Vad kan en elev som kan prata engelska? Didaktisk transposition av muntlig färdighet i lärares matriser för bedömning av det nationella provet

Abstract

Swedish students’ oral proficiency in English as a foreign/second language (L2) is tested annually in a part of the English national test entitled Speaking (test construct: oral production and interaction), which students’ own teachers both administer and assess. Despite access to extensive assessment guidelines from the Swedish National Agency for Education, many teachers choose to construct their own scoring rubrics for assessment. In this study, we examine teachers’ professional knowledge about assessment of oral proficiency in L2 English, as it emerges from policy transformation in these teacher-generated rubrics. Data consists of 20 rubrics for assessment of Speaking in years 6 and 9. Rubrics were collected through professional networks and two English-teacher groups on Facebook. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze teachers’ conceptualizations of the test construct, as well as similarities and differences between conceptualizations. Results showed consensus of what to assess, but not necessarily how, which was particularly salient for interaction. Analysis of policy transformation indicated that when teacher-generated scoring rubrics were used for assessment of Speaking, each criterion was considered separately, making them beneficial for formative feedback. The professional knowledge that emerged is therefore formed by teachers’ dual roles – as examiner and teacher – in the test situation.