Language Test Construction and Evaluation (Cambridge Language Teaching Library)

Language Test Construction and Evaluation (Cambridge Language Teaching Library)
J. Charles Alderson,Caroline Clapham,Dianne Wall | 1995-05-26 00:00:00 | Cambridge University Press | 324 | Education
Language Test Construction and Evaluation describes the process of language test construction clearly and comprehensively. Each chapter deals with one stage of the test construction process; from drafting initial test specifications, to reporting test scores, test validation and washback. In addition, current practice in the examining of English as a Foreign Language by different examining boards is reviewed in order to compare testing principles with present test practice. The focus of the book is on the practical: it does not assume a statistical background but explains and demystifies the procedures and concepts that are relevant to the construction and evaluation of language tests. Language Test Construction and Evaluation will provide an invaluable reference for anyone who wishes to understand how language tests are, and should be, constructed.
Reviews
After reading Language Testing (Oxford Introduction to Language Series), "Language Test Construction" formed a good further step into the theory that underlies various tests and considerations that go into construction.



As mentioned by a previous reviewer, this book is really not written for teachers who have to administer the tests themselves, (though some may be interested in having some knowledge of it anyway). It is more aimed at those who will be involved in the construction, testing and modifying of the tests themselves.



The book covers a lot of territory, though it does not get into overwhelming amounts of mind-boggling information. It draws some definite lines and sticks to brief overviews. However, should one wish to have some more boggling of the mind, the authors make suggestions aplenty about where to get it.



The topics that are covered in book include such things as exam testing, (reliability, validity and so on), statistical analysis of tests and results, the monitoring of test administrators, develop specfications and so on. While not overwhelming, some parts require some concentration, (well, they did with me), and may not really be all that light on the brain.



All things considered, I found this book a valuable read and an interesting insight into the murky world of language testing. It is well-organised, well-explained and realistic in what it attempts to achieve. I think it is a valuable resource for people wanting to get into the field of language testing, or wish to take their own testing to the next level.
Reviews
This book isn't for the teacher who'd like to make a weekly quiz for their class. This is intended for those who are interested in large scale institutional testing, like TOEFL. It doesn't give much information on writing test items, but covers how to write testing guidelines in great detail. It also covers how to evaluate items and tests, and it goes into detail about reliability and validity without getting to deep into statistics. In general, I found the style of this book to be very easy to read since it is written with test administrators in mind rather than test writting techies. If you're interested in the process of making large scale institutional tests, then this is a good book, but if you're looking for a book to help you write test items, then you should look elsewhere.

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