Validation of an assessment instrument for the development of oral and listening skills in english in transition-level
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Keywords
Early childhood education, Transition education, English language teaching, Early education
Abstract
The development of oral and listening skills in English during early childhood is essential for fostering early communicative processes in school contexts. This study aimed to design and validate a structured observation instrument to assess these skills in kindergarten children, based on a pedagogical proposal grounded in the Teaching Artist Project (TAP) and the Oral Language Teaching (ELO) approaches. The instrument was validated through expert judgment and then piloted with 110 children from a public school in Bogotá. It demonstrated theoretical coherence, pedagogical feasibility, and alignment with the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the Basic Learning Rights (DBA) defined by Colombia’s Ministry of National Education. The instrument showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.78). In addition, exploratory factor analysis revealed conceptually coherent item groupings and provided criteria to strengthen the definition of its dimensions. The results support the instrument’s content validity, and its thematic organization—basic commands, colors, numbers, emotions, body parts, objects, family members, and adjectives—makes it a relevant tool for real classroom contexts, especially at an age when children have not yet mastered reading and writing, which limits the use of conventional assessments.
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María Angélica Briceño Martínez, Secretariat of Education of Bogotá, Colombia
PhD candidate in Education at Antonio Nariño University
Ronald Andrés González Reyes, Antonio Nariño University, Bogotá, Colombia
Doctor of Political and Social Sciences, Antonio Nariño University