Limitations of Size and Levels Tests of Written Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge

Autor/inn/en	Stoeckel, Tim; McLean, Stuart; Nation, Paul
Titel	Limitations of Size and Levels Tests of Written Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge
Quelle	In: Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43 (2021) 1, S.181-203 (23 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Stoeckel, Tim) ORCID (McLean, Stuart)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0272-2631
DOI	10.1017/S027226312000025X
Schlagwörter	Vocabulary Development; Receptive Language; Written Language; Knowledge Level; Testing Problems; Guessing (Tests); Accuracy; Reading Tests; Language Tests + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Wortschatzarbeit; Rezeptive Kommunikationsfähigkeit; Geschriebene Sprache; Wissensbasis; Erraten; Lesetest; Language test; Sprachtest
Abstract	Two commonly used test types to assess vocabulary knowledge for the purpose of reading are size and levels tests. This article first reviews several frequently stated purposes of such tests (e.g., materials selection, tracking vocabulary growth) and provides a reasoned argument for the precision needed to serve such purposes. Then three sources of inaccuracy in existing tests are examined: the overestimation of lexical knowledge from guessing or use of test strategies under meaning-recognition item formats; the overestimation of vocabulary knowledge when receptive understanding of all word family members is assumed from a correct response to an item assessing knowledge of just one family member; and the limited precision that a small, random sample of target words has in representing the population of words from which it is drawn. The article concludes that existing tests lack the accuracy needed for many specified testing purposes and discusses possible improvements going forward. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01