Unpacking CEFR A1 Interactional Competence: Interview-based Assessment with Thai Sixth Graders
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Abstract
This study investigated the interactional competence of Thai EFL sixth-grade students who had previously achieved CEFR A1 level on the Cambridge English Young Learners Test (A1 Movers). Although the students demonstrated strong performance on the standardized test, particularly in the speaking component, their actual ability to engage in real-time spoken interaction was not clearly portrayed. Drawing on secondary data from the 2018 cohort (n = 108) and using an interview-based speaking task designed for A1 learners, this study examined how young learners managed interaction beyond scripted responses. Two weeks after the administration of the standardized test, all students participated in interview-based assessment. Their performances were rated and can be further categorized into sub three levels: A1-, A1, and A1+. A total of twenty-one interview recordings (seven from each level) were randomly selected for transcription and qualitative analysis using Galaczi and Taylor’s (2018) framework of interactional competence. Findings revealed that while most students could respond to familiar questions as specified for the A1 level, many showed limited ability to initiate, maintain, or extend conversation. The A1+ group showed clearer turn-taking, clarification strategies, and topic development. The study highlights the value of using interview-based assessment to elicit young learners’ interactional competence. It proposes that interactional competence can be used as a diagnostic criterion to identify students’ strengths and inform teaching practices. Implications are discussed for both pedagogy and assessment, with a call to prioritize interactional skills in early English language instruction.
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