Table 1 Examples of issues with an interactionalist approach in the context of computer-mediated language assessment
| Â | Task design and test taker performance | Rating and score reporting |
|---|---|---|
Writing assessment | ▪ Shall we provide test takers with auto spelling check, autocorrection, and online dictionaries when they write on the computer? | ▪ How do we score test takers’ performance on computer-based writing with the help of auto spelling, autocorrection, and online dictionaries? How should scores of such an assessment be interpreted and reported? |
▪ What cognitive processes are test takers expected to be engaged in when writing on the computer? | ▪ How should test takers’ strategic competence in a computer-based writing assessment be rated, interpreted and reported? | |
Speaking assessment | â–Ş How should test takers be paired or grouped in a computer-based pair or group discussion task? | â–Ş How do we score test takers who co-construct a discourse in non-face-to-face computer-mediated discussion? How should scores of such a computer-based pair discussion be interpreted and reported? |
▪ What communication strategies are expected to be used by test takers when they perform non-face-to-face computer-mediated pair or group tasks? | ▪ How should test takers’ strategic competence in a computer-based speaking assessment be rated, interpreted and reported? |