Group interactions in an oral test of English communication skill

Abstract

Does members'language ability affect one's performance in agrouporal test of English communication skills?This paper addresses that issue in reference to two research questions, (1) how do candidates perform when emplaced in groups according to language ability?And (2) what are the differences in the oral interactions of the candidates in the different groups? Three groups of four, first semester diploma students of varying levels of language ability were tested. The instruments were a Group Discussion Test and a common rating scale. The group discussions were recorded, transcribed and analysed. Results show that candidates grouped with those of same language ability performed better than those who were placed in a mixed language ability group. Additionally, candidates in themixed ability group did not exhibit more turn takings nor show better ability to express opinion. Implications for setting strategies for teaching-learning may be drawn from the study.