Articles

A study of EFL teachers’ classroom grading practices in secondary schools and private institutes: a mixed methods approach

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study aimed at exploring the grading decision-making of Iranian English language teachers in terms of the factors used when assigning grades and the rationales behind ...

Authors: Majid Nowruzi

EFL teachers’ perceptions and practices of their language assessment knowledge

Research on language assessment knowledge (LAK) of teachers has focused on two major topics: identifying the LAK needs of teachers and developing appropriate LAK tests. Although the prior research findings sig...

Authors: Hossein Farhady and Kobra Tavassoli

Development and validation of a metamemory maturity questionnaire in the context of English as a foreign language

To determine the inherent components of language learners’ capacity for metamemory maturity, the researchers drafted a metamemory maturity (MMM) questionnaire based on Hultsch et al.’s (Memory self-knowledge a...

Authors: Payam Nour, Rajab Esfandiari and Abbas Ali Zarei

Students’ low proficiency in spoken English in private universities in Bangladesh: reasons and remedies

Students of private universities in Bangladesh are often found to be less competent in spoken English. Since the universities have adopted EMI (English medium instruction) policy, the prevailing linguistic con...

Authors: Md Shaiful Islam and Mahani Bt Stapa

Questioning in TOEFL iBT speaking test: a case of washback and construct underrepresentation

Admission in English-medium universities or institutions of higher education depends on the results obtained by candidates in large-scale proficiency tests including Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEF...

Authors: Ali Sayyadi and Reza Rezvani

Exploring the relationships between various dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and L2 listening and reading comprehension

The article presents an empirical study that investigates the single- and cross-modality relationships between different dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and language skills, as well as the importa...

Authors: Hung Tan Ha

Exploring tertiary EFL practitioners’ knowledge base component of assessment literacy: implications for teacher professional development

Language teachers’ assessment literacy has been a much debated subject in the educational arena recently. Teachers’ assessment knowledge base and skills, important aspects of their assessment literacy, have be...

Authors: Muhammad Wasim Latif

Implementing a formative assessment model at the secondary schools: attitudes and challenges

This paper aims at exploring the issues related to implementing a formative assessment model namely School-Based Assessment (SBA) at secondary schools in Bangladesh. A qualitative study employing interviews wi...

Authors: Kh. Atikur Rahman, Md. Kamrul Hasan, Ehsan Namaziandost and Prodhan Mahbub Ibna Seraj

How effective are lexical richness measures for differentiations of vocabulary proficiency? A comprehensive examination with clustering analysis

This study proposed an innovative automated approach to differentiation of the vocabulary proficiency of Chinese speakers. A robust K-means algorithm was designed to compare the oral proficiency between L1 and...

Authors: Yanhui Zhang and Weiping Wu

Enhancing learning potential score in EFL listening comprehension and self-regulation through self-regulated dynamic assessment procedures

This study aimed to integrate self-regulation strategies into dynamic assessment procedures of listening comprehension in an EFL setting and examine the possibility of raising EFL students’ listening comprehen...

Authors: Parisa Abdolrezapour and Nasim Ghanbari

A Rasch-based validation of the Vietnamese version of the Listening Vocabulary Levels Test

The Listening Vocabulary Levels Test (LVLT) created by McLean et al. Language Teaching Research 19:741-760, 2015 filled an important gap in the field of second language assessment by introducing an instrument ...

Authors: Hung Tan Ha

On the usefulness of CDA-based score reporting: implications for self-regulated learning

In cognitive diagnostic modeling research, one area that has not had enough research interests is remedial learning or instruction based on the information provided by cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA). Th...

Authors: Yeon-Sook Yi

Test review of Iranian university entrance exam: English Konkur examination

The present paper appraises a standardized test, the entrance exam of Iranian universities, known as “Konkur” that is administered annually as a means of gaining admission to higher education in Iran. This nor...

Authors: Ali Khodi, Sayyed Mohammad Alavi and Hossein Karami

Designing and validating an evaluation inventory for assessing teachers’ professional accountability

Research has already established the boundless potential of teachers in assisting effective learning processes, and there is still a need to expand research to illustrate interrelation and connection between t...

Authors: Maryam Rahmatollahi and Zohre Mohamadi Zenouzagh

Washback of assessment on English teaching-learning practice at secondary schools

This paper presents the findings of a study which aimed at exploring the washback of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) English examinations on English teaching and learning practice at secondary schools i...

Authors: Kh. Atikur Rahman, Prodhan Mahbub Ibna Seraj, Md. Kamrul Hasan, Ehsan Namaziandost and Shouket Ahmad Tilwani

Assessing the validity of an IAU General English Achievement Test through hybridizing differential item functioning and differential distractor functioning

The current study sought to examine the validity of a General English Achievement Test (GEAT), administered to university students in the fall semester of 2018–2019 academic year, by hybridizing differential i...

Authors: Mehri Jamalzadeh, Ahmad Reza Lotfi and Masoud Rostami

Linking the International English Language Competency Assessment suite of examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference

The study investigated the alignment process of the International English Language Competency Assessment (IELCA) suite examinations’ four levels, B1, B2, C1 and C2, onto the Common European Framework of Refere...

Authors: Sahbi Hidri

A meta-analysis on educational technology in English language teaching

As more various types of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) programs have been incorporated into language classrooms over the recent decades, it has become more important to uncover whether, to what ex...

Authors: Jafar Rahmati, Siros Izadpanah and Ali Shahnavaz

Different dimensions of teacher and peer assessment of EFL learners’ writing: descriptive and narrative genres in focus

The present study explored the extent to which teacher assessment (TA) and peer assessment (PA) differ in terms of magnitude and patterns of distribution across English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ de...

Authors: Natasha Pourdana and Soheila Asghari

A moderated mediation analysis of the relationship between a high-stakes English test and test takers’ extracurricular English learning activities

This study investigated the relationship between a large-scale and high-stakes English test and test takers’ learning behavior. Specifically, it explored whether and how the National Matriculation English Test...

Authors: Jing Zhang

The effect of using online language-support resources on L2 writing performance

Language learners today have access to a much wider choice of resources and language-support tools that aid their writing processes. While research on the convenience and flexibility of the writing resources t...

Authors: Dongkwang Shin, Suh Keong Kwon and Yongsang Lee

Rasch testlet model and bifactor analysis: how do they assess the dimensionality of large-scale Iranian EFL reading comprehension tests?

Rasch testlet and bifactor models are two measurement models that could deal with local item dependency (LID) in assessing the dimensionality of reading comprehension testlets. This study aimed to apply the me...

Authors: Masoud Geramipour

Integrating diagnostic assessment into curriculum: a theoretical framework and teaching practices

Currently, much research on cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA) focuses on the development of statistical models estimating individual students’ attribute profiles. However, little is known about how to comm...

Authors: Tingting Fan, Jieqing Song and Zheshu Guan

English language assessment in Bangladesh today: principles, practices, and problems

The achievement of curriculum goals and objectives, to a large extent, depends on how assessment methods are designed, implemented, monitored, and evaluated. English language learning in Bangladesh has miserab...

Authors: Md Shaiful Islam, Md Kamrul Hasan, Shahin Sultana, Abdul Karim and Mohammad Mosiur Rahman

Line, please? An analysis of the rehearsed speech characteristics of native Korean speakers on the English Oral Proficiency Interview—Computer (OPIc)

 Two assumptions of speaking proficiency tests are that the speech produced is spontaneous and the the scores on those tests predict what examinees can do in real-world communicative situations. Therefore, whe...

Authors: Gwyneth Gates, Troy L. Cox, Teresa Reber Bell and William Eggington

Development and validation of a rating scale for Iranian EFL academic writing assessment: a mixed-methods study

The present study reports the process of development and validation of a rating scale in the Iranian EFL academic writing assessment context. To achieve this goal, the study was conducted in three distinct pha...

Authors: Nasim Ghanbari and Hossein Barati

Effects of rating criteria order on the halo effect in L2 writing assessment: a many-facet Rasch measurement analysis

The halo effect is raters’ undesirable tendency to assign more similar ratings across rating criteria than they should. The impacts of the halo effect on ratings have been studied in rater-mediated L2 writing ...

Authors: Hyunwoo Kim

Correction to: Language assessment literacy: what do we need to learn, unlearn, and relearn?

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Christine Coombe, Hossein Vafadar and Hassan Mohebbi

Exploring the validity evidence of a high-stake, second language reading test: an eye-tracking study

The current study aims to explore the cognitive validity of the iBT TOEFL reading test by investigating test takers’ eye movements on individual items. It is assumed that successful test takers would adopt the...

Authors: Hyojung Lim

Correction to: Understanding university English instructors’ assessment training needs in the Chinese context

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Ling Gan and Ricky Lam

Examining consistency among different rubrics for assessing writing

The literature on using scoring rubrics in writing assessment denotes the significance of rubrics as practical and useful means to assess the quality of writing tasks. This study tries to investigate the agree...

Authors: Enayat A. Shabani and Jaleh Panahi

Understanding university English instructors’ assessment training needs in the Chinese context

In the past decade, language assessment training has increasingly become a key research agenda in language testing and assessment, particularly within the Chinese context. Studies have explored the training of...

Authors: Ling Gan and Ricky Lam

The relationship of test takers’ learning motivation, attitudes towards the actual test use and test performance of the College English Test in China

Test takers’ individual characteristics may have a significant impact on their test performance (e.g. Bachman & Palmer, Language assessment in practice: Developing language assessments and justifying their use...

Authors: Ying Bai

An investigation of novice ESL writers’ cognitive processes and strategy use of paraphrasing

Source use competence is becoming increasingly important in English-medium universities, and inability to appropriately use reading sources leads to plagiarism which has serious punishable consequences. As one...

Authors: Emily Di Zhang

Designing and validating a potential assessment inventory for assessing ELTs’ assessment literacy

English teachers' assessment literacy has always been considered as an important factor in their performance. However, no instrument has ever been developed to assess this construct among Iranian EFL teachers....

Authors: Fateme Nikmard and Zohre Mohamadi Zenouzagh

The application of Kunnan’s test fairness framework (TFF) on a reading comprehension test

The present study tries to investigate the fairness of an English reading comprehension test employing Kunnan’s (2004) test fairness framework (TFF) as the most comprehensive model available for test fairness....

Authors: M. Moghadam and F. Nasirzadeh

When testing stakes are no longer high: impact on the Chinese College English learners and their learning

It is now a consensus that high-stakes testing exerts powerful impact in controlling curriculum and pedagogy, and shaping students’ learning. The power of testing is especially strong in contexts where testing...

Authors: Qiuxian Chen, Chenxian Hao and Yangyu Xiao

Discursive conflicts in news media and the suspension of a government-led test of English in Korea

Drawing on critical discourse analysis methodologies, this study examines the discursive conflicts and strategies employed by newspaper media surrounding the National English Ability Test (NEAT) in Korea. NEAT...

Authors: Dongil Shin and Eunhae Cho

Preface: language assessment literacy

Authors: Hassan Mohebbi and Christine Coombe

Language assessment literacy: what do we need to learn, unlearn, and relearn?

Recently, we have witnessed a growing interest in developing teachers’ language assessment literacy. The ever increasing demand for and use of assessment products and data by a more varied group of stakeholder...

Authors: Christine Coombe, Hossein Vafadar and Hassan Mohebbi

Impact of test format on vocabulary test performance of EFL learners: the role of gender

This study aimed to examine the effect of test format on test performance by comparing Multiple Choice (MC) and Constructed Response (CR) vocabulary tests in an EFL setting. Also, this paper investigated the f...

Authors: Ghazal Akhavan Masoumi and Karim Sadeghi

Analyzing rater severity in a freshman composition course using many facet Rasch measurement

This study examined the rater severity of instructors using a multi-trait rubric in a freshman composition course offered in a private university in Kuwait. Use of standardized multi-trait rubrics is a recent ...

Authors: Inan Deniz Erguvan and Beyza Aksu Dunya

Standardized proficiency tests in a campus-wide English curriculum: a washback study

Washback refers to the influence of tests on learning and teaching. To date, a number of studies have revealed that tests affect teaching content, course design, and classroom practices. However, in Asian high...

Authors: Shao-Ting Alan Hung and Heng-Tsung Danny Huang

Writing scale effects on raters: an exploratory study

In writing assessment, finding a valid, reliable, and efficient scale is critical. Appropriate scales, increase rater reliability, and can also save time and money. This exploratory study compared the effects ...

Authors: Heejeong Jeong

SOLO taxonomy as EFL students’ disciplinary literacy evaluation tool in technology-enhanced integrated astronomy course

Whilst the role of disciplinary literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is becoming more prominent, there appears to be little adaptation or allowance made for English as...

Authors: Nadezhda Chubko, Julia E. Morris, David H. McKinnon, Eileen V. Slater and Geoffrey W. Lummis

Assessing peer review pattern and the effect of face-to-face and mobile-mediated modes on students’ academic writing development

This study examines the distribution of peer review in face-to-face and mobile-mediated peer review groups and their effects on students’ revision skills and academic writing development. Seventy-two first-yea...

Authors: Ali Akbar Khomeijani Farahani, Majid Nemati and Mostafa Nazari Montazer

‘Remark or retake’? A study of candidate performance in IELTS and perceptions towards test failure

It is becoming increasingly important for individuals for whom English is a second language to demonstrate their linguistic credentials for academic, work and employment purposes. One option is to undertake In...

Authors: William S. Pearson

Test-takers’ perspectives on a global test of English: questions of fairness, justice and validity

Although language test-takers have been the focus of much theoretical and empirical work in recent years, this work has been mainly concerned with their attitudes to test preparation and test-taking strategies...

Authors: M. Obaidul Hamid, Ian Hardy and Vicente Reyes

An exploration of students’ voices on the English graduation benchmark policy across Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam

Despite the wide implementation of English graduation benchmark policy in Vietnam, students’ voices on this one-size-fits-all policy have still been under-researched and under-represented. The purpose of this ...

Authors: Thinh Ngoc Pham and Lien Thi Phuong Bui

Diagnosing EFL learners’ writing ability: a diagnostic classification modeling analysis

Cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) have recently received a surge of interest in the field of second language assessment due to their promise for providing fine-grained information about strengths and weakness...

Authors: Farshad Effatpanah, Purya Baghaei and Ali Akbar Boori