The importance of acquiring the first language

2. Informing language testers about differences and
accommodating theses differences:
1) How can SLA researchers help or serveLanguage
Testers ?
2) Example
3) How to accomodate differences of SLA in testing
4) Tarone and Ellis(1982/1983)
5) Berdan and Garcia work (1982)
6) Conclusion

4.  SLA resarchers can
provide or alert language
testers to the problematic
areas in test constuction

5.  We know that SLA research has concluded
that L1 makes diffenrences in SLA ,
 then ,language testers should n’t treat test
takers from different L1 backgrounds in the
same way.

6. There is a need to make
accomodation for these
differences .How ?

7. By devising different versions of
tests for different test takers

8.  The findings of Tarone and Ellis can provide language testers with important
information .
 Their research indicates that language sample obtained in natural discourse more
closely reflects the vernacular (i.e., every day informal language) and therefore maybe
more authentic representation of language as it is actually used,as opposed to language
in samples optained via structured elicitation tasks. Thus testers may want to choose
testing instruments with this in mind.
Similarly, the use of article system is maybe more accurate when applied to chunks
of text discourse then when it is in isolated sentences(Tarone 1988),suggesting that
language testing shouldld elecit language in narrative task ,since the language sample
obtained in this way seems to be more stabe.

9. Shows that discourse contexts have an effect on
the length of utterances.

10.  All of these findings provide usful information
from SLA research that can inform the type of
elicitation tasks that laguage testers should use.