Keywords

Oral proficiency testing; Brazilian Portuguese; Elicited imitation

Abstract

Elicited imitation (EI) is an approach to measuring oral proficiency that consists of having test takers hear a sentence and repeat the sentence exactly as they heard it. Though indirect in nature, EI has successfully shown to correlate with previously established oral proficiency examinations, such as the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) (Lonsdale and Christensen 2014, Matsushita and Lonsdale 2014, Millard 2011, Thompson 2013). This paper discusses the development, administration, and evaluation of an EI test for the Brazilian Portuguese language. We first discuss the relevant background of oral proficiency examination and EI. After presenting the pertinent research questions, we explain the methodology used to develop the EI test, recruit participants, and administer the test. We present the results and analysis and then summarize the findings, limitations, and possible future work.

Original Publication Citation

Jarrett Finlinson Lever and Deryle Lonsdale (dated 2015, appeared 2016). Elicited Imitation for Brazilian Portuguese. BELT+: Brazilian English Language Teaching Journal 6(2):142-161. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.