Method’s description.
The test “Linguocultural Competence Assessment. Test 2.”can be used both for assessing and building the linguocultural competence of ESL students.
We understand this competence as the ability and readiness to interact with representatives from other cultures, formed on the basis of knowledge about the own and foreign linguocultures, capacity to interpret cultural information in language and skills of communication in accordance with social norms, that all serve to attain the aims of interpersonal communication.
The test consists of four parts. The first one aims at assessing the attitude of the students towards the English-speaking nations and their own one. The second part is an adaptation of "The Life in the UK Test" that helps to assess the factual knowlege about the British culture. The third part of the test contains questions that reveal the students' knowledge of social norms of behaviour. The fourth part helps to assess the ability to interpret linguocultural information in the text through analysis of nations' descriptions.
The answers to the first part of the test are analysed individually. Each correct answer in the rest of the test gets one point. The result is calculated according to the following formula: K = n / N, n is the number of points got, N is the maximum possible number of points. If K is 0.7 or less, the competence is formed at a low level, if K is 0.7– 0.9 , the competence is formed at the medium level. If K is 0.9 – 1.0, the level of competence is high.
The approximate time of the assessment is 1 – 2 hours.
