Testing
vocabulary
Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz
Definition of
vocabulary
• The set of words within a language that are
familiar are known as a person’s vocabulary.
• Vocabulary develops with age and is a crucial
tool for communicating and acquiring
language.
• Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of
the largest challenges in learning a second
language.
The importance of
vocabulary
• A large vocabulary helps us to
communicate and express what we mean.
• The size of your vocabulary is directly
linked to your reading comprehension.
• A person may be judged by others based
on his or her vocabulary.
Why do we test
vocabulary?
• Teachers need to know how developed their
students’ vocabulary knowledge is. (Why?)
• Without a basic vocabulary, the potential for developing a
reading problem is great.
• Vocabulary knowledge is strongly related to overall
reading comprehension.
• A limited vocabulary represents a limited understanding of
concepts
• Well-developed vocabulary skills and wide background
knowledge help individuals comprehend more difficult and
complex material
• Testing helps to recycle vocabulary as well as to
consolidate it.
• Testing vocabulary also occurs in placement
tests or diagnostic tests to find out students´
level of knowledge or in achievement tests at
the end of the school year
Questions for teachers
preparing vocabulary tests
• Before preparing a vocabulary test, teachers should
ask themselves the following questions:
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How should I test vocabulary?
Which kind of vocabulary should I test?
Which format(s) should I use?
How many items should I include?
How important is context?
Are there any tools or resources that can help me?
How should I test
vocabulary?
• How a teacher intends to test vocabulary
should be connected to how they teach the
course.
• Students should not be asked to simply memorize long
vocabulary lists.
• Vocabulary words should be presented in context.
• When testing vocabulary, avoid testing words in isolation.
What kind of vocabulary
should I test?
• In most cases, teachers should test
vocabulary that they expect their students to
know or to use.
• Research shows that learners can recognize
more words than they can actually use.
• Teachers need to decide between testing high
frequency words or more specialized
technical vocabulary.
• Teachers should include all the new
words that the students have covered in
other activities (reading, listening, etc.)
• Words should be grouped according to
whether their recognition or their
production is required.
Which test format
should I use?
• Teachers should take into consideration the
following issues before choosing a test format:
• Test validity.
• To select only the test formats that students are familiar
with.
• Do not introduce a new test format in a testing situation.
• Practicality & wash back effect should be considered
when choosing a format.
• Select formats that will allow easy interpretation of
results, not necessarily easy marking.
• The chosen format should have a positive wash back
effect.
How many items should I
include?
• The number of items on a test is related to the
concept of test reliability.
• Reliability refers to the degree of consistency of test
scores.
• In general, the more items on a test, the more
reliable it is considered to be.
• As far as vocabulary tests are concerned, Nation
(2001) recommends a minimum of 30 items for a
reliable vocabulary test.
Types of questions in a
vocabulary test
• In a vocabulary test, as in most
other tests, there are two kinds
or types of questions.
• Recognition items.
• Production items.
Examples of methods for testing
vocabulary Recognition items
• Multiple choice tests
• Recognize synonyms
• Recognize definitions
• Recognize appropriate word for context
• Gap filling
Other methods teachers
can use to test ocabulary
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Translation.
Oral testing.
Associations.
Placing.
Synonyms and antonyms.
Transformation.
Writing/composition questions.
Matching.
Problems associated
with testing vocabulary
• Teachers should take into consideration the following
the points when testing their students’ vocabulary:
• It is difficult to estimate the size of a student’s vocabulary.
How many words does a student know?
• It is often difficult to decide which words should be included
in an exam and which shouldn’t be.
• It is difficult to decide what is the criterion for knowing a
word.
• Certain tests do not give valid and reliable results.