Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) for the Assessment of Speaking

Yıl 2022, Cilt: 28 , 11 - 18, 23.12.2022

Ahmet Onal

https://doi.org/10.55549/epess.1223240

Öz

The skill of speaking, arguably, plays the most essential role in the process of communication
among people; thus, the teaching and assessment of speaking deserves special attention. The oral proficiency
interview (OPI) has been utilized as a technique for the assessment of speaking for about 70 years and its
traditional format has been revised and updated in line with the requirements of contexts and innovations in
technology. Accordingly, this paper briefly introduces the OPI and discusses the advantages and disadvantages
of the OPI. In addition, the reliability and validity of the OPI for the assessment of speaking skills has also been
expounded on with specific reference to its strengths and weaknesses. More precisely, the paper argues that the
OPI has the potential to assist foreign language teachers in teaching and testing the speaking skills of their
learners as long as its weaknesses are compensated for, reliable rating scales are designed and raters are trained
to score the performances reliably.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Testing speaking, Assessment of speaking, Oral proficiency interview