appropriate places in the hometown test. Leave a 1-2 second pause between the text and the question.
7. With the help of 2, translate and record the introduction to the test in the local language. This is your X INTRODUCTION cassette. At the appropriate
location in the introduction, patch in the 30 second story from the X original text cassette and then insert the questions. Dont forget to finish patching in
the final instructions that follow this trial test. 8. With the help of 1 or 2, translate and record the questions for all of the other
test stories. These can be recorded following the master test of that story. 9. Make copies of all other master test tapes and patch in the corresponding
questions. 10. Before beginning the testing process, have two or three local speakers listen to
the test tapes and verify that the questions elicit the desired responses and are well-placed. You can count on several surprises. If there appears to be a
problem with a particular question confusing, elicits implied information, permits more than one correct response, listener could know the correct
response without understanding the text, etc., it must be changed or disqualified.
5. TESTING
1. Preparations before testing can begin. Solicit the help of local leaders. a. Identify 12-15 qualified and willing volunteers to take the tests.
b. Determine a central but quiet location for testing. c. Assure that one or two interpreters will be available during the testing if
you do not understand the local language. d. Set a time to begin testing.
2. Who is qualified to take the tests. ALL the requirements must be met a. Lives in the village being tested.
b. Speaks the local dialect as hisher first language. c. Is mentally competent.
d. Has NOT been exposed to any of the speech forms being tested. e. Has NOT participated in the test tape construction process.
f. Has NOT overheard any other volunteers being tested. g. Has NOT heard any of the stories first or second-hand.
h. Scored at least 80 on the hometown test.
It is normal that several volunteers originally thought to be qualified, will need to be disqualified on grounds of being too timid or unable to understand the test method.
At each location, 10 qualified persons must successfully complete the tests.
6. SCORING
Score the response to each question as right, wrong, or half-right. If uncertain about a response, write it down and decide later. If the person being tested identifies the
correct response but does not know its meaning, count it wrong. If three or more individuals miss the same question on the Hometown test, it can be assumed that there is
a problem with the question. When the Hometown test has been completed, 10 good questions should be identified to be the basis of scoring the test at other test points. The
remaining questions should be left in the master test cassette, but their responses will not figure into that tests scoring.
7. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
At the end of the testing process, calculate each volunteers total number of correct responses for each test tape. Ten scores are needed for every test tape at every test point.
Present the scores in a table such as the following.
T
EST
P
OINT
T
ESTING ORDER
T
EXT ORIGIN SEX
AGE
T
OIN
P
ONA
S
EME
Bilédugu 1. M,22
10 10
8 2. F,18
10 9.5
8 3. M,40
10 6.5
9.5 etc.
______________ Average score:
Standard deviation:
Scores can either be presented as the total correct responses out of 10 or as percentages 100, 95, 90, etc.. Calculate the average score of each test tape at a
given test point. Make appropriate tables to present these.
Two tests should be run to determine the reliability of the results. The standard deviation of each set of scores should be computed and presented in a table. If the
deviation is 15 or more it can be suspected that a degree of bilingualism helped the volunteers who scored high. A Wilcoxon T test can tell whether or not the difference
between the average scores is significant, provided that both tests were taken by the same set of persons.
8. WRITE UP THE RESULTS.
