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Argument-Based Validation in Testing and Assessment Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-09-05 Fang Wang
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Ahead of Print, 2024)
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The Diagnosis of Writing in a Second or Foreign Language Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-08-06 Minzi Li, Xiaoqi Wang
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 3, 2024)
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The Role of Gazing Behaviors in Navigating Paired Role-Play Interactional Competence Assessment Tasks Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-08-04 Gülşah Uyar, Ufuk Balaman
This paper deals with an end-of-semester interactional competence (IC) assessment of L2 oral communication skills for higher education students. Despite the growing research interest in L2 IC asses...
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Fundamental Considerations in Technology Mediated Language Assessment Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-07-29 Xiaozhu Wang, Jimin Wang
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 3, 2024)
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Twenty Years of Language Assessment Quarterly: An Interview with LAQ Founder Antony Kunnan Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-07-29 Elvis Wagner
Antony Kunnan founded the journal Language Assessment Quarterly in 2004. In this interview, Antony explains his rationale for starting the journal, what the journal has accomplished, how it differs...
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Automated Sign Language Vocabulary Assessment: Comparing Human and Machine Ratings and Studying Learner Perceptions Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-06-26 Franz Holzknecht, Sandrine Tornay, Alessia Battisti, Aaron Olaf Batty, Katja Tissi, Tobias Haug, Sarah Ebling
Although automated spoken language assessment is rapidly growing, such systems have not been widely developed for signed languages. This study provides validity evidence for an automated web applic...
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Adapting to a New Normal: A Review of Technology Assisted Language Assessment in Diverse Contexts Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-06-06 Johanathan Woodworth
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 3, 2024)
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The Academic Achievement of Undergraduate Students with Different English Language Proficiency Profiles Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-05-07 Khaled Barkaoui
Many English-medium universities employ a compensatory model to establish cutscores on English language proficiency tests for student admissions. In this model, students can have different scores o...
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In Memoriam: Timothy Francis McNamara (1949-2023) Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-04-15 James Enos Purpura
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 2, 2024)
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An Interview with Timothy Francis McNamara Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-04-09 James Enos Purpura
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 2, 2024)
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The Development and Initial Validation of O-WSVLT, a Meaning-Recall Online L2 Spanish Vocabulary Levels Test Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Pablo Robles-García, Stuart McLean, Jeffrey Stewart, Ji-young Shin, Claudia Helena Sánchez-Gutiérrez
Recent literature in the field of L2 vocabulary assessment has advocated for the development of written receptive vocabulary tests such as Vocabulary Levels Tests (VLTs) that use: (a) meaning-recal...
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An Empirical Evaluation of Lexical Diversity Indices in L2 Korean Writing Assessment Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Hakyung Sung, Sooyeon Cho, Kristopher Kyle
Lexical diversity (LD) is an important indicator of second language lexical development. Much research has investigated LD indices, with a focus on learners of English. However, further research is...
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A Three-Step DIF Analysis of a Reading Comprehension Test Across Regional Dialects to Improve Test Score Validity Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-08 Paula Elosua
In sociolinguistic contexts where standardized languages coexist with regional dialects, the study of differential item functioning is a valuable tool for examining certain linguistic uses or varie...
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Prof Bernard (Dov) Spolsky Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-06 Susan (Sarah) Holzman
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 1, 2024)
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Innovation in Learning-Oriented Language Assessment Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-04 Hassan Mohebbi, Fatemeh Ranjbaran
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 2, 2024)
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Exploring the Potential of a Spoken Dialog System-Delivered Paired Discussion Task for Assessing Interactional Competence Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Nazlinur Gokturk, Evgeny Chukharev
While several studies support the appropriateness of tasks delivered through Spoken Dialog Systems (SDSs) for L2 oral communication assessment, few studies have explored the construct of interactio...
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Is Assessment Fair? Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-29 Sheila Parveen Lallmamode
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 2, 2024)
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Insights into Editing and Revising in Writing Process Using Keystroke Logs Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Mengxiao Zhu, Mo Zhang, Lin Gu
Recent technology advances have enabled the collection of keystroke logs during writing, a non-intrusive approach to collecting writing process data that could provide insights into writers’ editin...
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Reflections on the Application and Validation of Technology in Language Testing Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Barry O’Sullivan
This paper highlights as issues of concern the rapid changes in technology and the tendency to report on partial validation efforts where the work is not identified as forming part of a larger vali...
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Automatic Speaking Assessment of Spontaneous L2 Finnish and Swedish Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Ragheb Al-Ghezi, Katja Voskoboinik, Yaroslav Getman, Anna Von Zansen, Heini Kallio, Mikko Kurimo, Ari Huhta, Raili Hildén
The development of automated systems for evaluating spontaneous speech is desirable for L2 learning, as it can be used as a facilitating tool for self-regulated learning, language proficiency asses...
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The Use of Assistive Technologies Including Generative AI by Test Takers in Language Assessment: A Debate of Theory and Practice Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Erik Voss, Sara T. Cushing, Gary J. Ockey, Xun Yan
Assistive writing tools that provide suggestions for word choice, sentence structure, and grammar correction are allowed as accommodations for students with learning disabilities on a case-by-case ...
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The Criticality of Implementing Principled Design When Using AI Technologies in Test Development Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Brad Bolender, Charles Foster, Sara Vispoel
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 20, No. 4-5, 2023)
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Validity Arguments for Automated Essay Scoring of Young Students’ Writing Traits Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 L. Hannah, E. E. Jang, M. Shah, V. Gupta
Machines have a long-demonstrated ability to find statistical relationships between qualities of texts and surface-level linguistic indicators of writing. More recently, unlocked by artificial inte...
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Reconsidering Context in Language Assessment: Transdisciplinary Perspectives, Social Theories, and Validity Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-20 Emma Bruce, Tony Clark
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 1, 2024)
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Remote Proctoring in Language Testing: Implications for Fairness and Justice Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-11 Daniel R. Isbell, Benjamin Kremmel, Jieun Kim
In the wake of the COVID-19 boom in remote administration of language tests, it appears likely that remote administration will be a permanent fixture in the language testing landscape. Accordingly,...
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Advancing Language Assessment with AI and ML–Leaning into AI is Inevitable, but Can Theory Keep Up? Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-10 Xiaoming Xi
Following the burgeoning growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications in language assessment in recent years, the meteoric rise of ChatGPT and its sweeping applicat...
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Test-Taker Engagement in AI Technology-Mediated Language Assessment Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-08 Yan Jin, Jason Fan
In language assessment, AI technology has been incorporated in task design, assessment delivery, automated scoring of performance-based tasks, score reporting, and provision of feedback. AI technol...
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Assessing Academic English for Higher Education Admissions Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-07 Dan Douglas
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 1, 2024)
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Washback into an Ecosystem of Teaching, Learning and Testing within Asia and Beyond: An Interview with Liying Cheng Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-11 Alla Khan, Norhaslinda Hassan
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 21, No. 1, 2024)
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Development of a Sign Repetition Task for Novice L2 Signers Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-30 Ingela Holmström, Krister Schönström, Magnus Ryttervik
There is a lack of tests available for assessing sign language proficiency among L2 learners. We have therefore developed a sign repetition test, SignRepL2, with a specific focus on the phonologica...
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Examining the Scoring of Content Integration in a Listening-Speaking Test: A G-Theory Analysis Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-03 Rongchan Lin
ABSTRACT Communication in the real world often entails the interpretation, evaluation, and integration of content from different sources. However, it appears that the ability to integrate content into discourse has not been explicitly scored for in existing studies. This study operationalizes content integration in the analytic scoring of a listening-speaking test in Chinese. International students
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A Meta-Analysis of Accommodation Effects for English Learners: Considering Possible Moderators Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-27 Nathalie L. Marinho, Sara E. Witmer, Nicole Jess, Sarina Roschmann
ABSTRACT The use of accommodations is often recommended to remove barriers to academic testing among English Learners (ELs). However, it is unclear whether accommodations are particularly effective at improving ELs’ test scores. A growing foundation of empirical work has explored this topic. We conducted a meta-analysis that examined several possible moderators of accommodation effectiveness for improving
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The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) Test Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-26 Melissa McLeod, Liying Cheng
ABSTRACT The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) Test was designed for immigration and citizenship in Canada. CELPIP is a computer-based English-language proficiency test which covers all four skills. This test review provides a description of the test and its construct, tasks, and delivery. Then, it appraises CELPIP for reliability, fairness, and validity before identifying
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Comparability Between Graded Readers and the Common Test in Japan in Terms of Text Difficulty Perceived by Learners Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-26 Yuya Arai
ABSTRACT Proponents of extensive reading argue that test-oriented language teaching and learning could discourage extensive reading practice. However, this has not been examined empirically. Given the possibility that the consistency of reading texts used in extensive reading and entrance examinations is one source of washback, the present study employed a two-facet Rasch measurement to examine the
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Assessing Interactional Competence: ICE versus a Human Partner Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-26 Gary J. Ockey, Evgeny Chukharev-Hudilainen, R. Roz Hirch
Most second language assessment researchers agree that interactional competence (IC) is an important part of the construct of oral communication. However, measurement of IC has proven challenging b...
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Learning-Oriented Language Assessment: Putting Theory into Practice Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-11 Fatimah M. M. Aseeri
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 20, No. 4-5, 2023)
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Teaching and Testing Second Language Pragmatics and Interaction: A Practical Guide Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-11 Dunlai Lin, Sen Liu
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 20, No. 3, 2023)
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Aligning Language Frameworks: An Example with the CLB and CEFR Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Brian North, Enrica Piccardo
ABSTRACT This paper presents a methodology for directly aligning ‘can do’ frameworks to each other. The methodology, inspired by the manual for relating examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) (Council of Europe, 2009) and Kane’s (2004, 2013) interpretative argument, takes account of both the horizontal dimension (content analysis)
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Dynamic Assessment of the Learning Potential of Chinese as a Second Language Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-04 Zhijun Sun, Peng Xu, Jianqin Wang
ABSTRACT The construct of learning potential has been proposed to capture differences between learner independent performance and performance during Dynamic Assessment (DA). This paper introduces a new LPS formula implemented in a DA study involving Pakistani learners of L2 Chinese. Learners were randomly assigned to a control or experimental group and administered a pre-, post-, and more difficult
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Gazing into Cognition: Eye Behavior in Online L2 Speaking Tests Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-11-23 J. Dylan Burton
ABSTRACT The effects of question or task complexity on second language speaking have traditionally been investigated using complexity, accuracy, and fluency measures. Response processes in speaking tests, however, may manifest in other ways, such as through nonverbal behavior. Eye behavior, in the form of averted gaze or blinking frequency, has been found to play an important role in regulating information
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Assessment of English Learners and Their Peers in the Content Areas: Expanding What “Counts” as Evidence of Content Learning Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-11-15 Scott E Grapin
ABSTRACT In this article, I argue for expanding what “counts” as evidence of content learning in the assessment of English learners (ELs) and their peers in the content areas. ELs bring expansive meaning-making resources to content classrooms that are valuable assets for meeting the ambitious learning goals of the latest K-12 education reform. Traditionally, however, the assessment of ELs in the content
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Investigating Second Language (L2) Reading Subskill Associations: A Cognitive Diagnosis Approach Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-11-07 Huilin Chen, Yuyang Cai, Jimmy de la Torre
ABSTRACT This study uses a cognitive diagnosis model (CDM) approach to investigate the associations among specific L2 reading subskills. Participants include 1,203 Year-4 English major college students randomly selected from the nationwide test takers of Band 8 of Test for English Majors (TEM8), a large-scale English proficiency test for senior English majors in China. Their English reading was measured
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A Review on Language Assessment Literacy: Trends, Foci and Contributions Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-10-19 Ling Gan, Ricky Lam
ABSTRACT Language assessment literacy (LAL), an increasingly prominent research topic, has generated substantial literature in language testing and assessment. Thus far, there seems to be few comprehensive reviews on this research topic. The current scoping study reviewed a total of 81 papers by synthesising LAL studies published from 2008 to 2020. It addressed research questions concerning (1) the
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Content Analysis of Test Taker Responses on an AP Japanese Computer-Simulated Conversation Test: A Mixed Methods Approach for A Validity Argument Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-09-30 Nana Suzumura
ABSTRACT The present study is part of a larger mixed methods project that investigated the speaking section of the Advanced Placement (AP) Japanese Language and Culture Exam. It investigated assumptions for the evaluation inference through a content analysis of test taker responses. Results of the content analysis were integrated with those of a many-facet Rasch analysis of the same speech data. This
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Another Generation of Fundamental Considerations in Language Assessment: A Festschrift in Honor of Lyle F. Bachman Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-09-06 Yo In'nami, Rie Koizumi
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 19, No. 5, 2022)
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Looking Back and Forward: Language Assessment Insights from Constant Leung Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-08-02 Peter I. De Costa, Matthew D. Coss, Constant Leung
ABSTRACT In this interview piece, Peter De Costa and Matt Coss invite Constant Leung, LAQ co-editor (2017–2021) and active member of the LAQ editorial team since its inception in 2004, to highlight key milestones within the field of language assessment in general, and as they relate to major accomplishments of the journal. In addition, readers will also gain insight into anticipated developments within
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Test Review: LanguageCert IESOL B1 (Achiever) SELT Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-07-28 William S. Pearson
ABSTRACT The present article reviews LanguageCert’s International English for Speakers of Other Languages (IESOL) Achiever Secure English Language Test (SELT). This high-stakes on-demand CEFR-linked exam has, since 2020, constituted Home Office-recognised evidence L2 English users can speak, write, and understand written and verbal English at B1 level. Passing the test facilitates enrolment onto a
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Evaluating Fairness and Justice of External English Language Test Score Interpretation and Use for Japanese University Admission Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-07-27 Hidetoshi Saito, Yasuyo Sawaki, Kiwamu Kasahara
ABSTRACT The study evaluated a recently postponed national test policy on the use of external agencies’ English tests measuring four skills for Japanese university admission purposes. Using Kunnan’s principles of fairness and justice, we generated and evaluated three claims regarding the test policy: vocabulary coverage of the tests, the justifiability of the Common European Framework of References
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Assessing Speaking in Context: Expanding the Construct and its Applications Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-07-03 Nicholas Glasson
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 20, No. 2, 2023)
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Prof Liz Hamp-Lyons (1946–2022) Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-06-20 Emma Bruce, Anthony Green
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 19, No. 4, 2022)
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The Fluctuating Effect of Thinking on Language Performance: New Evidence for the Island Ridge Curve Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-06-12 Yuyang Cai, Huilin Chen
ABSTRACT Thinking skills play a critical role in determining language performance. Recent advancement in cognitive diagnostic modelling (CDM) provides a powerful tool for obtaining fine-grained information regarding these thinking skills during reading. Studies are scant, however, exploring the relations between thinking skills and language performance, not to mention studies examining the variation
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An Investigation of the Impact of Jagged Profile on L2 Speaking Test Ratings: Evidence from Rating and Eye-tracking Data Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-06-12 Wenyue Ma, Paula Winke
ABSTRACT The factors that influence rater scoring have been a subject of great interest to researchers in second language assessment. However, the research on the impact of test-takers’ speech profiles (e.g., a jagged or a flat profile reflecting analytic subscores) on raters’ scoring behaviors remains to be seen. To investigate the role of speech profiles in scoring, we collected analytic and holistic
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Developing a Scenario-Based English Language Assessment in an Asian University Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-05-31 Antony John Kunnan, Coral Yiwei Qin, Cecilia Guanfang Zhao
ABSTRACT A new computer-assisted test of academic English for use at an Asian University was commissioned by administrators. The test was designed to serve both placement and diagnostic purposes. The authors and their team conceptualized, developed, and administered a scenario-based assessment with an online delivery with independent and integrated language skills tasks. The project provided many advantages:
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Investigating the Effects of Task Type and Linguistic Background on Accuracy in Automated Speech Recognition Systems: Implications for Use in Language Assessment of Young Learners Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-03-27 L. Hannah, H. Kim, E. E. Jang
ABSTRACT As a branch of artificial intelligence, automated speech recognition (ASR) technology is increasingly used to detect speech, process it to text, and derive the meaning of natural language for various learning and assessment purposes. ASR inaccuracy may pose serious threats to valid score interpretations and fair score use for all when it is exacerbated by test takers’ characteristics, such
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Technology-Enhanced Items in Grades 1–12 English Language Proficiency Assessments Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-03-15 Ahyoung Alicia Kim, Rurik L. Tywoniw, Mark Chapman
ABSTRACT Technology-enhanced items (TEIs) are innovative, computer-delivered test items that allow test takers to better interact with the test environment compared to traditional multiple-choice items (MCIs). The interactive nature of TEIs offer improved construct coverage compared with MCIs but little research exists regarding students’ performance on TEIs versus MCIs in English language proficiency
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Classroom-Based Formative Assessment Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-03-14 Chunqing Zhang, Liping Liu
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 20, No. 2, 2023)
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Promoting Change in Language Teaching and Assessment at Policy and Practice Levels: An Interview with Hossein Farhady Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-03-12 Parvaneh Tavakoli
ABSTRACT This interview highlights Professor Hossein Farhady’s academic life and his sustained contribution to research in the fields of English Language teaching, language testing and ESP over the past decades. Through a number of questions, the interview asks Professor Farhady about his pioneering role in the field of language testing in Iran and his highly valued contribution to issues related to
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Assessing English for Professional Purposes Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-03-06 Abdulrahman A. Alharthi
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 19, No. 5, 2022)
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Validity Arguments in Language Testing: Case Studies of Validation Research Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-01-25 Kaizhou Luo, Jiayu Wang
Published in Language Assessment Quarterly (Vol. 20, No. 2, 2023)
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L2 Speaking Assessment in Secondary School Classrooms in Japan Language Assessment Quarterly (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-01-15 Rie Koizumi
ABSTRACT In Japanese secondary schools, speaking assessment in English classrooms is designed, conducted, and scored by teachers. Although the assessment is intended to be used for summative and formative purposes, it is not regularly or adequately practiced. This paper reports the problems (i.e., lack of continuous speaking assessment, limited speaking test formats used, and reliability that is not