Impact of cooperative test construction on learning English as a second language

The present study was aimed at investigating the impact of cooperative test construction on Iranian EFL students’ achievement as well as their attitudes towards such tests. The participants, were a sample of female high school students at Grade One in the city of Ray. First, the standardized Nelson test of English was administered to 90 students out of which 60 homogenous students were selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. Both groups received the same schedule of instruction during the term. 

Students in the experimental group experienced cooperative test construction while the students in the control group didn’t have any role in construction of their tests. Prior to the main study, the test was piloted on a sample of 30 students at the same level of language proficiency to check the reliability and validity of the test developed by both teachers and students. Results showed a significant difference between grammatical knowledge of those subjects who were cooperatively involved in test construction and that of those who were traditionally tested. Then, after two weeks a validated and reliable questionnaire developed by the researcher was administered to the sample in order to explore the students’ attitudes towards cooperative test construction, Results indicated that students’ reactions to cooperative test construction were overwhelmingly positive. At the end of the study twelve students from the experimental group were interviewed to get a better understanding of their attitudes towards the method. Through the interview the students asserted that they were quite satisfied with the method concerned.