Antony John Kunnan - Böcker

Most scholars consider the birth of modern language testing as a field of study to be the year 1961 with the publication of Robert Lado’s book Language Testing and John Carroll’s chapter ‘Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing’. In the decades since it has grown in scope into a deeper and wider theoretical and intellectual field of study. The intellectual growth has come with the birth of psychometrics, specifically, in using statistical analyses for test development and research; with ideas from linguistics, in developing language tests that are communicatively oriented; with ideas from ethics, specifically, in developing qualities, codes, and standards so that tests are fair and just. This has been coupled with the growth of the field into a billion-dollar worldwide enterprise partly fuelled by the practical need to assess the English language ability of test-takers who want to study at English-medium universities or work in offices that mainly use English for communication.This new four-volume collection from Routledge captures this burgeoning field by offering a cogent and comprehensive state-of-the-art coverage of the very best material. The volumes have been conceptualized both as a scholarly contribution in terms of theories and research as well as a practical guide in terms of test development in the field of language testing and assessment.

Evaluating Language Assessments offers a comprehensive overview of the theoretical bases and research methodologies for the evaluation of language assessments and demonstrates the importance of a fuller understanding of this widely used evaluative tool. The volume explores language assessment evaluation in its wider political, economic, social, legal, and ethical contexts while also illustrating quantitative and qualitative methods through discussions of key research studies. Suitable for students in applied linguistics, second language acquisition and language assessment and education, this book makes the case for a clear and rigorous understanding of the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of language assessment evaluation in order to achieve fair assessments and just institutions.

Evaluating Language Assessments offers a comprehensive overview of the theoretical bases and research methodologies for the evaluation of language assessments and demonstrates the importance of a fuller understanding of this widely used evaluative tool. The volume explores language assessment evaluation in its wider political, economic, social, legal, and ethical contexts while also illustrating quantitative and qualitative methods through discussions of key research studies. Suitable for students in applied linguistics, second language acquisition and language assessment and education, this book makes the case for a clear and rigorous understanding of the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of language assessment evaluation in order to achieve fair assessments and just institutions.

This book investigates the influence of test taker characteristics on performance in tests of English as a foreign language by exploring the relationships between these two groups of variables. Data from a test taker questionnaire and performance on the First Certificate in English (FCE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) were used for the study. The research was conducted in a construct validation context and aimed to increase our understanding of the individual differences among test takers that influence their test performance. The application of a structural modeling approach to investigate the influence of test taker characteristics on test performance makes this study a valuable contribution to language testing research. As such, it will be of considerable relevance to academic researchers and graduate students in the field of language testing and assessment, as well as to others interested in second language acquisition and learning.

Fairness of language tests and testing practices has always been a concern among test developers and test users. In the past decade educational and language assessment researchers have begun to focus directly on fairness and related matters such as test standards, test bias and equity and ethics for testing professionals. The 19th annual Language Testing Research Colloquium held in 1997 in Orlando, Florida, brought this overall concern into sharp focus by having 'Fairness in Language Testing' as its theme. The conference presentations and discussions attempted to understand the concept of fairness, define the scope of the concept and connect it with the concept of validation of test score interpretation. The papers in this volume offer a first introduction to fairness and validation in the field of language assessment.

Validation in Language Assessment contributes to the variety of validation approaches and analytical and interpretive techniques only recently adopted by language assessment researchers. Featuring selected papers from the 17th Language Testing Research Colloquium, the volume presents diverse approaches with an international perspective on validation in language assessment.

Validation in Language Assessment contributes to the variety of validation approaches and analytical and interpretive techniques only recently adopted by language assessment researchers. Featuring selected papers from the 17th Language Testing Research Colloquium, the volume presents diverse approaches with an international perspective on validation in language assessment.

Talking About Language Assessment is the first book to take an interview-based approach to the history of language assessment. This collection consists of interviews originally featured in Language Assessment Quarterly with renowned language assessment experts. Contextualized with commentary by the editor, the articles in this text cover many of the essential areas of language testing and assessment including assessment design, validation argument, epistemological issues in research, and language assessment policy. This text is a valuable compilation on the history of language assessment, and an ideal resource for researchers and students in the field of language testing and assessment.

Talking About Language Assessment is the first book to take an interview-based approach to the history of language assessment. This collection consists of interviews originally featured in Language Assessment Quarterly with renowned language assessment experts. Contextualized with commentary by the editor, the articles in this text cover many of the essential areas of language testing and assessment including assessment design, validation argument, epistemological issues in research, and language assessment policy. This text is a valuable compilation on the history of language assessment, and an ideal resource for researchers and students in the field of language testing and assessment.

As one of the most recognized names in the fields of language assessment and applied linguistics, Lyle F. Bachman has produced a high volume of scholarly articles and books in the field of language assessment. These writings have strongly influenced the discipline and over the last three decades have played an uncontested role in shaping the field as we know it today. Until now, Bachman’s work has been spread across various mediums and not existed in one place. The Writings of Lyle F. Bachman is the first book to assemble Bachman’s work into a single, comprehensive volume.The collection is composed of seven major sections, each beginning with an introduction by the editors to provide context for the papers. The sections cover some of the most complex topics in the field, including validity and validation, the effects of test task characteristics, interfaces between language testing and second language acquisition, and epistemological issues in applied linguistics. The collection concludes with a state-of-the art paper and insightful reflections about the field of language assessment. The collection traces how Bachman’s ideas and research insights have evolved throughout the years.Given Bachman’s strong impact on the field of language assessment, this volume presents not only a collection of the writings, but also gives an overview of the ongoing issues and debates in the field. This book will be useful to both researchers and graduate students in the areas of language assessment and applied linguistics.

As one of the most recognized names in the fields of language assessment and applied linguistics, Lyle F. Bachman has produced a high volume of scholarly articles and books in the field of language assessment. These writings have strongly influenced the discipline and over the last three decades have played an uncontested role in shaping the field as we know it today. Until now, Bachman’s work has been spread across various mediums and not existed in one place. The Writings of Lyle F. Bachman is the first book to assemble Bachman’s work into a single, comprehensive volume.The collection is composed of seven major sections, each beginning with an introduction by the editors to provide context for the papers. The sections cover some of the most complex topics in the field, including validity and validation, the effects of test task characteristics, interfaces between language testing and second language acquisition, and epistemological issues in applied linguistics. The collection concludes with a state-of-the art paper and insightful reflections about the field of language assessment. The collection traces how Bachman’s ideas and research insights have evolved throughout the years.Given Bachman’s strong impact on the field of language assessment, this volume presents not only a collection of the writings, but also gives an overview of the ongoing issues and debates in the field. This book will be useful to both researchers and graduate students in the areas of language assessment and applied linguistics.

The Concise Companion to Language Assessment provides a state-of-the-art overview of the crucial areas of language assessment, teaching, and learning. Edited by one of the foremost scholars in the field, The Concise Companion combines newly commissioned articles on innovations in assessment with a selection of chapters from The Companion to Language Assessment, the landmark four-volume reference work first published in 2013. Presented in eight themes, The Concise Companion addresses a broad range of language assessment methods, issues, and contexts. Forty-five chapters cover assessment conceptualization, development, research, and policy, as well as recent changes in language assessment technology, learning-oriented assessment, teacher-based assessment, teacher assessment literacy, plurilingual assessment, assessment for immigration, and more. Exploring the past, present, and future possibilities of the dynamic field, The Concise Companion to Language Assessment: Contains dedicated chapters on listening, speaking, reading writing, vocabulary, pronunciation, intercultural competence, and other language skillsDescribes fundamental assessment design and scoring guidelines, as well as advanced concepts in scenario-based assessment and automated performance scoringProvides insights on different assessment environments, such as classrooms, universities, employment, immigration, and healthcareCovers various qualitative and quantitative research methods, including introspective methods, classical reliability, and structural equation modelingDiscusses the impacts of colonialism and discrimination on the history of language assessmentExplores the use of AI in writing evaluation, plagiarism and cheating detection, and other assessment contextsSure to become a standard text for the next generation of applied linguistics students, The Concise Companion to Language Assessment is an invaluable textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in applied linguistics, language assessment, TESOL, second language acquisition, and language policy.