Problems in Language Program Evaluation

Abstract

Program evaluation on language programs. According tro Alderson (1986, p. 5), "evaluation is the process of seeking to establish the value of something for some purpose, a test is an instrument for gauging learning outcomes". Hence, when I use the word testing, I will be referring only to such instruments. When I use evaluation, I will be including all of the instruments and processes involved in gathering information to make judgements about the value of an educational program. More precisely, in discussing language program evaluation, I will be referring to "the systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information neeessary to promote the improvement of a curriculum and assess its effectiveness and efficiency as well as the participants' attitudes wihin the context of the particular institutions involved" (Brown, 1989, 1995). Because of the scope of this paper, I will not dwell on the general literature of educational evaluation, a topic that has been adequately covered elsewhere (see Brown, 1989; Beretta, 1992a). Similarly, I will not discuss evaluation of bilingual programs or immersion programs (for overviews of evaluation studies in these areas, see Tucker and Cziko, 1978, and Genesse, 1983, respectively). What I will discus is the work on second and foreign language program ervaluation.