Cover -- Acknowledgements -- Table of contents -- List of Tables -- List of abbreviations -- Chapter 1 -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.1.1 Chapter overview -- 1.1.2 Rationale -- 1.1.3 Context -- 1.1.4 Statement of the problem -- 1.2 Aims and research questions -- 1.2.1 Aim of study -- 1.2.2 Originality and scope of the study -- 1.2.3 Research approach -- 1.3 The studies -- 1.3.1 Perceptions of peer interaction in a paired test (Study 1) -- 1.3.2 Developing a data based empirical rating tool for peer interaction (Study2) -- 1.3.3 Research design -- 1.4 Overview -- 1.5 Chapter summary -- Chapter 2: Issues relevant to assessing speaking in pairs -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.1.1 Chapter overview -- 2.1.2 Background to testing speaking in pairs -- 2.1.3 The origin of tests in pairs -- 2.1.4 Group oral speaking tests -- 2.1.5 Support for paired and group interaction -- 2.1.6 Paired and group tests in use -- 2.1.7 Issues with paired format -- 2.2 Interlocutor effects on scores in speaking tests -- 2.2.1 The proficiency effect -- 2.2.2 The familiarity effect -- 2.2.3 The personality effect -- 2.2.4 Other interlocutor effects -- 2.3 Interlocutor effects on discourse -- 2.3.1 Interlocutor effects on discourse in interviews -- 2.3.2 Interlocutor effects on discourse in a paired task -- 2.3.3 Increased functions in paired or group tasks -- 2.3.4 Conversation management in peer tasks -- 2.4 Developing rating scales -- 2.4.1 Evidence-based scale development -- 2.4.2 Data based scale methodology: issues with EBB rating scales -- 2.4.3 Validating scales through verbal protocol analysis -- 2.5 The assessment of communicative interaction for pairs andgroups -- 2.6 Concluding discussion -- 2.7 Chapter summary -- Chapter 3: Assessing the paired test: motivation and methodology -- 3.1 Introduction and chapter overview.

3.2 Rationale for the introduction of the paired test in the Spanish program -- 3.3 Context for the task trial before main study -- 3.3.1 Test procedure -- 3.3.2 The rating criteria for the trial -- 3.4 Outcomes of the trial of the paired task -- 3.4.1 Implications of the trial of the test task on the main study -- 3.4.2 Task success -- 3.4.3 Site adoption of paired oral interaction -- 3.4.4 The consensual scale -- 3.5 Research motivation -- 3.5.1 Motivation for Study 1 Part A -- 3.5.2 Motivation for Study 1 Part B -- 3.5.3 Motivation for Study 2 -- 3.6 Overview of methodology -- 3.6.1 Methodology Study 1 Part A -- 3.6.2 Methodology Study 1 Part B -- 3.6.3 Methodology Study 2 -- 3.7 Chapter summary -- Chapter 4: Rater orientation to peer interaction in speaking tests (Study 1: Part A) -- 4.1 Chapter overview and introduction -- 4.1.1 Overview -- 4.1.2 Introduction -- 4.2 The study: participant selection procedure -- 4.2.1 Candidates: beginner Spanish language students -- 4.2.2 Raters: Spanish language specialists -- 4.3 Data collection -- 4.3.1 Verbal report data collection -- 4.3.2 Transcribing verbal reports -- 4.3.2.1 Segmenting protocols -- 4.3.2.2 Developing an encoding scheme: thematic analysis -- 4.3.2.3 Calculating encoder reliability -- 4.4 Analysing data -- 4.4.1 Non-verbal interpersonal communication -- 4.4.2 Interactive listening -- 4.4.3 Interactional management -- 4.4.4 Interaction irrelevant observation -- 4.5 Synthesis of findings and chapter summary -- 4.5.1 Synthesis of findings: raters' views on successful interaction -- 4.5.2 Chapter summary -- Chapter 5: Candidate orientation to peer interaction (Study 1 Part B) -- 5.1 Chapter overview and introduction -- 5.1.1 Chapter overview -- 5.1.2 Introduction -- 5.2 Methodology -- 5.2.1 Participants -- 5.2.2 The verbal protocol collection -- 5.2.3 Transcribing verbal reports.

5.2.4 Segmenting -- 5.2.5 Calculating encoder reliability -- 5.3 DATA ANALYSIS -- 5.3.1 Non-verbal interpersonal communication -- 5.3.1.1 Gesture -- 5.3.1.2 Gaze -- 5.3.1.3 Laughter -- 5.3.1.4 Body position -- 5.3.1.5 Facial expression -- 5.3.2 Interactive Listening -- 5.3.2.1 Comprehension -- 5.3.3 Interactional management -- 5.3.3.1 Topic change -- 5.3.3.2 Turn organization -- 5.3.3.3 Turn length -- 5.3.4 Other candidate reflections: a comment about pairs -- 5.3.4.1 Preparation -- 5.3.4.2 Linguistic comments -- 5.4 Synthesis of findings: dependency in interactional management -- 5.4.1 Co-dependent -- 5.4.2 Inter-reliant -- 5.4.3 Inter-dependent -- 5.5 Mapping the two data sets part A and B -- 5.5.1 Differences between raters' and test takers' orientation to peer interaction -- 5.5.2 Similarities in awareness between raters and test takers -- 5.6 Chapter summary -- Chapter 6: Developing a data based rating procedure from observed peer interaction (Study 2) -- 6.1 Chapter overview and introduction -- 6.1.1 Chapter overview -- 6.1.2 Introduction -- 6.2 Review of research context and site -- 6.2.1 Developing empirical rating scales -- 6.2.2 Rating paired orals -- 6.2.3 Review of the site -- 6.3 Methodology -- 6.3.1 The EBB scaling procedure -- 6.3.2 Adaptations of the EBB procedure -- 6.3.2.1 Adaptation 1: The individual familiarization stage -- 6.3.2.2 Adaptation 2: The provision of the reduced content analysis data -- 6.3.2.3 Adaptation 3: Consensus moderation of the scales -- 6.3.3 Participants in rating scale workshop -- 6.4 Scale development with EBB procedure -- 6.4.1 EBB step 1. A single question for the top of the hierarchy -- 6.4.2 EBB step 2. Questions for level 2 of the hierarchy -- 6.4.3 EBB step 3. A cluster becomes a level -- 6.4.4 EBB step 4. Developing the EBB model -- 6.4.5 EBB step 5. Writing a score level description.

6.5 Discussion: rating co-constructed performance -- 6.5.1 Decision making for co-constructed performances -- 6.5.2 The separability issue -- 6.6 Mapping study 2 on the scale and study 1 on the orientation -- 6.7 Conclusion and chapter summary -- Chapter 7: Discussion -- 7.1 Chapter overview and introduction -- 7.1.1 Chapter overview -- 7.1.2 Introduction -- 7.2 Review of the two studies and research questions -- 7.2.1 Review of Study 1 -- 7.2.1.1 Study 1 Part A: rater Verbal Protocol -- 7.2.1.2 Study 1 Part B: candidate Verbal Protocol -- 7.2.2 Review of Study 2 -- 7.2.2.1 Evidence-based scale development -- 7.2.3 Research questions -- 7.3 Summary of Study 1 -- 7.3.1 Part A. Orientation to peer interaction: Rater Verbal Protocols -- 7.3.1.1 Interpersonal non-verbal communication -- 7.3.1.2 Interactive listening -- 7.3.1.3 Interactional management -- 7.3.2 Part B. Orientation to peer interaction: Candidate stimulated verbal recall -- 7.4 Summary of Study 2 -- 7.4.1 Scale levels -- 7.4.2 Discussion and interpretation of Study 2 -- 7.5 Interpretation and discussion of findings -- 7.5.1 Mapping of the protocol data sets -- 7.5.2 Mapping the scale study and orientation -- 7.6 Implications -- 7.7 Conclusion and chapter summary -- 7.7.1 Conclusions -- 7.7.2 Chapter summary -- Chapter 8: Conclusion -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Summary of two studies and findings -- 8.3 Differences between this study and precursors -- 8.4 Methodological implications -- 8.4.1 Implications for the field -- 8.5 Limitations of the study -- 8.5.1 Limitations of participants in the sample -- 8.6 Further research -- List of References -- Appendices -- Appendix 1 Trial task rating criteria (before devising rating scale for interaction) -- Appendix 2 Task trial Spanish oral transcription with English gloss.

Appendix 3 Final band scales to which paired interaction grid is added: Criterios para calificarla comunicación oral -- Appendix 4 Ethics permission -- Appendix 5 La Trobe University Ethics clearance -- Appendix 6 Workshop guide used in Spanish -- Appendix 7 The three Verbal Protocols from Rater 4 on pairs 7, 8 and 9 -- Appendix 8 Candidate Stimulated Retrospective Verbal Protocols -- Appendix 9 Pairs 7, 8 and 9 rough transcription of paired interaction in Spanish -- Appendix 10 The three rater teams' EBB.