Testing Approaches and Psycholinguistic Processes in Input Modification Studies: A Critical Review

Year 2015, Volume: 36 Issue: 3, 1190 - 1201, 13.05.2015

Azam Naserpour , Mahmood Reza Moradian

Abstract

Abstract. Language testing and language teaching are closely interrelated, each influencing the other. Language testing has followed the trends in language teaching, which have, in turn, influenced by theories in linguistics and psychology. The psycholinguistic processes, therefore, in which psychological and linguistic principles are considered as the underlying theoretical assumptions of test construction receive a great importance.  On the other hand, input modification studies, including simplification, elaboration, and enhancement, aim to investigate the effect of the types of input modification on enhancing the learners’ comprehension rate. The present study, therefore, intends to critically review testing and assessment approaches and the psycholinguistic processes the input modification studies. This study first overviews the trends of language testing from the beginning to present, and then reviews critically testing and assessment techniques and the psycholinguistic processes employed in some of the most salient studies conducted in the field of input modification. The results of this review showed that language testing in input modification studies mainly goes around discreet-point and integrative testing and does not occur in a natural realistic environment, although there are few exceptions in this regard. These exceptions include debates, thinking aloud, and free recalling the context, which are communicatively oriented. Findings also indicated that among the psychological processes employed in these studies the predominant process was comprehension/production.

Keywords

testing approaches, psycholinguistic processes; input modification studies; critical review

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