Test-Takers' Perspectives on a Global Test of English: Questions of Fairness, Justice and Validity

Autor/inn/en	Hamid, M. Obaidul; Hardy, Ian; Reyes, Vicente
Titel	Test-Takers' Perspectives on a Global Test of English: Questions of Fairness, Justice and Validity
Quelle	In: Language Testing in Asia, 9 (2019), Artikel 16 (20 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Hamid, M. Obaidul)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2229-0443
DOI	10.1186/s40468-019-0092-9
Schlagwörter	Second Language Learning; English (Second Language); Language Tests; Test Bias; Test Validity; Social Justice; Ethics; Attitudes; Standardized Tests; Foreign Countries; Global Approach; International English Language Testing System + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Zweitsprachenerwerb; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Language test; Sprachtest; Testkritik; Testvalidität; Soziale Gerechtigkeit; Ethik; Attitude; Einstellung; Verhalten; Standadised tests; Standardisierter Test; Ausland; Globales Denken; Language tests; Englisch
Abstract	Although language test-takers have been the focus of much theoretical and empirical work in recent years, this work has been mainly concerned with their attitudes to test preparation and test-taking strategies, giving insufficient attention to their views on broader socio-political and ethical issues. This article examines test-takers' perceptions and evaluations of the fairness, justice and validity of global tests of English, with a particular focus upon the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Based on relevant literature and theorizing into such tests, and on self-reported test experience data gathered from test-takers (N = 430) from 49 countries, we demonstrate how test-takers experienced fairness and justice in complex ways that problematized the purported technical excellence and validity of IELTS. Even as there was some evidence of support for the test as a fair measure of students' English capacity, the extent to which it actually reflected their language capabilities was open to question. At the same time, the participants expressed concerns about whether IELTS was a vehicle for raising revenue and for justifying immigration policies, thus raising questions about the justness of the test. The research foregrounds the importance of focusing attention upon the socio-political and ethical circumstances that currently attend large-scale, standardized English language testing. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01