguals in a particular area. Selection: school place students to allocate classes or groups based on the degree of bilingual proficiency. Summative: language proficiency tests- measure the current performance level of a person in the four language skills. ( measurement of bilinguals with second language fused with second language testing- also of the relative dominance of a person`s two languages –interference). Formative: gives feedback during learning for further development. If the tests reveals areas where a child`s languages needs developing, there can be immediate intervention and remedial help.

EXAMPLES OF MEASUREMENT OF BILINGUALS Language background scale: measures actual use of two languages as opposed to proficiency. Limitations: lacks family involvement and the “how often” question. Self rating on Proficiency: census questions. Limitations: census limits the use of language at home only; and survey questions (self-rating questions).Limitations: covers the basic four languages abilities across two languages but the answers are probably too broad- ambiguity; context; social desirability; acquiescent response; self awareness; point of reference; test aura; narrow sampling of dimension of language; insensitivity to change; labeling.

LANGUAGE BALANCE AND DOMINANCE MEASURES Various tests have been devised to gauge the relative dominance or balance of a bilingual`s two languages. (in research and and in USA education) Speed of reaction in a word association task. Quantity of reactions to a word association task. Detection of words using both languages. Time taken to read a set of words in the respondent’s two languages. Amount of mixing the two languages, the quantity of borrowing and switching from one language to another. A major problem with such balance and dominance tests lies in the representativeness of the measure of language proficiency and performance. In this respect, such tests would appear to tap only a small part of a much larger and more complex whole (language ability or language use).

Communicative Language Testing Seeing how bilinguals perform in both languages in a range of real communicative situations may be the answer. Observing a bilingual in a shop, at home, at work and during leisure activity might seem the ideal way of measuring bilingual competence. The importance of out-of-school domains in language for minority students X academic testing. Particular emphasis in language testing is on communicative competence (Hart et al., 1987). Interaction based-everyday settings. But improbable in practical ways. Better test the more limited notion of performance than the wider idea of competence. Oral interview, attempt close to the conditions stated by Skehan (1988), but may not reflect reality, because it is artificial.

Norm Referenced Language Tests X Criterion Referenced Language Tests Norm Referenced Language Tests:. (Summative tests) compares one individual to another (IQ tests) or compare bilinguals with monolinguals (unfair). Criterion Referenced Language Tests: (Formative tests).A Curriculum to language testing. Communicative skills, curriculum objectives and mastery learning. It profiles an individual child on a particular language skill. What a child can or cannot do on a precise breakdown of language skill and immediate action can be taken by the teacher.

THE STRUCTURE OF LANGUAGE COMPETENCE LANGUAGE THEORIES OF THE 1960S: FOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS. COMPONENTS OF KNOWLEDGE: grammar, vocabulary, phonology, graphology. Theories did not mention how skills and components were integrated. Canale & Swain Model of Language Competence (1983,1984): linguistic component (syntax and vocabulary); sociolinguistic; discourse; strategic. Bachman’s Model of language Competence: language competence (knowledge) and language performance (capacity for implementing the competence in appropriate communicative language use). Organizational competence/ pragmatic competence/ strategic competence (page 31)

Special attention to… Criterion Referenced Language Tests: measures mastery of specific language objective, suitable for both first and second language, sometimes based on theoretical principles, sometimes eclectic, such tests tend to relate directly to the process of teaching and learning. Ability & use; linguistic & social; competence & communication Food For Thought Considering bilingual education in Brazil where Portuguese is the majority language and English is taught intensively… What types of measurement of bilingualism are available? Are they appropriate to such a complex reality? How academic language in those schools that apply CLIL can be measured?