Interactional competence in a paired speaking test: Toward designing an evidence-based rating scale.

초록

As research on interactional competence recently grows, paired speaking tests have beenpreferred over the traditional interview method because they can elicit a wider range ofinteractional competence from candidates. However, studies on how to define interactionalcompetence and which features to be assessed in relation to interaction are still scant. Thisarticle reports on the features of interactional competence salient to three raters of 12 pairedspeaking tests in the Korean EFL high school context, through the analyses of rater memos andrater discussions. Four interaction parameters were identified: the ability to understand themessage and make proper responses, attentive and proactive attitudes in interaction, the use ofcommunicative strategies, and interactional management. Then, an evidence-based rating scaleis designed based on the data, fit to the candidates in this given context. The findings haveimplications about the construct definition of interactional competence in paired speaking tests,and the rating scale shows the possibility of developing the localized evidence-based ratingscale.

키워드