Impact of cooperative test construction on learning English as a second language

The present study was aimed at investigating the impact of cooperative testconstruction on Iranian EFL students’ achievement as well as their attitudestowards such tests. The participants, were a sample of female high school studentsat Grade One in the city of Ray. First, the standardized Nelson test of English wasadministered to 90 students out of which 60 homogenous students were selectedand assigned to experimental and control groups. Both groups received the sameschedule of instruction during the term.Students in the experimental group experienced cooperative test constructionwhile the students in the control group didn’t have any role in construction of theirtests. Prior to the main study, the test was piloted on a sample of 30 students at thesame level of language proficiency to check the reliability and validity of the testdeveloped by both teachers and students. Results showed a significant differencebetween grammatical knowledge of those subjects who were cooperativelyinvolved in test construction and that of those who were traditionally tested. Then,after two weeks a validated and reliable questionnaire developed by the researcherwas administered to the sample in order to explore the students’ attitudes towardscooperative test construction, Results indicated that students’ reactions tocooperative test construction were overwhelmingly positive. At the end of thestudy twelve students from the experimental group were interviewed to get abetter understanding of their attitudes towards the method. Through the interviewthe students asserted that they were quite satisfied with the method concerned.