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An Evaluative Commentary of the Grade 1 EIKEN Test

Language Testing in Asia volume 1, Article number: 144 (2011) Cite this article

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the fit between the "use" and "usefulness" of the EIKEN Grade 1 test as a valid and reliable instrument to measure second language proficiency. The recent re-positioning of the EIKEN Grade 1 test as an internationally recognised higher stakes test of English proficiency, which allows successful test taker's access to higher education in international academic contexts, is discussed. The evaluation was based upon Bachman and Palmer's (1996) model of test usefulness in order to critically ascertain whether such test use is one that could be justified. This empirical investigation explicitly purports the need for further quantitative and qualitative analysis to justify EIKEN Grade 1's test usefulness.

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  1. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan

    Gabrielle Piggin

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  1. Gabrielle Piggin
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Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Piggin, G. An Evaluative Commentary of the Grade 1 EIKEN Test. Language Testing in Asia 1, 144 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1186/2229-0443-1-4-144

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2229-0443-1-4-144