Although second language learners' pragmatic competence (their ability to use language in context) is an essential part of their general communicative competence, it has not been a part of second language tests. This book helps fill this gap by describing the development and validation of a web-based test of ESL pragmalinguistics. The instrument assesses learners' knowledge of routine formulae, speech acts, and implicature in 36 multiple-choice and brief-response items. The test's quantitative and qualitative validation with 300 learners showed high reliability and provided strong evidence of the instrument's construct validity. Its web-based format makes it easy to administer and score. The book ends with a discussion of future research directions in assessing second language pragmatics.

C-Tests bestehen aus mehreren kurzen Texten, in denen fehlende Wortteile zu rekonstruieren sind. Sie haben hervorragende psychometrische Eigenschaften und werden in einer Vielzahl von Kontexten zur oekonomischen Messung von (allgemeiner) Sprachkompetenz eingesetzt. Dieser Band illustriert den aktuellen Stand der C-Test-Forschung. Der Fokus liegt auf Augenscheingultigkeit und Washback von C-Tests; C-Test-Leistung und Intelligenz; C-Tests als Screening-Instrumente fur TestDaF und SIMTEST; ROC-Analysen zur Zuordnung von C-Test-Ergebnissen zu den Kompetenzstufen des GER; Verwendung von C-Tests im Unterricht. Eine Besonderheit des Bandes ist die umfassende C-Test-Bibliographie des Herausgebers. C-Tests consist of several short texts in which the missing parts of words have to be reconstructed. C-Tests have excellent psychometric properties and are used in many contexts as economical tests of language proficiency. This collection of papers illustrates the state of the art of C-Test research. It focuses on face validity and washback of C-Tests, C-Test performance and intelligence, C-Tests as screening devices for TestDaF and SIMTEST, ROC analyses for relating C-Test scores to the CEFR as well as use of C-tests in the classroom. A special feature of the volume is the editor's comprehensive C-Test bibliography.

C-Tests bestehen aus mehreren kurzen Texten, in denen die zweite Halfte jedes zweiten Wortes fehlt. Sie gelten in der Regel als objektives, reliables, valides und oekonomisches Instrument zur Messung allgemeiner Sprachkompetenz und werden mittlerweile in einer Vielzahl von Kontexten eingesetzt. Der vorliegende Sammelband illustriert den aktuellen Stand der (anwendungsbezogenen) C-Test-Forschung - mit einem Schwerpunkt auf der zentralen Frage der Konstruktvaliditat. C-Tests consist of several short texts in which the second half of every second word has been deleted. As a rule, they are considered to be objective, reliable, valid and economical tests of general language proficiency. C-Tests are currently used in many contexts, including high-stakes applications. The present collection of papers illustrates the state of the art of (application-oriented) C-Test research, with a special focus on construct validity.

Die Erfassung bildungssprachlicher Kompetenzen und akademischer Sprachkompetenzen in der Fremd- oder Zweitsprache gewinnt in schulischen und universitaren Kontexten zunehmend an Bedeutung. Dabei stehen die jeweiligen Akteure vor ahnlichen Fragestellungen und Herausforderungen: Was versteht man unter bildungssprachlicher Kompetenz und welche Aspekte davon sollen getestet werden? Welche Moeglichkeiten der Operationalisierung gibt es? Welche Instrumente und Aufgabenformate eignen sich, um erforderliche Sprachkompetenzen abzubilden? Der vorliegende Sammelband vereint elf Ansatze von deutschen und oesterreichischen WissenschaftlerInnen fur unterschiedliche Bildungskontexte und Sprachen, wie z.B. English for Academic Purposes, Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache, CLIL, Russisch und Polnisch als Herkunftssprache. Die Beitrage prasentieren aktuelle Zugange in Hinblick auf das Testen von Bildungssprache und akademischen Sprachkompetenzen und systematisieren bisherige UEberlegungen aus den einzelnen Disziplinen.

Pragmatic competence is an integral and indispensable component of overall language competence. Omitting the pragmatic dimension from language assessment is, therefore, quite unfortunate. This book describes the development and validation of three test methods designed to test the interlanguage pragmatic knowledge of EFL learners. Altogether 413 subjects participated in the development of the tests. Results showed that all three methods investigated had measured learners' inter-language pragmatic knowledge. Quantitative analyses showed that the tests tapped the intended construct and the test methods measured a similar construct. Analyses of verbal reports yielded results which supported the quantitative analyses and revealed that the construct-relevant knowledge was involved in the test takers' cognitive activities. This book ends with some pedagogical implications of this study and directions for further research.

This book was the winner of the 2005 Jacqueline A. Ross Dissertation Award for second or foreign language testing. The assessment of speaking skills is an important part of the language learning process, whether carried out by teachers in the classroom or through proficiency tests administered by testing agencies. However, the complex and subjective nature of speaking assessment raises a number of important questions about the validity, reliability and fairness of test procedures. This book, which is based on research into the speaking test of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), shows how the performance of learners in oral proficiency interviews cannot be taken unequivocally as an indication of their ability, as variation in interviewer behaviour can have an impact both on learner performance and on ratings outcomes.

The book examines how individual differences in candidates' levels of extraversion interact with facets which have been shown to affect scores obtained on oral performance tests. Three major studies are presented: the first is concerned with the individual candidate in the model; the second study investigates the role of the rater in the oral test process; the final study is concerned with the degree of interactivity required of pairs of candidates, each of whom also acts as an interlocutor in the performance of an oral test task. Results of the studies confirm that when an appropriate instrument is used to assess personality, and when theoretically sound hypotheses derived from the psychological literature are tested, significant differences can be observed in the responses of introverts and extraverts on particular oral test tasks.