This collection of 10 reports focuses on research in the area of language and understanding, with emphasis on the effects of such research on language teaching and applied linguistics. The reports address issues in psycholinguistics, pragmatics, second language acquisition, syntax, text linguistics, language testing, and sociolinguistics. The…

This overview of the 40 year development of language proficiency rating at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) and elsewhere in the federal government focuses on three issues pertaining to the scale and the raters: (1) the number of levels of differentiation in the scale; (2) the relation of the scale to the rating task; and (3) the calibration of…

In this study, the performance of apologies among 20 non-native speakers (NNSs) of English and 20 native speakers (NSs) of English was examined. Two questions were addressed: How did NNSs' apologies compare with NSs' in identical situations? What relationship existed between the performance of apologies by NNSs and Test of English as a Foreign…

A study of the discourse structure of oral language proficiency interviews focused on (1) one principal discourse variable, topic, for analyzing contingency and goal orientation in dyadic interactions, and (2) contextual factors (interlocutor, theme, task, participant gender). Data came from 30 dyadic oral interviews in English as a Second…

The Spanish Skills Placement Test (SSPT) is the product of a need for a Spanish literacy placement instrument for use with literacy, adult basic education, and pre-General Educational Development program students. The need for the test was expressed by a variety of Illinois literacy organizations and agencies, particularly those in Chicago. The…

This paper examines whether individuals who train themselves to score a performance assessment will rate acceptably when compared to known standards. Research on the efficacy of rater self-training materials developed by the Center for Applied Linguistics for the Texas Oral Proficiency Test (TOPT) is examined. Rater self-materials are described…

Because testing comprehension of long (5- to 10-page) second-language texts is more complex than testing shorter texts, an alternative form of second language reading comprehension test is needed. In a guided summary completion test, students are presented with a greatly shortened version of the text (e.g., one-paragraph summary), containing…

Due to concern for test security and fairness, three new performance-based English placement test writing prompts were developed in a large midwestern university for incoming students of English as a second language, and the degree of prompt variability was investigated from multiple perspectives, including "fit-to-specification,"…

A study was undertaken to develop a partial credit scheme for scoring cloze-type questions on an English collocation test, obtain construct validity evidence for the test and the scoring scheme using the Rasch Partial Credit Model, and compare partial credit scoring with the more commonly used dichotomous scoring with the same test instrument.…

This essay advances a definition of language disadvantage and applies Cummins' theory of language acquisition to a model of assessment designed to determine the existence and degree of language disadvantage. Language disadvantage is defined as the difference between a person's ability to learn a language compared to that same person's actual…

It is argued that tests of English as a Second Language based on specific instructional materials, reflecting both real-world and classroom language activities, can satisfy measurement needs and provide interesting psycholinguistic insights. It is also proposed that the potential for mismatch between test and materials can be overcome by several…

A general issue related to language program development involves the empirical rationalization of cut score decisions in criterion-referenced language tests. Cut score dependability focuses on the consistency of the decisions in repeated testing or the assessment of language learner performances. In this case, the issue is to determine the optimal…

A discussion of language testing in the context of a program in English for Special Purposes (ESP) focuses on the lack of "fit" between the two areas and makes some recommendations for improvement. It begins with overviews of recent trends in testing and recent issues in ESP. Overlap is seen in two areas: construct and content validity. It is…

This paper examines the nature of dictionaries and encyclopedias, focusing on some of the preparation that has gone into the construction of a dictionary of language testing at the University of Melbourne (Australia). It discusses the purpose of such dictionaries, the nature and size of dictionary/encyclopedia entries, and the readability of…

Prior research suggests that the traditionally difficult academic subject matter, such as mathematics or the natural sciences, may evoke greater levels of evaluative (test) anxiety than curricular areas with easier content. These higher levels of anxiety may contribute to poor performance in mathematics and science courses. College freshmen's…