Abstract This study examines the extent to which TOEIC Writing test scores relate to an external criterion: evaluations by linguistic laypersons of the functional adequacy of writing in the international workplace. Test-taker responses to two representative tasks from the TOEIC Writing test (e-mail requests, opinion surveys) were adapted for workplace role-play scenarios that laypersons read and evaluated in an online survey. After reading each role-play scenario, laypersons evaluated the text produced by their imagined interlocutor using functional adequacy scale items (comprehensibility, content adequacy, effectiveness, support and coherence). Overall functional adequacy evaluations were obtained by averaging the ratings for each of the two tasks. Layperson ratings of functional adequacy were strongly correlated with TOEIC Writing test scores (r = 0.76). Results suggested that test-takers’ writing performance is likely to be perceived as functionally adequate for test scores at which important decisions are typically made. Study results are discussed in terms of their implications for claims about the generalizability of TOEIC Writing test score interpretations with respect to those made in the international workplace, as well as the potential benefits, challenges, and limitations involved in this approach to validation.

中文翻译：

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TOEIC® 写作测试分数作为国际工作场所写作功能充分性的指标：语言外行的评估

摘要 本研究考察了 TOEIC 写作考试分数与外部标准的相关程度：语言非专业人士对国际工作场所写作功能充分性的评估。考生对 TOEIC 写作测试（电子邮件请求、意见调查）中两项代表性任务的回答适用于非专业人士在在线调查中阅读和评估的工作场所角色扮演场景。在阅读每个角色扮演场景后，外行人使用功能充分性量表项目（可理解性、内容充分性、有效性、支持性和连贯性）评估他们想象中的对话者产生的文本。通过对两项任务中的每一项的评分进行平均，获得总体功能充分性评估。外行对功能充分性的评分与 TOEIC 写作考试成绩密切相关 (r = 0.76)。结果表明，考生的写作表现可能被认为在功能上足以满足通常做出重要决定的考试成绩。研究结果讨论了它们对托业写作考试成绩解释的普遍性与国际工作场所相关的主张的影响，以及这种验证方法所涉及的潜在好处、挑战和局限性。