Special Operations Forces Language and Culture Needs Assessment: Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI).

摘要

This report examined perceptions of the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) from the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community so that feedback can be used to improve the OPI, testing conditions, and the match between language testing, language training, and incentive programs. Results from this study indicated that most SOF operators and leaders who participated in the study had neutral to favorable perceptions of the OPI in terms of its job-relatedness and accuracy. Also, those operators and leaders who supported the testing standard change (i.e., the switch from the Defense Language Proficiency Test to the OPI) agreed more strongly that the OPI accurately assesses and relates to what SOF operators do on missions. However, many SOF operators and leaders agreed that the OPI needed to cover more mission-specific tasks. Future directions with the use of the OPI in the SOF community and general recommendations based on respondent comments are also discussed.