| Introduction
College English Language Teaching (CELT) in China has progressed
rapidly and achieved much success in recent years. Today, college
graduates’ abilities to use English have greater improved
than a decade ago, which is the result of efforts by the majority
of the teachers and the education departments in charge. Meanwhile,
however, we should realize there exist problems, such as “high
grades, low ability” of the graduates, who are able to pass
English examinations with high grades, but actually poor at using
the language, especially at listening and speaking even though having
spent enormous amount of time on it. Thus it is essential that we
make a serious study on the current situation of foreign language
education and find out causes and countermeasures in various aspects.
Fundamentally speaking, to reform CET Band IV and Band VI is one
of the main countermeasures to improve the qualities of CELT. College
English is one of the required courses in curricula for most college
students in China. CET Band IV and VI, offered by the State Education
Commission, for the purpose of carrying out the China’s National
College English Syllabus and improving the quality of CELT, began
in 1987. It is now the most important foreign language testing on
an unprecedented scale in China. There is no denying the fact that
CET Band IV and VI play an important role in improving the English
of the whole college students, even the whole society’s English
and it has applied, to a certain degree, positive force in CELT
in China.
Problems
More and more colleges have attached greater importance to the foreign
language certificate that the normal CELT has changed for the purpose
of testing which has brought unexpected negative effect on CELT.
Even worst, it has become an obstacle of CELT in China.
First, it is the system. China is a big country where the situations
in each college vary greatly, such as the levels of students enrolled,
the teaching levels of teachers and the schooling managements. So
it is not a scientific method to judge the English level of students
by only one model of testing in the whole country, which is bound
to result in the education for the purpose of testing. Because of
the only one form of the testing for all students in the whole country,
the passing rate of CET Band IV is pursued by every university or
college, which consequently affects the normal teaching activities.
As a result, students spend much of their time preparing the testing
and teachers make every effort on the passing rate of their students,
especially, in many colleges where students’ testing results
of Band IV are connected with the possibility of granting the degree
to the students and the evaluation of teachers’ achievements,
which add fuel to the flames of teaching for the purpose of testing.
Secondly, it is testing itself. We know that a testing is an important
part of teaching process. It is believed that both testing and teaching
are so closely interrelated that it is virtually impossible to work
in either field without being constantly concerned with the other.1
Teaching and learning need to be checked and evaluated. As a method
of check and evaluation, a kind of scientific and reasonable testing
can play a positive role in teaching; otherwise it may turn out
negative effect.
Since CET Band IV and Band VI began in 1987, though the testing
form has been changed to a certain extent, it mainly tests students'
capacity of language knowledge and grammar with mono-form and lacking
of overall items, neglecting their communicative competence in practice,
which is not in keeping with the developing direction of ELT. At
present, there are more than 6 billion students participating CET
Band IV and Band VI in China every year, most of whom have passed.
But in reality, even though they have received the certificate Band
IV or Band VI, many students are still unable to use English in
speaking or writing fluently and skillfully, which clearly shows
some shortcomings of the present kind of testing.
Widdowson said that “usage” is the language user’s
knowledge of linguistics, and “use” is the user’s
ability to use his knowledge of linguistic rules to perform effective
communication.2 Language learner must learn both “usage”
and “use”, the latter being much more important. The
goal of FLT must be communication, that is, the use of the language.3
We need good English users, not best examination takers or certificate
holders. Yet the current examination system achieves only the latter.
So the importance should be given to the aim of reaching communicative
competence (College English Syllabus ) in testing.
Solutions
CET needs reforming. But how to do it? In my view, first, a criterion
of different English language competence for college students should
be determined and then different levels of testing in accordance
with different competence of students need to be set. It is unreasonable
to have formed the present levels in accordance with semesters.
Because the students’ levels and the teaching levels vary
in universities and colleges though they have the same semesters,
which cannot be made a clean cut. It is unnecessary to require every
university or college to have a same testing policy for English
capacity. It is urgent for the education department in charge to
set up a testing policy for different standard of English competence
and teaching as well. Every university or college can choose different
level testing according to its own situation.
Secondly, the new CET should adopt a new form, guided by the advanced
and modern language testing theories, which can check and evaluate
a person’s communicative competence of the language overall
and comprehensively. The new CET should have following features:
1. It is a testing of a student’s language competence including
listening, speaking, reading and writing. The lack of one of the
four skills is unreasonable. The communicative competence should
be embodied in the testing.
2. The goal of the testing should be put on how students use the
language, which tests the true levels of the students.
3. The testing methods should be perfect, which can ensure its stability,
reliability, justness and uniformity.
4. The results of the testing should be instructive, reflecting
what each of the students can do in reality. The present Band IV
and Band VI in accordance with semesters cannot reflect the graded
English competence of the students.
5. As a testing method of China’s CELT, the design of a testing
should fully consider China’s current system and requirement
of ELT, as well as the demands of various levels for talents in
the social development.
Finally, different teaching methods should be used according to
student’s different levels and needs.4 Graded CELT may be
a better way for teaching and learning. Graded CELT means arranging
classes according to the English levels of the students, preparing
lessons for the class level, and adopting appropriate teaching methods
in class. If a teacher doesn’t know his or students’
actual abilities, levels and backgrounds, no matter how warm-hearted
he is his aimless instruction will miss the point. The advantages
of graded teaching are as follows:
Graded
teaching can fully arouse students’ enthusiasm of English
learning.
In large mixed classes, relatively few students who are lower students
feel empowered to participate actively and their status relationships
tend to freeze. Research studies indicate that small classes make
it possible for isolates to become part of the classroom community.
By graded teaching, teachers can teach students in accordance with
their aptitude and adjust teaching methodology at any time. Students
can complete their learning task within the fixed time. Under such
circumstances, students, having ease of mind, can learn English
passively and intuitively. Thus, both of the problems of the students
“being overfed” and “being hungry” in learning
can be solved.
Graded
teaching can lead to competition in learning.
The graded teaching can become elastic teaching. After a period
of time learning, students can be readjusted by testing. Those who
are excellent can be adjusted to a higher graded class, while those
who cannot catch up, to a lower one. It is not restricted by semesters.
Regular adjustment can bring students a kind of energy as well as
a motive force to improve study.
Conclusion
The ultimate goal of Foreign Language Teaching is to let students
know how to use the language. The purpose of English Language Testing
is to examine whether students can use the language and how they
use it. So correct inferences can be drawn from careful analysis.
In other words, Language competence is reflected only by language
use. Whether a kind of testing really tests the language competence
of a student, it should be decided to what extent it let the student
participate in the process of the language use. Therefore, a new
testing must give prominence to the reflection of the language use.
In addition, for most Chinese the aim of mastering English is to
use it as a tool of studying, working and external contacts. It
is necessary that using a foreign language deal with cross-cultural
elements. So a new testing should especially examine students’
language competence of the cross-cultural communication.
Notes:
1 Heaton, J.B. Writing English Language Tests. (London: Longman,
1988), 5.
2 In Malmkjr, K. (Ed.). Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
The Linguistics Encyclopedia (London: Routledge, 1991), 458.
3 Widdowson, H.G. An example of combining structural approach and
communicative approach (Tang Chunhua, trans. ELT in Foreign Countries
(1994) 7.
4 China’s National College English Syllabus. (Shanghai: Shanghai
Foreign Language Education Press, 1998).
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