Combine standardized tests and naturalistic classroom observations (mixed methods) when assessing oral communicative competence¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The review recommends that future studies combine methods, because standardized tests and classroom observations have complementary strengths. Standardized tests offer "increased control over variables" and are less time-consuming, while observations analyze communicative behavior "in great detail, on multiple levels, and in a naturalistic context". The review states that a combination of both "could advance the assessment of oral communicative competence and increase its validity", noting that none of the 25 reviewed studies used such a combination.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Researchers must administer both standardized tests and naturalistic observations to cover more aspects of the multifaceted construct

Constraints¶

• Observational methods are time-consuming and reaching sufficient interrater agreement with multiple observers is difficult; standardized tests may have limited ecological validity for child-child interactions

Target Learners¶

• children aged 1 to 12 years

Target Learning Goals¶

• valid measurement of children's oral communicative competence

Related Strategies¶

• Combine cognitive tasks and ecological teacher questionnaires when measuring children's inhibition for academic research
• Assess executive functions in group-based naturalistic school settings rather than individualized lab-like sessions
• Prefer naturalistic over randomized controlled designs when studying dialogue-outcome relations
• Three development directions for observational self-regulation measures: broader behaviors, cross-context observability, and clear operational definitions

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Femke van der Wilt, Chiel van der Veen, Claudia van Kruistum, Bert van Oers (2019). Why Do Children Become Rejected by Their Peers? A Review of Studies into the Relationship Between Oral Communicative Competence and Sociometric Status in Childhood. Educational Psychology Review (2019) 31:699–724. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09479-z