This webinar discusses the problems that can occur when English learners are taking language exams, and how to overcome them.
Research into exam preparation
It is well established that exam-taking can be stressful for learners and teachers, so we have looked at research in Second Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, Educational Psychology and Assessment in order to understand concepts like foreign language and test anxiety.
We have also looked at the role and impact of beliefs surrounding intelligence on language learners and language learning. From what we can see, the most effective preparation lies in preparing students over time. Here, their learning journey can be supported to minimise anxieties and to develop a mind-set in which they can recognise their own language evolving.
Such support would see learning as dynamic, active and engaged. It would prepare students for examinations with the required language, knowledge of test formats, the skills to manage examinations effectively and, the capacity to manage their own progress.
Our IATEFL talk
Our talk, drawing on empirical classroom studies, reviews of relevant research and examples of relevant exam preparation materials, is intended to demonstrate how equipping students technically is just one type of support learners need. We discuss the added value of research on managing concepts like (self)beliefs and (test)anxiety for language learning. Plus, we also outline how managing anxieties and developing growth mind-sets can be advantageous, leading to better learning outcomes and greater exam success.
How this is realised is important, and we will discuss the varying roles that learners, teachers and material writers can play to implement better informed preparation for language examinations. Overall, we see this more human side of test-taking as one that is important for language learners. With it, we will try to give some practical, research-informed recommendations for the exam classroom.
We gave this talk at the Better Learning 2018 conference, and you can see the recording here: