L'impact des techniques d'évaluation d'un test aux enjeux critiques sur l'enseignement des langues : le cas de l'examen final de fin du programme d'Arts et Lettres au Cégep

The author explores the impact of a high-stakes college exit test on the teaching practices and perceptions of the stakeholders in the program of Arts and Humanities in Quebec. The test under investigation by the author simultaneously measures test takers’ abilities in three or four languages (English, French, German and Spanish) using common evaluation techniques. The author's study was conducted in two GEGEPs in Quebec City, one Anglophone and one Francophone. Adopting an exploratory sequential mixed-methods research design, the author's data was gathered from 67 test takers and seven teachers using multiple instruments (teacher interviews, classroom observations, document analysis and teacher and student questionnaires). The results of the quantitative (multivariate analysis, ANOVA) and qualitative analysis of data show that the test tasks clearly influence the choice of classroom activities done by teachers, while the content (literary or general knowledge) and the format (individual or group) of the test tasks are influenced by the program courses. The author's findings point to a bidirectional and, for the most part, positive relationship between the high-stakes test tasks and the content of the program courses. Her findings further show that this bidirectional relationship is driven in part by the teachers’ deep understanding of the competences promoted by the different program courses, as well as their familiarity with the evaluation techniques that best measure such competences. The implication of these results for the test takers and the educational system is outlined by the author.

Master's Thesis

Université Laval

Québec

2017

x-183p.

fr