The threatened amazon rainforest

The homes of these animals are under severe threat and not slowing down. In Just the last five months of 2007, more than 3,200 sq. Kilometers, an area equivalent to the state of Rhode Island, was deforested. The Amazon is the world's biggest habitat and we are gradually loosing it. The causes of the issue and the process There are many different opinions or attitudes toward threatening the Amazon coming from many different people of different backgrounds. When someone has an pollen they have a thought about how something should be.People Like Indigenous people have opinions and so do people who work at the Amazon all the way to those people who work in the government. All these different opinions can conflict against each other as everyone may have a different view towards this issue. There are a number of issues for the Amazon being under threat and the mains reasons are: ranching and agriculture, commercial fishing, smuggling, damming, logging and mining. The reason for these threa ts is that the Amazon is the biggest rain forest In the world and people Is taking advantage of this.More than half of Earth's rain rests have already been lost forever to the greedy human demand for wood and land. The Amazon is like a pile of gold that is being over-invested' in by the rich to make them richer and now is running out. The rate of population growth is climbing at a rapid rate but the rate of meat consumption is greater and this is having a harsh effect on the Amazon rainforest's. The high amount of demand means we need to farm more cattle and the Amazon Is their first destination with Cattle pastures occupying 80% of the deforested areas In the Amazon.Ranching and agriculture Is the single arrest contributor to deforestation. Ranching is the extensive art and science of which there is a large herd of cattle, sheep, or horses raised( as shown in the picture on the side). The art of ranching Is a complicated art to master which requires you to know many things and keep records of all your cattle, you should maintain records, made sure that the area you are ranching is secure, prepare for breeding season and much more. Ranching Is the only way to keep up with the high demand of meat. Ranching occurs In the land that has fallen velvet to deforestation.This Is because hat land is already available and is perfect condition to breed a large herd of cattle, sheep or horse. Ranching goes on in 80% of the land that has fallen victim to deforestation. This activity does take a lot of land but is needed to satisfy current beef consuming rates. The main source of food and income for indigenous Amazonian people are fish, but In the modern day large industries are harvesting fish over fishing and threatening wildlife as if indigenous Amazonian don't have fish to eat they will have to eat the wildlife.Over fishing is gradually increasing and may come catastrophic if nothing is done. Over fishing is when we fish so much in a certain regain that the fishes strug gle to reproduce. This seems like a near impossible task to do but with modern day tactics and technology like industrial trawlers(as shown on the side)armed with gill nets that can scoop up entire schools of fish in a completely indefensible attempt to bring food to market and up to 60% of their catch is lost to spoilage. Industrial trawlers are spoiling the balance of the Amazon. Over fishing occurs in the Amazon River.This is because the Amazon River s very large and is the home to many species of fish which can easily be fished. Experts predict that there are around 5000 different fish species in the Amazon rainforest's. The Amazon River is also the home to some of the fiercest piranhas. Smuggling is a big business in the Amazon with it was estimated that the illegal trade in wildlife is worth at least SIS$5 billion. The reason this activity happens is that it provides a good living for the smugglers and their family. Smuggling has to stop Smuggling is when you take animals ille gally and sell them to people.This activity as oh know is going on in the Amazon and is one of the rainforest's greatest threats. While smuggling you must be quite and sneaky to make sure you don't get caught. Many countries have extremely strict laws against smuggling animals because of its severity. Smuggling animals happens all throughout the rainforest's, this is because the rainforest's is not guarded by any person 2417 and it is easy to get away with smuggling in the Amazon. Smuggling is a big industry which potentially can exceed of IS$20 billion annually.Smuggling is one of the many reasons why the Amazon is endangered and why we need to stop it. We build large hydroelectric dams in the Amazon in order to provide us with energy and provide clean pollution free energy. In our growing world hydroelectric dams provide a bee ken of hope for a better future but we Just don't have the land to provide for them, that's why we are using the land that has fallen victim to deforestatio n in the Amazon. Bell Monte is the world's biggest hydroelectric dam in the world currently under construction in the Amazon basin.These dams are funded by international aid and development organizations like the World Bank which have led to widespread forest loss. Hydroelectric dam's power is produced as water passes through the dam, the amount of energy produced is based on the amount of water that passes through. Electricity is produced by a device called a turbine. Turbines contain metal coils which are surrounded by magnets. When the magnets spin over the metal coils, electricity is produced. Turbines are located inside dams. The falling water spins the magnets within the dam (as shown on the previous page).These dams are made in the cleared out area of the Amazon. They are made there because that is the ideal place to make them and because of the low cost. The dams are a leading contributor to land degradation in the Amazon witch needs to stop. Hardwood trees provide wood for many things like furniture, building material, charcoal all the way to paper. If logging in the Amazon was stopped, we would struggle to keep up with the demand of paper and Just everyday items made out of wooden concerning any wooden things. Wood and paper manufacturing enterprises in Italy accounted for 21. % of Logging is important for our daily lives to strive. Logging is when people go to a certain area and cut down trees and transport the logs to a saw mill. They do this moieties with the help of machines but most of it is still hard labor. Since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest's have been destroyed (a graph of deforestation on top). Logging is important to maintain the world's economy. Logging occurs in the Amazon rainforest's. This is because the Amazon has lots of trees to log and is so vast it will fuel the logging industry for many years to come.The Amazon rain forest is 5,500,000 km. We need to do something about this aris ing future crisis. Many everyday items are made from minerals mined in the Amazon basin. We need to mine to keep up with the high demand of the goods that mining produces due to our plants rapid rate of population growth. Every second 4. 3 people are born worldwide; while every second 1. 8 deaths occur. The world population has a net gain of 2. 5 people every second. Our world depends on mining. Mining is when you dig into the ground for different minerals and materials (as shown in the end of the previous page).This is done with the help of huge machinery and manual labor. When one is mining they need to have many requirements like, they need to have all the machinery ready to purify the minerals and someone to by he minerals and many more. Mining is a vital part of any countries economy. Mining occurs in the empty land of the Amazon because the land there is rich in minerals and extremely vast. Mining in the Amazon is done by the big mining companies because they are the ones who have the money to invest in it.We cannot underestimate the impact mining can have on the Amazon basin, we need to act. Different perspectives relating to the issue Indigenous people strongly oppose of any threats to the wildlife in the Amazon rain forest because they live of the wildlife and if the wildlife is gone there will be no food, Deforestation is a major factor of habitat loss and the natives don't like the cutting down of trees, not only because the food will be gone but because the food that is left will create immense competition within the tribes and create great dysfunction, forcing them to create enemies.Indigenous views should be held at a great level of importance as it is traditionally their land that we are entering. Most of the people working to threaten the Amazon don't want it to stop. For the people working at the work sites, this work is giving them and their family a living and if it stops their evildoer will collapse because they will not have a Job. The wor kers need the Amazon to survive. The Brazilian government (building shown on the side) agrees with the workers, as the Amazon is a great income source for many things and is great for the economy.Without the Amazon many people would be placed into poverty and would promote the black market and illegal activities such as illegal logging, on top of all that the world would not be able to cope as their will be a sudden decline in the number of products being manufactured and with the high demand there is people and companies would not be able to cope. The world needs they have the right to think that way. The indigenous people think about the future and don't like their environment being destroying, while the workers are thinking about their position and what it would be like if their Jobs where cut.The government has to think about everything and consider all scenarios and come to a conclusion. I believe all of these opinions are valid opinions that should be respected. Individual, gr oup and governments responses to the issue Greenback( logo on the side) is a global environmental organization and they have en fighting strongly to keep the Amazon safe and out of harm's way. Green peace's goal is to have zero deforestation, globally by 2020. By do this by lobbying political powers to take action against this issue and convince the public that their cause is top priority.Greenback fight for a good cause. Greenback fought for the new forest code not to pass the government as that will lead to an increase in deforestation. They campaigned for the Brazilian president, Dilemma to stop this regressive forest code. Greenback failed but say that the fight is not over yet. Greenback fight for a good cause. World Wildlife Fund (WFM) is another global environmental organization (logo on the left), but they have done more to help the Amazon rainforest's then green peace. They have invested in depriving soy farming, cattle ranching, hydrophone and illegal and unsustainable log ging.WFM is paving the way for environmental groups worldwide. Soy farming- WFM works with the soy farming industry to make sure that they do as much as they can to reduce their impact to the wildlife around them. Cattle ranching- WFM educates ranchers and teaches them why they should not establish new ranches to increase profit while giving them tips o get the most out of their current ranch, they also teach ranchers how to ranch in a more efficient way. Hydrophone- WFM provides scientific support to help find dam locations that will do the least harm to the environment.Illegal and unsustainable logging-WFM works to create market conditions that conserve the world's forests WFM was successful in all of these endeavors. Their plans are more believable and efficient then Green peace's plans to eliminate deforestation. Eliminating all deforestation by 2020 is a much more difficult task then negotiating with the people ho lead these threats to the Amazon and WFM know that, they have re alized that they have to work with the workers as these threats provides them with Jobs and a living.WFM are a company who has thought of everything. Meanwhile the Australian government (parliament house on the side) has been doing good deeds. Australia has donated $250,000 dollars to the Amazon rainforest's protection program. Australia's donation was only the 2nd country to make a donation to the Amazon rainforest's; this donation was a major boost to the program and will be used wisely. Brazier's government has been doing things to protect the Amazon basin like setting up a Amazon fund. This fund is aimed at raising money from governments and corporations.So far, it has secured an agreement with Norway, which will provide US $1 billion over 70 years. As of 2009, Norway has distributed $100 million towards the Amazon Fund. Brazier's government is slowly helping the Amazon recover. These actions by the Brazilian government have been mildly successful considering how much money they have raised. Individuals have played a big part in saving the Amazon by doing little things like buying a piece of land from the Amazon for says to protect rainforest's like the Amazon all the way to restricting what they buy to eating less meat to lower the demand for it.

Christian Worldview Essay

I. What is a worldview? A worldview is the way that each individual interprets the world and how they see everything as a whole. The way people were raised and brought up has a lot to do with how they perceive the world. It provides us with a foundation for the way we live. II. Articulate the Biblical/Christian Worldview for each of the following questions The question of Origin When you think about how life began and how everything became into existence on this earth, what comes to mind? Through a Christians eyes there can only be one answer, and that is â€Å"God created the Heavens and the Earth† (Genesis 1:1) and In Psalm’s David talks about how earth was formed by God’s hands (Psalm 95:5). There is no question, God is our creator. The question of Identity What does it mean to be a human? And are humans more important than animals? God, the all-powerful Creator, cares for his most valuable creations which is us, mankind. We are created above any animal (Psalms 8:5) and God gave us so much authority to be in charge of the earth. He also says that we need to take care of and be responsible for all animals (Psalms 8:6-9). The question of Meaning/Purpose Why does mankind exist? According to Christianity we are here to have a personal relationship with God, the one who created us. He wants us to live life more abundantly (John 10:10). God is our Heavenly Father and he wants a relationship with each of his children. The apostle John talks about the relationship we are to have with God in 1 John 3:1-3. God is building His own family and we will have an eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father if we have accepted Him as our one and only Savior. Paul tells us that God desires all men to be saved and come to know truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Then we will have eternal life. The question of Morality What is meant by right and wrong and how should a Christian live? All men are born sinners and cannot be saved by anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We all know the difference between rights and wrong, it’s just whether or not we apply critical thinking when we are faced with a decision. Like everyone says just think What Would Jesus Do! The Bible says that it should be our final authority. (2 Timothy 3:16). God created the Ten Commandments so His people would know right from wrong. (Revelation 22:14-15). If we sin, we need to ask God for forgiveness because if we don’t He will chastise us and we will have to endure the consequences. The question of Destiny Is there life after death and what will happen to me when I die? Yes, there is life after death it is called eternal life. If you have accepted Christ as your one and only savior you will be spending eternity with God in Heaven. In John 3:36 God says whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior you will be cast into the lake of fire to live eternally in Hell. There will be intense grief and anger in Hell. (Matthew 13:42). The free gift of eternal life is available to all who will accept Jesus Christ but if we don’t accept it now we will not have another opportunity after death. III. How might/should a biblical worldview influence the way you do the following Vote in local or national elections The way we vote should line up with God’s word. We should do as much research on the people running for office as possible and see what they believe in. See if they are for pro-life, or what their religious beliefs may be. God says, if any man teaches of another God let that man be a curse (Galatians 1:6-9).Voting for a Christian candidate is so important and will affect how things change in your community and nation as a whole. Think about, treat, and speak to others on a daily basis As Christians we should not just always speak to others with respect but we should also think with respect. God knows everything even our thoughts. If we have a wrong thought we should ask for forgiveness. John 15:12 says â€Å"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.† Treat people with kindness and love, just as you want to be treated. And do not judge others, Luke 6:37 says â€Å"Judge not and you will not be judged.† We should always try to live according to Gods word because one day we will have to provide an answer for the way we act.

Etched in Our Minds (Rspc Memories) Essay

Hundreds of memories refreshed my mind as I remember the flashbacks and echoes from my time of yore. My past RSPC years were not quite in high spirits. I did not win any contest in Journalism; a sad smile was always drawn on my face every now and then. It was not easy to recover after all the downs, disappointments, dissatisfaction, and setbacks. But this year’s Regional Schools Press Conference brought me into the new world where all dreams came true and fairytales did exist. New friends came into my life and new-fangled memories were made to bring smiles in everyone’s face. Bayugan City is what they call it. This is where the 2012 RSPC was held. Strong competitors battle in for the honour of their division and school. Vigorous cheers and yells rocked in the gymnasium to let everyone know that they have what it takes to be a regional winner and national qualifier. Spanking faces welcomed me into the new chapter of my life as a journalist. Another task to complete and another competition to win. But after all those academic mind activities, still a bunch of crazy friends surround and make me happy as each precious day passes. Typically, journalists from schools are nervous for what topic will be given, who will be their proctors and the question that cannot be beat is â€Å"Will I Win?† Well, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you have to exert immeasurable efforts to win up a battle but besides the contest. I expect the reminiscences of fun with my co-contestants of my school and the division. I admit that I don’t really know everyone of my division but I do know that everyone of us wanted to meet each other. Wait! I know you are waiting for the love story chapter of this story, right? Well, that part is always present. This I call â€Å"Mr.JE† was with me. A lot of never seen before scenes happened those nights. And remember Mr. _ _ _ _? My greatest enemy? I caught him staring at me, not just once and but 4 times, don’t wonder why I know. I counted it! And surely he also saw me staring at me. Actually, there were three princes with me in RSPC but definitely I know â€Å"Mr.JE† would be my prince in reality. Just kidding! The night before the day that the winners will be aanounced was made memorable. Music videos of Call Me Maybe, Glad You Came and Live While Were Young. I can say that my co-journalists are really crazy and they made everyone including our Tatay Jay and Mama Ghen enjoyed that night. Tumultuous voices and creams of fun filled our headquarter. We did not waste any millisecond, because in life there are no rewinds. At the day of announcing of the first past the post. We did not win in any individual contest but guess what? â€Å"Champion in Collaborative Desktop Publishing Secondary Level English Category, BAGANI†Ã¢â‚¬ , announced by the speaker. Everyone was shocked and traumatized emotions mixed up. We did not expect this to happen and we directly rushed to the stage like we own it. Thanks to our coaches who exerted immense support. As the day slowly come to an end, home sweet home at last. I grabbed my diary and wrote up those recollections. Surely, the exuberance that we had in Bayugan will always be treasured though it will never happen again but it will always be etched in our minds forever.

American Political Arena and Labor Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Political Arena and Labor - Term Paper Example There is no unity and consensus between the union leaders. The most panic event is while labor has played a major role in U.S. politics for at least 70 years, union workers are not united in their political choices. In "Race, God, and Guns: Union Voting in the 2004 Presidential Election," Donald Beachler explains that a substantial percentage of white union members vote for Republican candidates. 37% of voters in union households in 2000 and 40% in 2004 voted for Republican candidates. Again, 46.8% of white voters in union households voted for President Bush in 2004. From a practical point of view, due to some inherent beliefs and rituals like abortion, gay rights, gun control and prayer in school, many white workers prefer the Republican party and choose themselves to be turned as Republican. Again, once it was unimaginable in the south to think that any party except the Democratic party would win the majority or secure the mandate of the people. But, historically, after Democratic President Lyndon Johnson pushed through the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in 1964-65, the Republican Party has had great success in becoming the party that most southern whites identify with. Democratic politicians have some inherent traits.  It is an established practice in America that No Democratic candidate can ever completely disavow unions, but Clinton's strategy was to distance himself from unions and to embrace the conservative economic policies of the Democratic Leadership Council in order to appeal to suburban white middle-class and upper-class voters. The Democratic leaders are also seen to be rigorously prone to social welfare and economic reforms rather to adopting strategies spoiling the force of the country's economy.  Ã‚  

Iraq and Afghanistan War and the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Iraq and Afghanistan War and the US - Essay Example The war in Afghanistan is one of the major United States military offensives aimed at destroying the terrorists’ hideouts that had inflicted heavy damages on American interest around the globe. Iraq war was launched to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein accused by the government of possessing weapons of mass destruction with intention of using them to spread terror. Both wars were executed with highly sophisticated weapons that allowed the United States forces to demolish the enemy defenses with high precision aerial weaponry and at unprecedented rate. The quick demolition and annihilation of strategic enemy areas enabled subsequent entrance of the ground forces into the countries to finish off the remaining resistance (DOD, 2007). According to Anne(2004,p15), the execution of both wars heralded a new era of military tactics, which heavily relied on technologically enhanced devices in carrying out of both aerial and ground combat. This strategy was more precise, faster, an d resulted to lower number of military and civilian casualties. DOD (2007) noted that the war strategy in both wars was culmination of coordination high technology military hardware with enhanced communication devices that enabled them to strike with pinpoint precision.  

The Four Noble Truths of Buddha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Four Noble Truths of Buddha - Essay Example 2. The Second Noble Truth is the Arising or Cause of Suffering ( Sanskrit – Samudaya): This Truth narrates that we continuously remain in searching outside around us to make ourselves happy without considering the degree of success because we never remain satisfied. Buddha taught that this hunger grows out of our ignorance because we try to grab one thing after another to make ourselves secure. We become frustrated when the worldly things do not deliver to our expectations. 3. The Third Noble Truth is Cessation (End) of Suffering (Sanskrit – Nirodha): Buddha taught that we may get freedom from these sufferings and may be made to cease if we keep away from the world. It is self-control to fade away the sufferings and Dhukka will be eliminated. 4. The Fourth Noble Truth is The Path Leading to the Cession of Sufferings (Sanskrit – Marga): Buddha gave us the path to cease the suffering. It is eightfold path i.e. right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. More simply it is divided into three main disciplines viz wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline (The Four Noble Truths and Buddha’s Four Noble Truths) Hinduism is the religion of Hindu. It is possibly the oldest religion known to man with no identifiable beginning and began in the forests of India. It is worship oriented for powers of nature and is considered as a nature religion. It is compounded with all forms of belief and worship with characteristics of other faiths too. Hinduism is an international religion and followers are found in many countries.  

Cash Flow Statement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cash Flow Statement Analysis - Essay Example 2012). Operating activities are the main activities of the business because they reflect the underlying health of the company. It reflects the money that comes into and leaves the firm that is associated with the ordinary activities of the company (Warren, et al. 2012). Based on the above analysis of operating activities of the five companies, it is clear that Emaar Properties PJSC is the best performing firm because it generates most of its income from its primary activities compared to the remaining four. This implies that Emaar Properties PJSC is putting more emphasis on its core activities than the other companies hence more income from operating activities. Additionally, it shows that the operating activities of the company are more vibrant than the other firms. At 63.72%, Emaar has a good performance because its primary activities generate more than half of the total revenue. The second company, Deyaar PJSC Development, also has a good performance because it generates most of its income from its core business activities. The third company, Drake & Scull International PJSC, is also performing well because it has a positive net cash flow from operating activities. The third and fourth positions are taken by Arabtec Holding PJSC and Al Mazaya Holding respectively. From the analysis, it is clear that all the companies are good investments and the investors will be willing to invest in any of them because they produce a net positive cash flow from operating activities (Kapil, 2011). This implies that all the companies are putting more emphasis in their core activities thus more income from operating activities. However, investors would prefer Emaar because it generates more cash from their core business activities. The net cash flows from investing activities largely reflects the amount of cash associated with the sale and purchase of long-term business investments (capital expenditures) like assets, property, securities and equipment. From the

The Militant Environmentalists War on Environmental Crisis Essay

The Militant Environmentalists War on Environmental Crisis - Essay Example The Militant Environmentalists’ War on Environmental Crisis England’s King Edward I threatened Londoners with harsh penalties if they didn’t stop burning sea-coal.†, and the latest news narrates about the deteriorating state of affairs, carbon emissions being the main point of concern in terms of air and chemicals in terms of water. The logical and necessary efforts on changing the existing situation for better aside, there are some organizations that make this purpose the core value of their members’ existence, and their actions often not only look at least strange, but also may lead to the radically opposite effect, that is, distract people from the sound interest on the environmental problem, due to intervention into one’s life. The cause of militant behavior of certain individuals or groups of environmental activists is their being determined at turning the attention of the society to the most serious problems of the environment to date. This suggestion is enforced by the fact that it is quite possible that we might simply have no time to consider the environment damage we have caused and to find an adequate and effective solution as the pace of the nature destruction by humans is high, and the effect of the counter-measures taken is, on the contrary, time-consuming. The reason the behavior is violent is because there are, as Lohan states, simply no other ways the mentioned activists can get the public informed about the problem and its seriousness, as it is quite possible that the conventional organization of the life on the Earth may either disappear or be completely changed in the nearest future.

Managing project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managing project - Essay Example Failure to complete a project within a scheduled time may imply project failure (Haynes, 2002). In above connection, project management involve five major phases namely; initiation phases, planning, execution, evaluation, control and project closure phase. Project initiation phase involves conceiving an idea about a project as well as assessing whether this idea will benefit the organization. For example, project manager in this case should take into consideration the pros and cons of IBEK Ltd undertaking possession built building. Additionally, project managers should evaluate possibility of making project to become a success (Heldman, 2009). Planning phase involves putting the whole idea into writing by having a blue print in place. Additionally, planning may involve preparing a schedule on how task shall be executed as well as having budget that may help to ensure proper utilization of financial resources. Execution phase may involve delegating duties and task as well communicatin g to the team members what they are expected to achieve by the end of a project (Heldman, 2009). This means that project execution focus at implementing plans designed at planning phase. Connectively, a project evaluation and control phase focus in making assessments to determine whether the desired outcomes were realized. In case desired outcomes realized, project manager may establish control mechanism to ensure project goals and objects are realized. Project closure phase focus at bringing project to an end whereby, project managers may make project assessments to determine whether the project was successful (Heldman, 2009). This study will focus on a case of IBEK Ltd. Additionally, the study will identifying the initial opening and operation requirements of the new facility by putting emphasis on how project management areas of knowledge may be communicated. Connectively, the study will put forth skills and competencies required by the project managers in project managing proces s as well as how project lifecycle may be utilize in managing major project. Initial opening and operational requirements of the new facility are identified The initial opening and operation of purpose building will involve identification of five key requirements. The first requirements will involve identifying the key stakeholder’s whereby, the needs of both internal and external stake holders will be identified and ways for addressing their problems (Richard and Fairley, 2011). For example; in this case, as a project manager of IBEK Ltd one should consider the needs of regional, national, and international companies. This means that the project manager should consider the quality, quantity and the types of Auto parts required by external stakeholders. Additionally, project manager should take into consideration the needs of internal stakeholders/employees among the requirements. Among the requirements that should be identified include; training requirements, tools to execut e task more efficiently, motivation to work tirelessly toward implementing the project to mention just but a few. The second requirement will involve asking all stake holders to give out their requirements (Richard and Fairley, 2011). For example, customers may be required to state the types and quality of auto parts that they want. This can be done via conducting research, interviewing customers well as direct contacts with the customers. This may help

Topic 1 UK Bill of Right + Topic2 Can individual rights Contend with Essay

Topic 1 UK Bill of Right + Topic2 Can individual rights Contend with arbitrary Power - Essay Example Such power decimates ethics, security, and patriotism itself; and this more, the farther it is carried. But it would be a mistake to gaze for arbitrary power only in despotic states. Frequent demonstrations of its workout are discovered under legal authorities and even in republics, in nations ruled by regulation and extended by the Germans under the denomination of Rechtsstaat. These situations of arbitrary power should be ascribed to the account of the discretionary power which the regulations are obliged to depart to a substantial number of agents, or rather to the account of people who submit to the misuse of power without making use of the lawful protecting against at their command. If the functionary knew that every proceed of his, not justifiable by the necessities of the case, would be conveyed before the higher administration of the enclosures, or only before the tribunal of public attitude, by way of the press, he would believe two times before presuming the blame of it. If no one would permission to tolerate arbitrary power, no one would be arbitrary. The phrase random has in supplement a philosophic significance, which should not be confounded with its vulgar sense. We will endeavor to characterize this in a couple of phrases and show the submission it finds in governmental affairs. The activities of men are occasionally very resolute by natural regulations, personal or moral. Sometimes afresh they are not influenced by any insurmountable restriction. A man can not stay hovering in the air without support; here is a personal impossibility. A man can not be appreciative for bad finished him; this is a lesson impossibility. But he is free to allocate a months hold up and, if he desires, two or three months to a debtor; in a phrase, he can accept or allocate a 1000 distinct situation in every one of the 1000 attenuating components of life. This is

On Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Essay Example for Free

On Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Essay It is but human nature to try to understand another person. It normal for people to try to interpret another persons actions or words. Interpreting these types of communication means is however, difficult. Each has its own way to be interpreted. Non verbal communication is when person utilizes not his lips and voice when relaying information to another person. It is refers to actions gestures or movements a person does in order to send a message to another person. Usually, this kind of communication is utilized when meeting a new individual. Because too much speech seem to be inappropriate in first meetings, people tend to gesture via facial expression, arm movements, or even bodily gestures. Thus, people interpret this differently, via cues, unlike when the words are spoken (Brunswick Piscataway, 2009). On the other hand, verbal communication relies on the lips or mouth gestures as well as the voice of the person who spoke the words or uttered the information. To some verbal communication is more reliable as people are given the exact information needed to be received. However, there is a tendency for people to lie. Thus, there are those who listen to verbal utterances while at the same time keeping watch of non-verbal gestures. This points that interpreting verbal communication may be literal or based as well to the actions and facial expression that come along with the words (Brunswick Piscataway, 2009). It may thus be concluded that each kind of communication is interpreted differently. Verbal communication sends literal meanings at times, while non-verbal communication is sometimes vague. There is not exact way to point which tells more accurately, however if combined the message will be conveyed easier and faster. Both are also more trustworthy if done side by side. The gestures support the words and the words support all the actions.. While the quote insists that action speaks louder than words, knowing the nature man, it is still better to rely in both words and actions for a clearer interpretation. References Brunswick Piscataway. (2009). Social Perception: How we come to Understand People. Social Psych Lecture. Rutgers University.

Human Service Agencies Essay Example for Free

Human Service Agencies Essay Human service agencies are formed by and for the public. As communities grow and change, the need to respond to the demands of these dynamic societies also increases. Not only does the society lay itself open to positive opportunities, it is also exposed to the negative drawbacks of this dynamism. In fact, there are so many social issues that individuals alone cannot resolve. These are matters concerning the society that need sufficient and appropriate attention also from the society. These agencies do serve as intermediaries between solutions to problems and individuals, families, and societies. There are many issues that individuals, families and societies have that need communal action. I believe that these important issues include the most rampant problems nowadays encountered by people. Even the simplest problems like underage alcoholism, drug dependence, compulsive gambling, widespread crimes†¦ these are social issues that need immediate attention. Issues starting in individuals or within families also necessitate consideration. Some of these are problems of child and women abuse, violence within and outside families, severe and persistent illnesses, including contagious ones, severe emotional disturbances experienced by people, and the like. I think, these ‘simple’ matters must be acted upon immediately by service organizations like human service agencies. This is to mediate and assure proper assistance to individuals and families, thereby assuring their safety, peacefulness, health and wellness, and the society’s as well. I also believe that there are no least important issues, as long as individuals or families, or members of the society are involved, they are considered issues that must be resolved†¦ immediately. I arrived at this standpoint because I myself am a member of this society. Directly or indirectly, I rely and I may rely in the future in these human service agencies for betterment, improvement, protection and the like. And I must not be concerned only about myself but also about the welfare of the whole society.

Reliability of Speaking Proficiency Tests

Reliability of Speaking Proficiency Tests Introduction Testing, as a part of English teaching, is a very important procedure, not just because it can be a valuable source of information about the effectiveness of learning and teaching but also because it can improve teaching, and arouse the students motivation to learn. Testing oral proficiency has become one of the most important issues in language testing since the role of speaking ability has become more central in language teaching with the advent of communicative language teaching (Nakamura, 1993). However, assessing speaking is challenging (Luoma, 2004). Validity and reliability, as fundamental concerns and essential measurement qualities of the speaking test (Bachman, 1990; Bachman Palmer, 1996; Alderson et al, 1995), have aroused widespread attention. The validation of the speaking test is an important area of research in language testing. Test of oral proficiency just started in China 15 years ago, and there are a few very dominant tests. An increasing number of Chinese linguists are putting their attention and efforts on analysis of their validity and reliability. Institutions began to introduce speaking tests into English exams in recent years with the widespread promotion of communicative language teaching (CLT). Publications that deal with speaking tests within institutions provide some qualitative assessments (Cai, 2002). But there is relatively little research literature relating to the reliability and validity of such measures within a university context. (Wen, 2001). The College English Department at Dalian Nationalities University (DLNU) has been selected as one of thirty-one institutions of the College English Reform Demonstration Project in the Peoples republic of China. In College English (CE) course of DLNU, the speaking test is one of the four subtests of the final examination of English assessment. The examination uses two different formats. One is a semi-direct speaking test, in which examinees talk to microphones connected to computers, and have their speeches recorded for the teachers to rate afterwards. The other is a face-to-face interview. This research in this paper aims to ascertain the degree of the reliability and validity of the speaking tests. By analyzing the results of the research, teachers will become more aware of the validity and reliability of oral assessments, including how to improve the reliability and validity of speaking tests. I, as a language teacher, will gain insight into the operation of language proficiency te st, In order to better degree of reliability and validity of a particular test, I will also take other qualities of test usefulness into account when designing the language proficiency test., such as practicality and authenticity. Research questions: This study mainly addresses the questions of validity and reliability of the speaking test administered at DLNU. They are comprehensive concepts that involve analysis of test tasks, administration, rating criteria, examinee and testers attitudes towards the test, the effect of the test on teaching and teacher or learner attitudes towards learning the tests (Luoma, 2004). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1. Is the speaking test administered at DLNU a valid and reliable test? This question can involve the following two sub-questions: 1) To what extent is the speaking test administered at DLNU reliable? 2) To what extent is the speaking test administered at DLNU valid? 2. In what aspects and to what extent may the validity and reliability of the speaking test administered at DLNU be improved? Literature Review This chapter presents a theoretical framework of speaking construct, ways of testing speaking, marking of speaking test and the reliability and validity of speaking test, also introduces the situation of speaking test in China. Analyzing Speaking And Speaking Test The Nature Of Speaking Speaking, as a social and situation-based activity, is an integral part of peoples daily lives (Luoma, 2004). Testing second language speaking is often claimed to be a much more difficult undertaking than testing other second language abilities, capacities or competencies, skills ¼Ã‹â€ Underhill, 1987). Assessment is difficult not only because speaking is fleeting, temporal and ephemeral, but also because of the comprehensibility of pronunciation, the special nature of spoken grammar and spoken vocabulary, as well as the interactive and social features of speaking (Luoma, 2004), because of the â€Å"unpredictability and dynamic nature† of language itself (Brown, 2003). To have a clear understanding of what it means to be able to speak a language, we must understand that the nature and characteristics of the spoken language differ from those of the written form (Luoma, 2004; McCarthy OKeefe, 2004; Bygate, 2001) in its grammar, syntax, lexis and discourse patterns due to the nature of spoken language. Spoken English involves reduced grammatical elements arranged into formulaic chunk expressions or utterances with less complex sentences than written texts. Spoken English breaks the standard word order because the omitted information can be restored from the instantaneous context (McCarthy OKeefe, 2004; Luoma, 2004; Bygate, 2001; Fulcher, 2003). Spoken English contains frequent use of the vernacular, interrogatives, tails, adjacency pairs, fillers and question tags which have been interpreted as dialogue facilitators (Luoma, 2004; Carter McCarthy, 1995). The speech also contains a fair number of slips and errors such as mispronounced words, mixed sounds, and wrong words due to inattention, which is often pardoned and allowed by native speakers (Luoma, 2004). Conversations are also negotiable, unpredictable, and susceptible to social and situational context in which the talks happen (Luoma, 2004). The Importance Of Speaking Test Testing oral proficiency has become one of the most important issues in language testing since the role of speaking ability has become more central in language teaching with the advent of CLA (Nakamura, 1993). Of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), listening and reading occur in the receptive mode, while speaking and writing exist in the productive mode. Understanding and absorption of received information are foundational while expression and use of acquired information demonstrate an improvement and a more advanced test of knowledge. A lot of interests now in oral testing is partly because second language teaching is more than ever directed towards the speaking and listening skills ¼Ã‹â€ Underhill, 1987). Language teachers are engaged in â€Å"teaching a language through speaking† (Hughes, 2002:7). On one hand, spoken language is the focus of classroom activity. There are often other aims which the teacher might have: for instance, helping the student gain awareness of practice in some aspect of linguistic knowledge (ibid). On the other hand, speaking test, as a device for assessing the learners language proficiency also functions to motivate students and reinforce their learning of language. This represents what Bachman (1991) has called an â€Å"interface† between second language acquisition (SLA) and language testing research. However, assessing speaking is challenging, â€Å"because there are many factors that influence our impression of how well someone can speak a language† (Luoma, 2004:1) as well as unpredictable or impromptu nature of the speaking interaction. The testing of speaking is difficult due to practical obstacles and theoretical challenges. Much attention has been given to how to perfect the assessment system of oral English and how to improve its validity and reliability. The communicative nature of the testing environment also remains to be considered (Hughes, 2002). The Construct Of Speaking Introduction To Communicative Language Ability (CLA) A clear and explicit definition of language ability is essential to language test development and use (Bachman,1990). The theory on which a language test is based determines which kind of language ability the test can measure, This type of validity is called construct validity. According to Bachman (1990:84), CLA can be described as â€Å"consisting of both knowledge or competence and the capacity for implementing or executing that competence in appropriate, contextualized communicative language use†. CLA includes three components: language competence, strategic competence and pyschophysiological mechanisms. The following framework (figure 2.1) shows components of communicative language ability in communicative language use (Bachman,1990:85). Knowledge Structures Language Competence Knowledge of the world Knowledge Of Language Strategic Competence Psychophysiological Mechanisms Context Of Situation This framework has been widely accepted in the field of language testing. Bachman (1990:84) proposes that â€Å"language competence† essentially refers to a set of specific knowledge components that are utilized in communication via language. It comprises organizational and pragmatic competence. Two areas of organizational knowledge that Bachman (1990) distinguishes are grammatical knowledge and textual knowledge. Grammatical knowledge comprises vocabulary, syntax, phonology and graphology, and textual knowledge, comprises cohesion and rhetorical or conversational organization. Pragmatic competence shows how utterances or sentences and texts are related to the communicative goals of language users and to the features of the langue-use setting. It includes illocutionary acts ¼Ã…’or language functions, and sociolinguistic competence, or the knowledge of the sociolinguistic conventions that govern appropriate language use in a particular culture and in varying situations in t hat culture (Bachman, 1987). Strategic competence refers to mastery of verbal and nonverbal strategies in facilitating communication and implementing the components of language competence. Strategic competence is demonstrated in contextualized communicative language use, such as socialcultural knowledge, real-world knowledge and mapping this onto the maximally efficient use of existing language abilities. Psychophysiological competence refers to the visual and auditory skill used to gain access to the information in the administrators instructions. Among other things, psychophysiological competence includes things like sound and light. Fulchers Construct Definition To know what to assess in a speaking test is a prime concern. Fulcher (1997b) points out that the construct of speaking proficiency is incomplete. Nevertheless, there have been various attempts to reflect the underlying construct of speaking ability and to develop theoretical frameworks for defining the speaking construct. Fulchers framework (figure 2.2) (Fulcher, 2003: 48) describes the speaking construct. As Fulcher (2003) points out that there are many factors that could be included in the definition of the construct: Phonology: the speaker must be able to articulate the words, have an understanding of the phonetic structure of the language at the level of the individual word, have an understanding of intonation, and create the physical sounds that carry meaning. Fluency and accuracy: these concepts are associated with automaticity of performance and the impact on the ability of the listener to understand. Accuracy refers to the correct use of grammatical rules, structure and vocabulary in speech. Fluency has to do with the ‘normal speed of delivery to mobilise ones language knowledge in the service of communication at relatively normal speed. The quality of speech needs to be judged in terms of the gravity of the errors made or the distance from the target forms or sounds. Strategic competence: this is generally thought to refer to an ability to achieve ones communicative purpose through the deployment of a range of coping strategies. Strategic competence includes both achievement strategies and avoidance strategies. Achievement strategies contain overgeneralization/morphological creativity. Learners transfer knowledge of the language system onto lexical items that they do not know, for example, saying â€Å"buyed† instead of â€Å"bought†, Speakers also learn approximation: learners replace an unknown word with one that is more general or they use exemplification, paraphrasing (use a synonym for the word needed), word coinage (invent a new word for an unknown word), restructuring (use different words to communicate the same message), cooperative strategies (ask for help from the listener) , code switching (take a word or phrase from the common language with the listener in order to be understood) and non-linguistic strategies (use gestur es or mime, or point to objects in the surroundings to help to communicate). Avoidance or reduction strategies consist of formal avoidance (avoiding using part of the language system) and functional avoidance (avoiding topical conversation). Strategic competence includes selecting communicative goals and planning and structuring oral production so as to fulfill them. Textual knowledge: competent oral interaction involves some knowledge of how to manage and structure discourse, for example, through appropriate turn-taking, opening and closing strategies, maintaining coherence in ones contributions and employing appropriate interactional routines such as adjacency pairs. Pragmatic and sociolinguistic knowledge: effective communication requires appropriateness and the knowledge of the rules of speaking. A range of speech acts, politeness and indirectness can be used to avoid causing offence. Ways Of Testing Speaking Clark (1979) puts forward a theoretical basis to discriminate three types of speaking tests: direct, semi-direct and indirect tests. Indirect tests belong to â€Å"procommunicative† era in language testing, in which the test takers are not actually required to speak. It has been regarded as having the least validity and reliability, while the other two formats are more widely used (OLoughlin, 2001). In this section, the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the direct and semi-direct test are presented, The Oral Proficiency Interview Format One of the earliest and most popular direct speaking test formats, and one that continues to exert a strong influence, is the oral proficiency interview (OPI) –developed originally by the FSI (Foreign Service Institute) in the United States in the 1950s and later adopted by other government agencies. It is conducted with individual test-taker by a trained interviewer, who assesses the candidate using a global band scale (OLoughlin, 2001). It typically begins with a warm-up discussion of a few easy questions, such as getting to know each other or talking about the days events. Then the main interaction contains the pre-planned tasks, such as describing or comparing pictures, narrating from a picture series, talking about a pre-announced or examiner-selected topic, or possibly a role-play task or a reverse interview where the examinee asks question of the interviewer (Luoma. 2004). An important example of this type of test is the speaking component of the International English L anguage Testing System (IELTS), which is adopted in 105 different countries around the world each year. The Advantage Of An Interview Format The oral interview was recognized as the most commonly used speaking test format. Fulcher (2003) suggests that it is partly because the questions used can be standardized, making comparison between test takers easier than when other task types are used. Using this method, the instructor can get a sense of the oral communicative competence of students and can overcome weakness of written exams, because the interview, unlike written exams, â€Å"is flexible in that the questions can be adapted to each examinees performance, and thus the testers have more controls over what happens in the interaction† (Luoma, 2004:35). It is also relatively easy to train raters and obtain high inter-rater reliability (Fulcher, 2003). The Disadvantage Of An Interview Format However, concern and skepticism exist about whether it is possible to test other competencies or knowledge because of the nature of the discourse that the interview produces (van Lier, 1989). a. Issue of time For the instructor, time management can be quite an issue. For instance, using a two-hour period for exams for 20 students means each student is allowed only six minutes for testing. This includes the time needed to enter the room and adjust to the setting. With such a time limit the student and instructor can hardly have any kind of normal real-world conversation. b. Issue of asymmetrical relationship The asymmetrical relationship between examiners and candidates elicits a form of inauthentic and limited socio-cultural contexts (van Lier, 1989; Savignon, 1985; Yoffe, 1997). Yoffe (1997) commented on ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) OPI that the tester and the test-taker are â€Å"clearly not in equal positions† (Yofee, 1997). The asymmetry is not specific to the OPI but is inherent in the notion of an interview as an exchange wherein one person solicits information in order to arrive at a decision while the interlocutor produces what he or she perceives as most valued. The interviewee is, in most cases, acutely aware of the ramifications of the OPI rating and is, consequently, under a great deal of stress. Van Lier (1989) also challenges the validity of OPI in terms of the asymmetry between them because â€Å"the candidate speaks as to a superior and is unwilling to take the initiative† (van Lier, 1989). Under the unequal relationship, the speech discourse, such as turn –taking, topic nomination and development, and repair strategies are all substantially different from normal conversational exchanges (see van Lier 1989). c. Issue of interviewer variation Given the fact that the interviewer has considerable power over the examinee in an interview, concerns have been aroused about the effect of the interlocutor (examiner) on the candidates oral performance. Different interviewers vary in their approaches and attitudes toward the interview. Brown (2003) warns the danger of such variation to fairness. OSullivan (2000) conducts an empirical study that indicated learners perform better when interviewed by a woman, regardless of the sex of the learner. Underhill (1987:31) expresses his concern on the unscripted â€Å"flexibility†¦ means that there will be a considerable divergence between what different learners say, which makes a test more difficult to assess with consistency and reliability.† Testing Speaking In Pairs There has been a shift toward a paired speakers format: two assessors examine two candidates at a time. One assessor interacts with the two candidates and rates them on a global scale, while the other does not take part in the interaction and just assessesusing an analytic scale. The paired oral test has been used as part of large-scale, international, standardized oral proficiency tests since the late 1980s (Ildikà ³, 2001). Key English Test (KET), Preliminary English Test (PET), First Certificate in English (FCE) and Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) make use of the paired format. In a typical test, the interaction begins with a warm-up, in which the examinees introduce themselves to the interlocutor, followed by two pair interaction task. The talk may involves comparing two photographs by each candidate at first, such as in Cambridge First Certificate (Luoma, 2004), then a two-way collaborative task between the two candidates based on more photographs, artwork or computer gra phics, and ends up with a three-way discussion with the two examinees and the interlocutor about a general theme that is related to the earlier discussion. The advantages of the paired interview format Many researchers claim that the paired format is preferable to OPI. The reasons are: a. The changed role of the interviewer frees up the instructors in order to pay closer attention to the production of each candidate than if they are participants themselves (Luoma, 2004). b. The reduced asymmetry allows more varied interaction patterns, which elicits a broader sample of discourse and increased turn-takings than were possible in the highly asymmetrical traditional interview (Taylor, 2000). c. The task type based on pair-work will generate a positive washback effect on classroom teaching and learning (Ildiko, 2001). In the case of the instructor following Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) methodology, where pair work may take up a significant portion of a class, it would be appropriate to incorporate similar activities in the exam. In that way the exam itself is much better integrated into the fabric of the course. Students can be tested for performance related to activities done in class. There may also be benefits in regards to student motivation. If students are aware that they will be tested on activities similar to the ones done in class, they may have more incentive to be attentive and use class time effectively. The disadvantages of the paired interview format There are, however, also concerns voiced regarding the paired format. a. Mismatches between peer interactants The most frequently raised criticisms against the paired speaking test relate to various forms of mismatches between peer interactants (Fulcher, 2003). Ildiko (2001) points out that when a candidate has to work with an incomprehensible or uncomprehending peer partner, it may negatively influence the candidates performance. As a consequence, in such cases it is quite impossible to make a valid assessment of candidates abilities. b. Lack of familiarity between peer interactants The extent to which this testing format actually reduces the level of anxiety of test-takers compared to other test formats remains doubtful (Fulcher, 2003). OSullivan (2002) suggests that the spontaneous support offered by a friend positively reduces anxiety and task performance under experimental conditions. However, the chances are quite high that the examinee will meet with strangers as his or her peer interactant. It is hard to imagine how these strangers can carry out some naturally flowing conversations. Estrangement, misinterpretation and even breakdown may occur during their talk. c. Lack of control of the discussion Problems are generated if the examiner loses control of the oral task (Luoma, 2004). When the instructions and task materials are not clear enough to facilitate the discussion, the examinees conversation may go astray. Luoma (2004) points out that testers often feel uncertain about what amount of responsibility that they should give to the examinees. Furthermore, examinees do not know what kind of performance will earn them good results without the elicitation of the examiner. When one of the examinees has said too little, the examiner ought to monitor and jump in to give help when necessary. Semi-Direct Speaking Tests The term â€Å"semi-direct† is employed by Clark (1979:36) to describe those tests that are characterized â€Å"by means of tape recordings, printed test booklets, or other ‘non-human elicitation procedures, rather than through face-to-face conversation with a live interlocutor.† Appearing during 1970s, and being an innovative adaptation of the traditional OPI, the semi-direct method normally follows the general structure of the OPI and makes an audio-recording of the test takers performance which is later rated by one or more trained assessors (Malone, 2000). Examples of the semi-direct type used in the U.S.A. are the simulated oral proficiency interviews (SOPI) and the Test of Spoken English 2000 (TSE) (Ferguson, 2009). Examples in U.K. include the Test in English for Education Purpose (TEEP) and the Oxford-ARELS Examinations (OLoughlin, 2001). Another mode of delivery is testing by telephone as in the PhonePass test (the test mainly consists of reading sentenc es aloud or repeating sentences), or even video-conferencing (Ferguson, 2009). The Advantages Of The Semi-Direct Test Type First, the semi-direct test is more cost efficient than direct tests, because many candidates can be tested simultaneously in large laboratories and administered by any teacher, language lab technician or aide in a language laboratory where the candidate hears taped questions and has their responses recorded (Malone, 2000). Second, the mode of testing is quite flexible. It provides a practical solution in situations where it is not possible to deliver a direct test (OLoughlin, 2001), and it can be adapted to the desired level of examinee proficiency and to specific examinee age groups, backgrounds, and professions (Malone, 2000). Third, semi-direct testing represents an attempt to standardize the assessment of speaking while retaining the communicative basis of the OPI (Shohamy, 1994). It offers the same quality of interview to all examinees, and all examinees respond to the same questions so as to remove the effect that the human interlocutor will have on the candidate (Malone, 2000). The uniformity of the elicitation procedure greatly increases the reliability of the test. Some empirical studies (Stansfield, 1991) show high correlations (0. 89- 0. 95) between the direct and semi-direct tests, indicating the two formats can measure the same language abilities and the SOPI can be the equivalent and surrogate of the OPI. However, there are also disadvantages. The Disadvantages Of The Semi-Direct Test Type First, the speaking task in semi-direct oral test is less realistic and more artificial than OPI (Clark, 1979; Underhill, 1987). Examinees use artificial language to â€Å"respond to tape-recorded questions situations the examinee is not likely to encounter in a real-life setting† (Clark, 1979:38). They may feel stressful while speaking to a microphone rather than to another person, especially if they are not accustomed to the laboratory setting (OLoughlin, 2001). Second, the communicative strategy and speech discourse elicited in these semi-direct SOPIs is quite different from that found in typical face-face interaction – being more formal, less conversation-like (Shohamy, 1994). Candidates tend to use written language in tape-mediated test, more of a report or narration; while, they focus more on interaction and on delivery of meanings in OPI. Third, there are often technical problems that can result in poor quality recordings or even no recording in the SOPI format (Underhill, 1987). In conclusion, one cannot assume any equivalence between a face-to face test and a semi-direct test (Shohamy, 1994). It may be that they are measuring different things, different constructs, so the mode of test delivery should be adopted on the basis of test purpose, accuracy requirement, practicability, and impartiality (Shohamy, 1994). Stansfield (1991) proposes the OPI is more applicable to the placement test and evaluation test of the curriculum, while SOPI is more appropriate for large-scale test with requirement of high reliability. Marking Of Speaking Test Marking and scoring is a challenge in assessing second language oral proficiency.. Since only a few elements of the speaking skill can be scored objectively, human judgments play major roles in assessment. How to establish the valid, reliable, effective marking criteria scales and high quality scoring instruments have always been central to the performance testing of speaking (Luoma, 2004). It is important to have clear, explicit criteria to describe the performance, as it is important for raters to understand and apply these criteria, making it possible to score them consistently and reliably. For these reasons, rating and rating scales have been a central focus of research in the testing of speaking (Ferguson, 2009). Definition Of Rating Scales A rating scale, also referred to as a â€Å"scoring rubric† or â€Å"proficiency scale† is defined by Davies et al as following (see Fulcher, 2003):  ·consisting of a series of band or levels to which descriptions are attached  ·providing an operational definition of the constructs to be measured in the test  ·requiring training for its effective operation Holistic And Analytic Rating Scales There are different types of rating scales used for scoring speech samples. One of the traditional and commonly used distinctions is between holistic and analytic rating scales. Holistic rating scales also are referred to as global rating. With these scales, the rater attempts to match the speech sample with a particular band whose descriptors specify a range of defining characteristics of speech at that level. A single score is given to each speech sample either impressionistically or by being guided by a rating scale to encapsulate all the features of the sample (Bachman Palmer, 1996). Analytic rating scales: They consist of separate scales for different aspects of speaking ability (e.g. grammar / vocabulary; pronunciation, fluency, interactional management, etc). A score is given for each aspect (or dimension), and the resulting scores may be combined in a variety of ways to produce a composite single overall score. They include detailed guidance to raters, and rich information that they provide on specific strengths and weakness in examinee performance (Fulcher, 2003). Analytic scales are particularly useful for diagnostic purposes and for providing a profile of competence in the different aspects of speaking ability (Ferguson, 2009). The type of scale that is selected for a particular test of speaking will depend upon the purpose of the test Validity And Reliability Of Speaking Test Bachman And Palmers Theories On Test Usefulness The primary purpose of a language test is to provide a measure that can be interpreted as an indicator of an individuals language ability (Bachman, 1990; Bachman and Palmer, 1996). Bachman and Palmer (1996) propose that test usefulness including six test qualities—reliability, construct validity, authenticity, interactiveness, impact (washback) and practicality. Their notion of usefulness can be expressed as in Figure2.3: Usefulness=Reliability + Construct validity + Authenticity + Interactiveness + Impact +Practicality These qualities are the main criteria used to evaluate a test. â€Å"Two of the qualities reliability and validity are critical for tests and are sometimes referred to as essential measurement qualities† (Bachman Palmer, 1996:19), because they are the â€Å"major justification for using test scores as a basis for making inferences or decisions† (ibid). The definitions of types of validity and reliability will be presented in this section. Validity And Reliability Defining Validity The quotation from AERA (American Educational Research Association ) indicates: â€Å"Validity is the most important consideration in test evaluation. The concept refers to the appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of the specific inferences made from test scores. Test validation is the process of accu ­mulating evidence to support such inferences. A variety of inferences may be made from scores produced by a given test, and there are many ways of accumulating evidence to support any particular inference. Validity, however, is a unitary concept. Although evidence may be accumulated in many ways, validity always refers to the degree to which that evidence supports the inferences that are made from the score. The inferences regarding specific uses of a test are validated, not the test itself.† (AERA et al., 1985: 9) Messick stresses that â€Å"it is important to note that validity is a matter of degree, not all or none (Mess Reliability of Speaking Proficiency Tests Reliability of Speaking Proficiency Tests Introduction Testing, as a part of English teaching, is a very important procedure, not just because it can be a valuable source of information about the effectiveness of learning and teaching but also because it can improve teaching, and arouse the students motivation to learn. Testing oral proficiency has become one of the most important issues in language testing since the role of speaking ability has become more central in language teaching with the advent of communicative language teaching (Nakamura, 1993). However, assessing speaking is challenging (Luoma, 2004). Validity and reliability, as fundamental concerns and essential measurement qualities of the speaking test (Bachman, 1990; Bachman Palmer, 1996; Alderson et al, 1995), have aroused widespread attention. The validation of the speaking test is an important area of research in language testing. Test of oral proficiency just started in China 15 years ago, and there are a few very dominant tests. An increasing number of Chinese linguists are putting their attention and efforts on analysis of their validity and reliability. Institutions began to introduce speaking tests into English exams in recent years with the widespread promotion of communicative language teaching (CLT). Publications that deal with speaking tests within institutions provide some qualitative assessments (Cai, 2002). But there is relatively little research literature relating to the reliability and validity of such measures within a university context. (Wen, 2001). The College English Department at Dalian Nationalities University (DLNU) has been selected as one of thirty-one institutions of the College English Reform Demonstration Project in the Peoples republic of China. In College English (CE) course of DLNU, the speaking test is one of the four subtests of the final examination of English assessment. The examination uses two different formats. One is a semi-direct speaking test, in which examinees talk to microphones connected to computers, and have their speeches recorded for the teachers to rate afterwards. The other is a face-to-face interview. This research in this paper aims to ascertain the degree of the reliability and validity of the speaking tests. By analyzing the results of the research, teachers will become more aware of the validity and reliability of oral assessments, including how to improve the reliability and validity of speaking tests. I, as a language teacher, will gain insight into the operation of language proficiency te st, In order to better degree of reliability and validity of a particular test, I will also take other qualities of test usefulness into account when designing the language proficiency test., such as practicality and authenticity. Research questions: This study mainly addresses the questions of validity and reliability of the speaking test administered at DLNU. They are comprehensive concepts that involve analysis of test tasks, administration, rating criteria, examinee and testers attitudes towards the test, the effect of the test on teaching and teacher or learner attitudes towards learning the tests (Luoma, 2004). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1. Is the speaking test administered at DLNU a valid and reliable test? This question can involve the following two sub-questions: 1) To what extent is the speaking test administered at DLNU reliable? 2) To what extent is the speaking test administered at DLNU valid? 2. In what aspects and to what extent may the validity and reliability of the speaking test administered at DLNU be improved? Literature Review This chapter presents a theoretical framework of speaking construct, ways of testing speaking, marking of speaking test and the reliability and validity of speaking test, also introduces the situation of speaking test in China. Analyzing Speaking And Speaking Test The Nature Of Speaking Speaking, as a social and situation-based activity, is an integral part of peoples daily lives (Luoma, 2004). Testing second language speaking is often claimed to be a much more difficult undertaking than testing other second language abilities, capacities or competencies, skills ¼Ã‹â€ Underhill, 1987). Assessment is difficult not only because speaking is fleeting, temporal and ephemeral, but also because of the comprehensibility of pronunciation, the special nature of spoken grammar and spoken vocabulary, as well as the interactive and social features of speaking (Luoma, 2004), because of the â€Å"unpredictability and dynamic nature† of language itself (Brown, 2003). To have a clear understanding of what it means to be able to speak a language, we must understand that the nature and characteristics of the spoken language differ from those of the written form (Luoma, 2004; McCarthy OKeefe, 2004; Bygate, 2001) in its grammar, syntax, lexis and discourse patterns due to the nature of spoken language. Spoken English involves reduced grammatical elements arranged into formulaic chunk expressions or utterances with less complex sentences than written texts. Spoken English breaks the standard word order because the omitted information can be restored from the instantaneous context (McCarthy OKeefe, 2004; Luoma, 2004; Bygate, 2001; Fulcher, 2003). Spoken English contains frequent use of the vernacular, interrogatives, tails, adjacency pairs, fillers and question tags which have been interpreted as dialogue facilitators (Luoma, 2004; Carter McCarthy, 1995). The speech also contains a fair number of slips and errors such as mispronounced words, mixed sounds, and wrong words due to inattention, which is often pardoned and allowed by native speakers (Luoma, 2004). Conversations are also negotiable, unpredictable, and susceptible to social and situational context in which the talks happen (Luoma, 2004). The Importance Of Speaking Test Testing oral proficiency has become one of the most important issues in language testing since the role of speaking ability has become more central in language teaching with the advent of CLA (Nakamura, 1993). Of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), listening and reading occur in the receptive mode, while speaking and writing exist in the productive mode. Understanding and absorption of received information are foundational while expression and use of acquired information demonstrate an improvement and a more advanced test of knowledge. A lot of interests now in oral testing is partly because second language teaching is more than ever directed towards the speaking and listening skills ¼Ã‹â€ Underhill, 1987). Language teachers are engaged in â€Å"teaching a language through speaking† (Hughes, 2002:7). On one hand, spoken language is the focus of classroom activity. There are often other aims which the teacher might have: for instance, helping the student gain awareness of practice in some aspect of linguistic knowledge (ibid). On the other hand, speaking test, as a device for assessing the learners language proficiency also functions to motivate students and reinforce their learning of language. This represents what Bachman (1991) has called an â€Å"interface† between second language acquisition (SLA) and language testing research. However, assessing speaking is challenging, â€Å"because there are many factors that influence our impression of how well someone can speak a language† (Luoma, 2004:1) as well as unpredictable or impromptu nature of the speaking interaction. The testing of speaking is difficult due to practical obstacles and theoretical challenges. Much attention has been given to how to perfect the assessment system of oral English and how to improve its validity and reliability. The communicative nature of the testing environment also remains to be considered (Hughes, 2002). The Construct Of Speaking Introduction To Communicative Language Ability (CLA) A clear and explicit definition of language ability is essential to language test development and use (Bachman,1990). The theory on which a language test is based determines which kind of language ability the test can measure, This type of validity is called construct validity. According to Bachman (1990:84), CLA can be described as â€Å"consisting of both knowledge or competence and the capacity for implementing or executing that competence in appropriate, contextualized communicative language use†. CLA includes three components: language competence, strategic competence and pyschophysiological mechanisms. The following framework (figure 2.1) shows components of communicative language ability in communicative language use (Bachman,1990:85). Knowledge Structures Language Competence Knowledge of the world Knowledge Of Language Strategic Competence Psychophysiological Mechanisms Context Of Situation This framework has been widely accepted in the field of language testing. Bachman (1990:84) proposes that â€Å"language competence† essentially refers to a set of specific knowledge components that are utilized in communication via language. It comprises organizational and pragmatic competence. Two areas of organizational knowledge that Bachman (1990) distinguishes are grammatical knowledge and textual knowledge. Grammatical knowledge comprises vocabulary, syntax, phonology and graphology, and textual knowledge, comprises cohesion and rhetorical or conversational organization. Pragmatic competence shows how utterances or sentences and texts are related to the communicative goals of language users and to the features of the langue-use setting. It includes illocutionary acts ¼Ã…’or language functions, and sociolinguistic competence, or the knowledge of the sociolinguistic conventions that govern appropriate language use in a particular culture and in varying situations in t hat culture (Bachman, 1987). Strategic competence refers to mastery of verbal and nonverbal strategies in facilitating communication and implementing the components of language competence. Strategic competence is demonstrated in contextualized communicative language use, such as socialcultural knowledge, real-world knowledge and mapping this onto the maximally efficient use of existing language abilities. Psychophysiological competence refers to the visual and auditory skill used to gain access to the information in the administrators instructions. Among other things, psychophysiological competence includes things like sound and light. Fulchers Construct Definition To know what to assess in a speaking test is a prime concern. Fulcher (1997b) points out that the construct of speaking proficiency is incomplete. Nevertheless, there have been various attempts to reflect the underlying construct of speaking ability and to develop theoretical frameworks for defining the speaking construct. Fulchers framework (figure 2.2) (Fulcher, 2003: 48) describes the speaking construct. As Fulcher (2003) points out that there are many factors that could be included in the definition of the construct: Phonology: the speaker must be able to articulate the words, have an understanding of the phonetic structure of the language at the level of the individual word, have an understanding of intonation, and create the physical sounds that carry meaning. Fluency and accuracy: these concepts are associated with automaticity of performance and the impact on the ability of the listener to understand. Accuracy refers to the correct use of grammatical rules, structure and vocabulary in speech. Fluency has to do with the ‘normal speed of delivery to mobilise ones language knowledge in the service of communication at relatively normal speed. The quality of speech needs to be judged in terms of the gravity of the errors made or the distance from the target forms or sounds. Strategic competence: this is generally thought to refer to an ability to achieve ones communicative purpose through the deployment of a range of coping strategies. Strategic competence includes both achievement strategies and avoidance strategies. Achievement strategies contain overgeneralization/morphological creativity. Learners transfer knowledge of the language system onto lexical items that they do not know, for example, saying â€Å"buyed† instead of â€Å"bought†, Speakers also learn approximation: learners replace an unknown word with one that is more general or they use exemplification, paraphrasing (use a synonym for the word needed), word coinage (invent a new word for an unknown word), restructuring (use different words to communicate the same message), cooperative strategies (ask for help from the listener) , code switching (take a word or phrase from the common language with the listener in order to be understood) and non-linguistic strategies (use gestur es or mime, or point to objects in the surroundings to help to communicate). Avoidance or reduction strategies consist of formal avoidance (avoiding using part of the language system) and functional avoidance (avoiding topical conversation). Strategic competence includes selecting communicative goals and planning and structuring oral production so as to fulfill them. Textual knowledge: competent oral interaction involves some knowledge of how to manage and structure discourse, for example, through appropriate turn-taking, opening and closing strategies, maintaining coherence in ones contributions and employing appropriate interactional routines such as adjacency pairs. Pragmatic and sociolinguistic knowledge: effective communication requires appropriateness and the knowledge of the rules of speaking. A range of speech acts, politeness and indirectness can be used to avoid causing offence. Ways Of Testing Speaking Clark (1979) puts forward a theoretical basis to discriminate three types of speaking tests: direct, semi-direct and indirect tests. Indirect tests belong to â€Å"procommunicative† era in language testing, in which the test takers are not actually required to speak. It has been regarded as having the least validity and reliability, while the other two formats are more widely used (OLoughlin, 2001). In this section, the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the direct and semi-direct test are presented, The Oral Proficiency Interview Format One of the earliest and most popular direct speaking test formats, and one that continues to exert a strong influence, is the oral proficiency interview (OPI) –developed originally by the FSI (Foreign Service Institute) in the United States in the 1950s and later adopted by other government agencies. It is conducted with individual test-taker by a trained interviewer, who assesses the candidate using a global band scale (OLoughlin, 2001). It typically begins with a warm-up discussion of a few easy questions, such as getting to know each other or talking about the days events. Then the main interaction contains the pre-planned tasks, such as describing or comparing pictures, narrating from a picture series, talking about a pre-announced or examiner-selected topic, or possibly a role-play task or a reverse interview where the examinee asks question of the interviewer (Luoma. 2004). An important example of this type of test is the speaking component of the International English L anguage Testing System (IELTS), which is adopted in 105 different countries around the world each year. The Advantage Of An Interview Format The oral interview was recognized as the most commonly used speaking test format. Fulcher (2003) suggests that it is partly because the questions used can be standardized, making comparison between test takers easier than when other task types are used. Using this method, the instructor can get a sense of the oral communicative competence of students and can overcome weakness of written exams, because the interview, unlike written exams, â€Å"is flexible in that the questions can be adapted to each examinees performance, and thus the testers have more controls over what happens in the interaction† (Luoma, 2004:35). It is also relatively easy to train raters and obtain high inter-rater reliability (Fulcher, 2003). The Disadvantage Of An Interview Format However, concern and skepticism exist about whether it is possible to test other competencies or knowledge because of the nature of the discourse that the interview produces (van Lier, 1989). a. Issue of time For the instructor, time management can be quite an issue. For instance, using a two-hour period for exams for 20 students means each student is allowed only six minutes for testing. This includes the time needed to enter the room and adjust to the setting. With such a time limit the student and instructor can hardly have any kind of normal real-world conversation. b. Issue of asymmetrical relationship The asymmetrical relationship between examiners and candidates elicits a form of inauthentic and limited socio-cultural contexts (van Lier, 1989; Savignon, 1985; Yoffe, 1997). Yoffe (1997) commented on ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) OPI that the tester and the test-taker are â€Å"clearly not in equal positions† (Yofee, 1997). The asymmetry is not specific to the OPI but is inherent in the notion of an interview as an exchange wherein one person solicits information in order to arrive at a decision while the interlocutor produces what he or she perceives as most valued. The interviewee is, in most cases, acutely aware of the ramifications of the OPI rating and is, consequently, under a great deal of stress. Van Lier (1989) also challenges the validity of OPI in terms of the asymmetry between them because â€Å"the candidate speaks as to a superior and is unwilling to take the initiative† (van Lier, 1989). Under the unequal relationship, the speech discourse, such as turn –taking, topic nomination and development, and repair strategies are all substantially different from normal conversational exchanges (see van Lier 1989). c. Issue of interviewer variation Given the fact that the interviewer has considerable power over the examinee in an interview, concerns have been aroused about the effect of the interlocutor (examiner) on the candidates oral performance. Different interviewers vary in their approaches and attitudes toward the interview. Brown (2003) warns the danger of such variation to fairness. OSullivan (2000) conducts an empirical study that indicated learners perform better when interviewed by a woman, regardless of the sex of the learner. Underhill (1987:31) expresses his concern on the unscripted â€Å"flexibility†¦ means that there will be a considerable divergence between what different learners say, which makes a test more difficult to assess with consistency and reliability.† Testing Speaking In Pairs There has been a shift toward a paired speakers format: two assessors examine two candidates at a time. One assessor interacts with the two candidates and rates them on a global scale, while the other does not take part in the interaction and just assessesusing an analytic scale. The paired oral test has been used as part of large-scale, international, standardized oral proficiency tests since the late 1980s (Ildikà ³, 2001). Key English Test (KET), Preliminary English Test (PET), First Certificate in English (FCE) and Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) make use of the paired format. In a typical test, the interaction begins with a warm-up, in which the examinees introduce themselves to the interlocutor, followed by two pair interaction task. The talk may involves comparing two photographs by each candidate at first, such as in Cambridge First Certificate (Luoma, 2004), then a two-way collaborative task between the two candidates based on more photographs, artwork or computer gra phics, and ends up with a three-way discussion with the two examinees and the interlocutor about a general theme that is related to the earlier discussion. The advantages of the paired interview format Many researchers claim that the paired format is preferable to OPI. The reasons are: a. The changed role of the interviewer frees up the instructors in order to pay closer attention to the production of each candidate than if they are participants themselves (Luoma, 2004). b. The reduced asymmetry allows more varied interaction patterns, which elicits a broader sample of discourse and increased turn-takings than were possible in the highly asymmetrical traditional interview (Taylor, 2000). c. The task type based on pair-work will generate a positive washback effect on classroom teaching and learning (Ildiko, 2001). In the case of the instructor following Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) methodology, where pair work may take up a significant portion of a class, it would be appropriate to incorporate similar activities in the exam. In that way the exam itself is much better integrated into the fabric of the course. Students can be tested for performance related to activities done in class. There may also be benefits in regards to student motivation. If students are aware that they will be tested on activities similar to the ones done in class, they may have more incentive to be attentive and use class time effectively. The disadvantages of the paired interview format There are, however, also concerns voiced regarding the paired format. a. Mismatches between peer interactants The most frequently raised criticisms against the paired speaking test relate to various forms of mismatches between peer interactants (Fulcher, 2003). Ildiko (2001) points out that when a candidate has to work with an incomprehensible or uncomprehending peer partner, it may negatively influence the candidates performance. As a consequence, in such cases it is quite impossible to make a valid assessment of candidates abilities. b. Lack of familiarity between peer interactants The extent to which this testing format actually reduces the level of anxiety of test-takers compared to other test formats remains doubtful (Fulcher, 2003). OSullivan (2002) suggests that the spontaneous support offered by a friend positively reduces anxiety and task performance under experimental conditions. However, the chances are quite high that the examinee will meet with strangers as his or her peer interactant. It is hard to imagine how these strangers can carry out some naturally flowing conversations. Estrangement, misinterpretation and even breakdown may occur during their talk. c. Lack of control of the discussion Problems are generated if the examiner loses control of the oral task (Luoma, 2004). When the instructions and task materials are not clear enough to facilitate the discussion, the examinees conversation may go astray. Luoma (2004) points out that testers often feel uncertain about what amount of responsibility that they should give to the examinees. Furthermore, examinees do not know what kind of performance will earn them good results without the elicitation of the examiner. When one of the examinees has said too little, the examiner ought to monitor and jump in to give help when necessary. Semi-Direct Speaking Tests The term â€Å"semi-direct† is employed by Clark (1979:36) to describe those tests that are characterized â€Å"by means of tape recordings, printed test booklets, or other ‘non-human elicitation procedures, rather than through face-to-face conversation with a live interlocutor.† Appearing during 1970s, and being an innovative adaptation of the traditional OPI, the semi-direct method normally follows the general structure of the OPI and makes an audio-recording of the test takers performance which is later rated by one or more trained assessors (Malone, 2000). Examples of the semi-direct type used in the U.S.A. are the simulated oral proficiency interviews (SOPI) and the Test of Spoken English 2000 (TSE) (Ferguson, 2009). Examples in U.K. include the Test in English for Education Purpose (TEEP) and the Oxford-ARELS Examinations (OLoughlin, 2001). Another mode of delivery is testing by telephone as in the PhonePass test (the test mainly consists of reading sentenc es aloud or repeating sentences), or even video-conferencing (Ferguson, 2009). The Advantages Of The Semi-Direct Test Type First, the semi-direct test is more cost efficient than direct tests, because many candidates can be tested simultaneously in large laboratories and administered by any teacher, language lab technician or aide in a language laboratory where the candidate hears taped questions and has their responses recorded (Malone, 2000). Second, the mode of testing is quite flexible. It provides a practical solution in situations where it is not possible to deliver a direct test (OLoughlin, 2001), and it can be adapted to the desired level of examinee proficiency and to specific examinee age groups, backgrounds, and professions (Malone, 2000). Third, semi-direct testing represents an attempt to standardize the assessment of speaking while retaining the communicative basis of the OPI (Shohamy, 1994). It offers the same quality of interview to all examinees, and all examinees respond to the same questions so as to remove the effect that the human interlocutor will have on the candidate (Malone, 2000). The uniformity of the elicitation procedure greatly increases the reliability of the test. Some empirical studies (Stansfield, 1991) show high correlations (0. 89- 0. 95) between the direct and semi-direct tests, indicating the two formats can measure the same language abilities and the SOPI can be the equivalent and surrogate of the OPI. However, there are also disadvantages. The Disadvantages Of The Semi-Direct Test Type First, the speaking task in semi-direct oral test is less realistic and more artificial than OPI (Clark, 1979; Underhill, 1987). Examinees use artificial language to â€Å"respond to tape-recorded questions situations the examinee is not likely to encounter in a real-life setting† (Clark, 1979:38). They may feel stressful while speaking to a microphone rather than to another person, especially if they are not accustomed to the laboratory setting (OLoughlin, 2001). Second, the communicative strategy and speech discourse elicited in these semi-direct SOPIs is quite different from that found in typical face-face interaction – being more formal, less conversation-like (Shohamy, 1994). Candidates tend to use written language in tape-mediated test, more of a report or narration; while, they focus more on interaction and on delivery of meanings in OPI. Third, there are often technical problems that can result in poor quality recordings or even no recording in the SOPI format (Underhill, 1987). In conclusion, one cannot assume any equivalence between a face-to face test and a semi-direct test (Shohamy, 1994). It may be that they are measuring different things, different constructs, so the mode of test delivery should be adopted on the basis of test purpose, accuracy requirement, practicability, and impartiality (Shohamy, 1994). Stansfield (1991) proposes the OPI is more applicable to the placement test and evaluation test of the curriculum, while SOPI is more appropriate for large-scale test with requirement of high reliability. Marking Of Speaking Test Marking and scoring is a challenge in assessing second language oral proficiency.. Since only a few elements of the speaking skill can be scored objectively, human judgments play major roles in assessment. How to establish the valid, reliable, effective marking criteria scales and high quality scoring instruments have always been central to the performance testing of speaking (Luoma, 2004). It is important to have clear, explicit criteria to describe the performance, as it is important for raters to understand and apply these criteria, making it possible to score them consistently and reliably. For these reasons, rating and rating scales have been a central focus of research in the testing of speaking (Ferguson, 2009). Definition Of Rating Scales A rating scale, also referred to as a â€Å"scoring rubric† or â€Å"proficiency scale† is defined by Davies et al as following (see Fulcher, 2003):  ·consisting of a series of band or levels to which descriptions are attached  ·providing an operational definition of the constructs to be measured in the test  ·requiring training for its effective operation Holistic And Analytic Rating Scales There are different types of rating scales used for scoring speech samples. One of the traditional and commonly used distinctions is between holistic and analytic rating scales. Holistic rating scales also are referred to as global rating. With these scales, the rater attempts to match the speech sample with a particular band whose descriptors specify a range of defining characteristics of speech at that level. A single score is given to each speech sample either impressionistically or by being guided by a rating scale to encapsulate all the features of the sample (Bachman Palmer, 1996). Analytic rating scales: They consist of separate scales for different aspects of speaking ability (e.g. grammar / vocabulary; pronunciation, fluency, interactional management, etc). A score is given for each aspect (or dimension), and the resulting scores may be combined in a variety of ways to produce a composite single overall score. They include detailed guidance to raters, and rich information that they provide on specific strengths and weakness in examinee performance (Fulcher, 2003). Analytic scales are particularly useful for diagnostic purposes and for providing a profile of competence in the different aspects of speaking ability (Ferguson, 2009). The type of scale that is selected for a particular test of speaking will depend upon the purpose of the test Validity And Reliability Of Speaking Test Bachman And Palmers Theories On Test Usefulness The primary purpose of a language test is to provide a measure that can be interpreted as an indicator of an individuals language ability (Bachman, 1990; Bachman and Palmer, 1996). Bachman and Palmer (1996) propose that test usefulness including six test qualities—reliability, construct validity, authenticity, interactiveness, impact (washback) and practicality. Their notion of usefulness can be expressed as in Figure2.3: Usefulness=Reliability + Construct validity + Authenticity + Interactiveness + Impact +Practicality These qualities are the main criteria used to evaluate a test. â€Å"Two of the qualities reliability and validity are critical for tests and are sometimes referred to as essential measurement qualities† (Bachman Palmer, 1996:19), because they are the â€Å"major justification for using test scores as a basis for making inferences or decisions† (ibid). The definitions of types of validity and reliability will be presented in this section. Validity And Reliability Defining Validity The quotation from AERA (American Educational Research Association ) indicates: â€Å"Validity is the most important consideration in test evaluation. The concept refers to the appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of the specific inferences made from test scores. Test validation is the process of accu ­mulating evidence to support such inferences. A variety of inferences may be made from scores produced by a given test, and there are many ways of accumulating evidence to support any particular inference. Validity, however, is a unitary concept. Although evidence may be accumulated in many ways, validity always refers to the degree to which that evidence supports the inferences that are made from the score. The inferences regarding specific uses of a test are validated, not the test itself.† (AERA et al., 1985: 9) Messick stresses that â€Å"it is important to note that validity is a matter of degree, not all or none (Mess