In this research report, we describe the design and empirical findings for a large-scale study of essay writing ability with approximately 2,500 high school students in Germany and Switzerland on the basis of 2 tasks with 2 associated prompts, each from a standardized writing assessment whose scoring involved both human and automated components.…

Many assessments of writing proficiency that aid in making high-stakes decisions consist of several essay tasks evaluated by a combination of human holistic scores and computer-generated scores for essay features such as the rate of grammatical errors per word. Under typical conditions, a summary writing score is provided by a linear combination…

Substantial progress has been made toward applying technology enhanced conversation-based assessments (CBAs) to measure the English-language proficiency of English learners (ELs). CBAs are conversation-based systems that use conversations among computer-animated agents and a test taker. We expanded the design and capability of prior…

The study focuses on the process of assessing (a micro-skill) goal attainment in EFL pronunciation course via measures which can foster different students' attitudes and self-perceptions. Standard (pen-and-paper) tests offer immediate evidence of success but they put heavy demands on students' cognitive, performance and stress-controlling skills.…

Examining the relationship between technology and the success of language acquisition and the integration of technology into language instruction has been around of a long time by now. The development of technology can essentially change how languages are taught. Nevertheless, it is only in the last few years that the road has opened up for new…

Recent technology advancements have increased the prospects for automated spoken language technology to provide feedback on speaking performance. In this study we examined user perceptions of using an automated feedback system for preparing for the TOEFL iBT® test. Test takers and language teachers evaluated three types of machine-generated…

The study investigates teachers' perceptions of the use of online language assessment (OLA) using technology and examines the scope of using online applications to validate the mode of assessment. It looks for EFL teachers' opinions of OLA to comprehend the many worries associated with the issues and improve the online assessment tools. The…

Since March 2020, the world has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in sudden school closures and a rapid transition from traditional face-to-face education to a new model of online learning and assessment. The present study analyzes two cohorts--primary-school EFL teachers and students' parents--regarding the perceptions they…

The central purpose of this paper is to examine validity problems arising from the multiple-choice items and technical passages in the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) reading section, primarily concentrating on construct-irrelevant variance (Messick, 1989). My personal TOEFL iBT experience, along with my…

Following a suggestion by Poehner [2008. Dynamic Assessment: A Vygotskian Approach to Understanding and Promoting Second Language Development. Berlin: Springer] about the possible merger between group dynamic assessment (GDA) rooted in Vygotskian sociocultural theory (SCT) and computer testing, this study has decided to test the feasibility of…

A growing number of stakeholders argue for the use of second language (L2) speaking assessments that measure the ability to orally communicate in real time. A Web-based virtual environment (VE) that allows live voice communication among individuals may have potential for aiding in delivering such assessments. While off-the-shelf voice…

Normalization of design rules and guidelines in English language tests to help future instructors and assessment developers in the field of examination of English as a foreign language have not been defined sufficiently until present days. In fact, there are several experiences and investigations related to the user's experiences in the handling…

Integrated speaking tasks requiring test takers to read and/or listen to stimulus texts and to incorporate their content into oral performances are now used in large-scale, high-stakes tests, including the TOEFL iBT. These tasks require test takers to identify, select, and combine relevant source text information to recognize key relationships…

Through Many-Facet Rasch analysis, this study explores the rating differences between 1 computer automatic rater and 5 expert teacher raters on scoring 119 students in a computerized English listening-speaking test. Results indicate that both automatic and the teacher raters demonstrate good inter-rater reliability, though the automatic rater…

Throughout this study technology and especially mobile phones was utilized in EFL classrooms in order to see whether it can influence the process of vocabulary formative assessment and consequently improve vocabulary learning of Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners or not. Two groups of pre-intermediate EFL learners participated in this study.…