awej 5 no.4 full issue 2014

AWEJ Volume.5 Number.4, 2014Fair, Reliable, Valid: Developing a Grammar Test UtilizingEfeotorgreatMikedifficulty,Orreven if the topic is considered easy. Two examples of this for Arabic speakers isthe present continuous tense and the verb to be. In Arabic the structure for the present simpletense and the present continuous tense is the same. Moreover, the verb to be is omitted in thepresent simple tense. This is highlighted in Figure 8.Figure 8. Grammar topics which cause specific difficulty for Arabic speakersArabic Literal Translation MeaningAhmad plays football أحود يلعب كرة القدمAhmad plays footballAhmad is playing footballI student in Durham أنا طالب في جاهعة درهنUniversityI am a student at DurhamUniversity.In my experience teaching in the Middle East, learners whose first language is Arabic tend tofind difficulty with the grammatical structures highlighted in Figure 8. Using the verb to be isplaced at A1 level by the British Council and EQUALS. However, due to the lack of thestructure in Arabic, learners may take more time to grasp its use. This may explain, for example,why item 1 had a higher difficulty than item 7. Item 7, which tests the past continuous tense, isfamiliar to the students in Arabic. However, item 1 uses a different preposition to the one theyare familiar with. This is shown in Figure 9.Figure 9. Item 1 from the grammar test1. I am going to Riyadh ___________ Friday.a) on b) at c) in d) byIn English the preposition on is used with days. However in Arabic the preposition قي is used,which translates as in. The item is likely to be easier for students who also use the preposition,on, in their mother tongue. To examine this possibility, a developed test should be given toEnglish learners whose first language differs.Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Mr. Saabir Mark Alaji for his help administering andgrading the test.About the Author:Voke Efeotor is a language instructor and test item writer from the United Kingdom. He hasbeen working in Saudi Arabia for eight years, and is presently working at Taibah University inMadinah, Saudi Arabia. At Taibah University he is part of the Testing Unit which is responsiblefor producing exams for the preparatory year English language program. He is a doctorateArab World English JournalISSN: 2229-9327www.awej.org221