刊讯｜Language Testing 2021年第3期

LANGUAGE TESTING

Volume 38, Issue 3, July 2021

LANGUAGE TESTING 2021年第3期为评估青少年外语学习者的特刊（Special Issue on Assessing Young Foreign Language Learners），共发文7篇，其中特刊导读1篇，研究性论文5篇，书评1篇。研究论文涉及二语阅读、二语学习者个体差异、语言天赋、口语评估、终结性评估等方面。主题包括工作记忆、口语测试效度、语言测试中的读写能力、写作评估等。

目录

INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE

■Reflecting on assessing young foreign language learners, by Veronika Timple-Laughlin, Yeonsuk Cho, Pages 343–355.

ARTICLES

■ Testing young foreign language learners’ reading comprehension: Exploring the effects of working memory, grade level, and reading task, by Tineke Brunfaut, Judit Kormos, Marije Michel, Michael Ratajczak, Pages 356–377.

■ Exploring which test-taker characteristics predict young L2 learners’ performance on listening and reading comprehension tests, by Sarah Sok, Hye Won Shin, Juhyun Do, Pages 378-400.

■ An investigation of the validity of a speaking assessment for adolescent English language learners, by Becky H. Huang, Alison L. Bailey, Daniel A. Sass, Yung-hsiang Shawn Chang, Pages 401-428.

■ Young learners’ voices: Towards a learner-centered approach to understanding language assessment literacy, by Yuko Goto Butler, Xiaolin Peng, Jiyoon Lee, Pages 429–455.

■ A look into the practices and challenges of assessing young EFL learners’ writing in Croatia, by Jakob Patekar, Pages 456–479.

REVIEWS

■ Book review: Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools, by Jamie L. Schissel, Pages 480-482.

摘要

Testing young foreign language learners’ reading comprehension: Exploring the effects of working memory, grade level, and reading task

Tineke Brunfaut, Judit Kormos, Marije Michel, Michael Ratajczak

Abstract Extensive research has demonstrated the impact of working memory (WM) on first language (L1) reading comprehension across age groups (Peng et al., 2018), and on foreign language (FL) reading comprehension of adults and older adolescents (Linck et al., 2014). Comparatively little is known about the effect of WM on young FL readers’ comprehension, and even less within testing contexts. Young FL readers are still developing their L1 reading skills and general cognitive skills (e.g., attentional regulation abilities). Completing FL reading tests might be particularly taxing on their WM, and differences in WM capacity – as well as other learner and task characteristics – might create construct-irrelevant variance in test performance.

In this study, we investigate the effects of WM, grade level, and reading task on young learners’ FL reading test performances. Ninety-four young English language learners (Grades 6–7) in Hungary completed the TOEFL® Junior™ Comprehensive’s reading test and a WM test battery. Our mixed-effects model predicted significantly higher comprehension accuracy among learners with higher WM capacity, and among learners in Grade 7 compared to learners in Grade 6. Reading task differences were not associated with significant comprehension accuracy differences. We discuss the implications of our findings for testing young learners’ FL reading comprehension.

Exploring which test-taker characteristics predict young L2 learners’ performance on listening and reading comprehension tests

Sarah Sok, Hye Won Shin, Juhyun Do

Abstract Test-taker characteristics (TTCs), or individual difference variables, are known to be a systematic source of variance in language test performance. Although previous research has documented the impact of a range of TTCs on second language (L2) learners’ test performance, few of these studies have involved young learners. Given that young L2 learners undergo rapid maturational changes in their cognitive abilities, are susceptible to affective factors in unique ways, and have little autonomy with respect to the context of L2 acquisition, the relationship between their personal attributes and their test performance merit separate research attention. To fill this gap, we investigated the extent to which sixth-grade, Korean-L1, EFL learners’ (n = 107) TTCs predicted their performance on tests of L2 listening and reading comprehension. The TTCs under investigation included three cognitive characteristics (aptitude, phonological working memory, L1 competence), one affective factor (motivation), and two demographic variables (socioeconomic status and gender). Results showed that aptitude and phonological working memory significantly predicted participants’ performance on both L2 listening and reading comprehension tests, whereas motivation predicted performance on the L2 listening comprehension test only. These findings suggest that higher aptitude, phonological working memory, and motivation contribute positively to young learners’ L2 outcomes.

An investigation of the validity of a speaking assessment for adolescent English language learners

Becky H. Huang, Alison L. Bailey, Daniel A. Sass, Yung-hsiang Shawn Chang

Abstract Given the increasing emphasis of communicative competence in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts and the lack of validation research on speaking assessments for adolescent EFL learners, in the current study we examined the validity of the TOEFL Junior® speaking test, a relatively new speaking assessment developed by Educational Testing Service. We utilized Messick’s integrative view of construct validity (1996) and Kane’s interpretation argument framework (Kane, 2013), and focused on two sources of validity evidence: internal structure and external relations to other variables (AERA, APA, and NCME, 2014). We used a cross-sectional design with 252 seventh-to-ninth graders in Taiwan, which aligns with the spectrum of the TOEFL Junior®’s target age group. All adolescent participants took the TOEFL Junior® speaking test and two researcher-developed speaking tests. They also completed a survey reporting their history of English learning experiences from kindergarten to present and evaluating their own English language skills. Adolescent participants’ teachers provided evaluations of participants’ English language skills. Results from correlational tests and confirmatory factor analysis showed robust evidence for the test’s internal structure. Correlation and multiple regression models also demonstrated strong positive relationships between TOEFL Junior® test scores and external variables, providing evidence for TOEFL Junior®’s construct validity.

Young learners’ voices: Towards a learner-centered approach to understanding language assessment literacy

Yuko Goto Butler, Xiaolin Peng, Jiyoon Lee

Abstract Language assessment literacy (LAL) has recently gained substantial attention among language educators and other stakeholders. However, existing models focus almost exclusively on teachers, test developers, and administrators, and lack students’ perspectives in their conceptualizations. To address this gap, with this exploratory study we aimed to understand young learners’ LAL. The participants were fourth- and sixth-grade students (ages 9–10 and 11–12, respectively, with 10 participants in each age group) in China. After taking English mock tests, the children participated in individual, semi-structured interviews that covered their understanding of the following: (a) assessment purposes and theories (their knowledge about how assessment works); (b) assessment skills (their views of assessment designs, procedures, and content); and (c) assessment principles (their notion of fairness, cheating, and feedback). The data were analyzed qualitatively in line with current LAL models. The results suggest that the children already had substantial assessment literacy in knowledge, skills, and principles. Although their teachers’ assessment practice remains form-focused, children generally want more communicative-based and diagnostic assessment. They also want more cognitively challenging and enjoyable assessment tasks. Our findings provide solid supporting evidence for the importance of considering students’ perspectives, along with the views of other stakeholders, in order to have a more balanced understanding of LAL.

A look into the practices and challenges of assessing young EFL learners’ writing in Croatia

Jakob Patekar

Abstract Writing in a foreign language is a particularly difficult skill to develop, especially when young learners are concerned because they are parallelly learning to write in their L1 and do not have strong oral foundations in their L2. The issue becomes even more complex when the ways to assess young learners’ writing are considered, given that research has shown there is room for improvement regarding English language teachers’ assessment literacy. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to examine the practices and challenges of assessing the writing of young EFL learners in Croatia. In the first part of the study, 97 English language teachers working with learners from year 1 to year 4 of elementary school (children aged 7 to 10) took an online questionnaire with close-ended and open-ended questions. In the second part, I analyzed the writing tasks that the learners were assigned by the teachers in the school. The results show that teachers do not always use appropriate writing tasks for summative assessment, that they need more support in creating language tests, and that Croatian universities need to do more to prepare future teachers to teach and assess young English language learners.

期刊简介

Language Testing is an international peer reviewed journal that publishes original research on foreign, second, additional, and bi-/multi-/trans-lingual (henceforth collectively called L2) language testing, assessment, and evaluation. Since 1984 it has featured high impact L2 testing papers covering theoretical issues, empirical studies, and reviews. The journal's scope encompasses the testing, assessment, and evaluation of spoken and signed languages being learned as L2s by children and adults, and the use of tests as research and evaluation tools that are used to provide information on the language knowledge and language performance abilities of L2 learners. Many articles also contribute to methodological innovation and the practical improvement of L2 testing internationally. In addition, the journal publishes submissions that deal with L2 testing policy issues, including the use of tests for making high-stakes decisions about L2 learners in fields as diverse as education, employment, and international mobility.

《语言测试》是一份国际同行评审期刊，发表关于外国、第二、辅助和双/多/跨语言（以下统称为 L2）语言测试、评估和评估的原创研究。自 1984 年以来，它以高影响力的 L2 测试论文为特色，涵盖理论问题、实证研究和评论。该期刊的范围包括对儿童和成人作为 L2 学习的口语和手语的测试和评估，以及使用测试作为研究和评估工具，用于提供有关语言知识和语言表现的信息L2 学习者的能力。许多文章还为国际上二语测试的方法创新和实际改进做出了贡献。此外，该期刊还发表处理 L2 测试政策问题的论文，包括使用测试对 L2 学习者在教育、就业和国际流动等不同领域做出高风险决策。

The journal welcomes the submission of papers that deal with ethical and philosophical issues in L2 testing, as well as issues centering on L2 test design, validation, and technical matters. Also of concern is research into the washback and impact of L2 language test use, the consequences of testing on L2 learner groups, and ground-breaking uses of assessments for L2 learning. Additionally, the journal wishes to publish replication studies that help to embed and extend knowledge of generalisable findings in the field. Language Testing is committed to encouraging interdisciplinary research, and is keen to receive submissions which draw on current theory and methodology from different areas within second language acquisition, applied linguistics, educational measurement, psycholinguistics, general education, psychology, cognitive science, language policy, and other relevant subdisciplines that interface with language testing and assessment. Authors are encouraged to adhere to Open Science Initiatives.

该期刊欢迎提交涉及 L2 测试中的伦理和哲学问题的论文，以及以 L2 测试设计、验证和技术问题为中心的问题。同样值得关注的是对 L2 语言测试使用的反作用和影响、测试对 L2 学习者群体的影响以及 L2 学习评估的开创性使用的研究。此外，该杂志希望发表有助于贡献和扩展该领域可推广发现的知识的重复研究。《语言测试》 致力于鼓励跨学科研究，并接收来自二语习得、应用语言学、教育测量、心理语言学、通识教育、心理学、认知科学、语言政策和与语言测试和评估相关的其他相关子学科研究。鼓励作者遵守开放科学倡议。

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