| The two major testing tools for oral proficiency assessment in Russian are the OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) and the SOPI (Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview). SOPI was developed as an equivalent to the OPI to be used in situations when it is impossible or impractical to use the OPI. Though in recent decades much attention has been directed to the analysis of the validity of the two tests, no research has focused on the investigation of whether the mode of the test influences testees' performance.; The current study takes the first steps in examining how the modality of the speech (interpersonal in the OPI versus presentational in the SOPI) affects the language production of learners of Russian in a speaking proficiency test [in general and with regard to subjects who took both the OPI and the SOPI within the same week of testing]. This study focuses on the language function of oral description which, according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Guidelines, is one of the core functions of Advanced-level performance.; The primary data, obtained through ACTFL, the Center for Applied Linguistics, the Middlebury Russian School, and the Ohio State University, consist of officially recorded OPIs as well as officially and non-officially recorded SOPIs of testees' with an oral proficiency rating between Intermediate High and Superior. Additional data come from OPIs and SOPIs collected from Native Speakers of Russian currently residing in the US.; The methodological framework of this dissertation is based on Shohamy's (Hebrew) and Koike's research (Spanish) comparing OPI and SOPI speech. It also largely hinges on Rifkin's work, which examines the syntax of the function of narration given by Russian learners. The current study investigates OPI and SOPI description by analyzing syntactic and lexical complexity. The analysis of syntactic complexity allows the researcher to hypothesize as to why one test constantly exhibits a higher frequency of subordination. The analysis of lexical complexity establishes the correlation between content and function items produced and allows the researcher to conclude why one test elicits more "less frequently used lexical items" [and affects students' lexicon diversity].; Although previous research on the correlation, comparability, and validity of OPI and SOPI ratings suggests that both tests adhere to the same ACTFL Oral Proficiency Guidelines and elicit the same speech samples, the present research questions the validity of the SOPI at Intermediate-High through Superior levels.; The hypothesis is that the difference in the syntactic and lexical complexity of speech produced in the two tests lies in the modality of the tests, the prompts used by the OPI and the SOPI, and testees' psychological comfort during the test. Further investigation is needed to reveal the affect of the modality of the test on testees' communicative strategies, discourse features, and other linguistic characteristics. |
