This study is part of a larger one examining the comparability of the First Certificate in English and the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The general assumption of unidimensionality and goodness-of-fit were tested. Findings raise questions about the consequences of rejecting or retaining misfitting items. (60 references) (LB)

The design of a valid and reliable test of test-wiseness is reported: a 33-item multiple-choice instrument with 4 subscales trialed with several groups of English-as-a-Second-Language students. Findings indicate differential skills in test-taking; some learner scores are influenced by skills that are not the focus of the test. (13 references)…

Two studies are reported that examined translation from second language to first language as a testing procedure. Results suggest that the widespread rejection of translation as a language testing procedure by teachers and testers is probably not warranted on psychometric grounds, but that it should be used with extreme care. (10 references)…

Variables that constitute translation ability are discussed, based on a two-year development and validation study of job-related tests of translation ability for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The project involved the development of two parallel forms of the Spanish into English Verbatim Translation Exam (SEVTE). (five references) (LB)

Describes the Ontario Test of English as a Second Language Oral Interaction Test and reports on its use in a research project to establish procedures for certifying an advanced level or a bilingual level of proficiency. (3 references) (VWL)

Preliminary criteria are presented to consider in the writing of English for academic purposes (EAP) reading comprehension tests. The criteria pertain to the test as a whole as well as to the form of individual questions. A checklist is appended. (42 references) (Author/LB)

This study compared 15 normally achieving and 15 low achieving (LA) fourth grade children on a wide range of linguistic tasks. Over half of the LA group earned scores on the language measures that were low enough to suggest referral for evaluation and/or treatment. (Author/DB)

The aims, content, and methods of language awareness in the German "Gymnasium" curriculum are presented and compared with other, especially English, models. Pupils' command of metalanguage is also reported, including results of a test to assess their level of language awareness and its relationship to linguistic competence. (29…

Ten Japanese subjects in Arizona participated in a study that confirmed that Japanese-specific rhetoric is transferred in a native Japanese English-as-a-Second-Language student's composition, and examined the extent to which the transferred rhetorical organization is discordant with native English readers' expectations. (26 references) (LB)

Focusing on the relationship between performance on reading tests and dictionary use, this study confirms a previous finding that dictionary availability does not significantly affect test scores; it does, however, lengthen test completion time. The authors discuss experimental conditions, test item types, usability of particular dictionary types,…

This study examined possible early predictors of reading problems in at-risk children (ages 53 to 77 months). Results indicated that early measures of language awareness are good predictors of later reading performance but that different measures are good predictors for different children. (Author/DB)

Explains why it is so difficult to define communicative testing, discusses problems related to communicative testing, and concludes with suggestions for further research. (15 references) (CFM)

Describes a university's approach to determining, testing, and certifying students' proficiency levels for foreign language reading-for-research courses, focusing on the effectiveness of using the 1986 ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines in developing the university's guidelines. (28 references) (CB)

Discussion of six potential sources of anxiety in the second language classroom, student manifestations of anxiety, and possible remedies covers such areas as personal and interpersonal anxieties, learner beliefs about language learning, instructor beliefs about language teaching, instructor-learner interactions, classroom procedures, and language…

Recent initiatives in second language testing theory, practice, and research are reviewed, including test specificity, relevance, accuracy, multidimensional assessment, and the test's link to instruction, and their relevance to language teaching is discussed. Special attention is given to Canadian contributions to the field. (63 references)…