Summarizes what language testers have learned about test impact in the last decade and discusses what one model of educational innovation has revealed about how tests interact with other factors in the testing situation. Concludes with a set of recommendations about the steps future tests developers might take in order to assess the amount of risk…

Investigates whether it may still be possible to develop a word association test for assessing proficiency in a foreign language. A multiple-response word association test was constructed with careful consideration of prompt words as defining criterion. The test was administered to learners, and scores were correlated with C-test scores. Results…

Examines objectivity as a criterion for excellency in language tests through a critical presentation of the characteristics of objective tests. This examination leads to a discussion of what the best approach to testing language might be, endorsing a combination of integrative and objective techniques. (Author/MES)

Examines the dual challenges teachers often face: (1) testing the theoretical assumptions made by the authors of textbooks; and (2) evaluation of achievement tests that have been developed for use with those textbooks. Addresses these issues in the context of the use of an English-as-a-Foreign/Second-Language pronunciation textbook and achievement…

A feature shown to affect learners' performance on tests of spoken interaction is the gender of the person with whom the learner interacts. To test this hypothesis, 12 Japanese learners were interviewed, once by a man and once by a woman. Comparison of scores indicated that in all but one case the learners performed better when interviewed by a…

Discusses the change from an emphasis on structural forms to language functions in teachig English as a second language and the problems it presents for test writers. Suggest that criterion-referenced tests may provide an alternative to test construction and scoring procedures fr the new communicative tests of ESL. (SED)

Discusses the hypothesis that the difficulty of a multiple-choice comprehension test does not just depend on the difficulty of the text, but rather on the text and the questions. Presents ways to evaluate the difficulty of the text, the questions on it, and the test as a whole. (EKN)

Evaluates a multimedia program produced to support test takers facing a new performance test for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers in Hong Kong as part of a language certification test. Describes how groups of trainee ESL teachers in Hong Kong were first introduced to the test via the print syllabus produced by the Hong Kong…

Linking language assessments is a matter of greater concern with the advent of educational frameworks used to orient curricula and profile attainment. Outlines practical ways the principles of techniques recognized for linking separate assessments--equating, calibrating, statistical moderation, predicting (or benchmarking), and social moderation…

Describes a study that investigates whether programed instruction can eliminate differences between different achievement groups in the process of foreign language learning and the effect of response mode on the achievement of such learners. Both immediate and delayed retention tests were used with two response modes: overt and covert. (SED)

Describes weaknesses of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) testing methods and argues that many EFL departments set up their own examinations to assess how effectively they are preparing students for those examinations. It is suggested that this leads to production of test items that are biased against divergent students and that an interview…

Examines standards in language testing, in the context of the legal framework of the United States and the United Kingdom. The article argues that research into test reliability and validity by testing bodies in the United States has a legal basis and examines areas in which examination boards offering English as a foreign language tests in…

Presents a small informal survey assessing the awareness of input styles of English-as-a-Foreign-Language teacher trainers. The survey proved to have a beneficial effect on both questioner and questioned, and enhanced trainers' self-awareness and trainer-to-trainer attitude changes. (Author/CB)

Considers how the development of a computer-based microconcordance program could be used to produce cloze tests that do more than present a mutilated text derived from a single source, with an example within the context of advanced learners of English-as-a-Second-Language. (CB)

Suggests that the use in English language teaching of visual media is based on insufficient analysis of the properties of visual formats, the skills demanded in using them, and the existing literacy of the students. The design and implementation of the appended Visual Information Test are described. (Author/SED)