Background: While pragmatic deficits are well documented in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) and right hemisphere damage (RHD), there is a paucity of research comparing the pragmatic deficits of these two groups. Do they experience similar cognitive dysfunction or is there a dissociation between the two patient groups? Aims: To investigate the…

This study delves into writing scores in both tests, aiming to uncover the reasons behind score differences. Through comprehensive comparative analysis, this research explores scoring patterns, criteria, and score distributions in IELTS and PTE writing sections. It investigates sources of score variation, including task design, rating criteria,…

In sociolinguistic contexts where standardized languages coexist with regional dialects, the study of differential item functioning is a valuable tool for examining certain linguistic uses or varieties as threats to score validity. From an ecological perspective, this paper describes three stages in the study of differential item functioning…

In the assessment of second language oral communication, the video-call speaking test has received increasing attention as a test method with higher practicality than its in-person counterpart, but still with broad coverage of the test construct. Previous studies into video-call assessment have focussed on the individual (as opposed to paired or…

In the context of policy-driven language testing for citizenship, a growing body of research examines the political justifications and ethical implications of language requirements and test use. However, virtually no studies have looked at the role that language testers play in the evolution of language requirements. Critical gaps remain in our…

Few studies have focused on bilingual language development in school-aged simultaneous bilingual children. The current study tackles this gap in the literature by examining the influence of language exposure on the development of both languages in school-aged simultaneous bilingual living in additive bilingual contexts. The language abilities of…

This study aimed to answer an ongoing validity question related to the use of nonstandard English accents in international tests of English proficiency and associated issues of test fairness. More specifically, we examined (1) the extent to which different or shared English accents had an impact on listeners' performances on the Duolingo listening…

Lexical diversity (LD) is an important indicator of second language lexical development. Much research has investigated LD indices, with a focus on learners of English. However, further research is needed in languages that are typologically distinct from English, such as Korean. In this study, we evaluated the reliability and validity of LD…

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to take stock of student learning. Although the "crisis-context" (Gacs et al., 2020) move to fully online instruction may be over, a complete understanding of how student outcomes have been impacted remains. The present study focuses on how students' Spanish language proficiency, as…

Several states in the US have removed time limits on their state assessments. In Indiana, where this study takes place, the state assessment is both untimed during the testing window and allows unlimited breaks during the testing session. Using grade 3 and 8 math and English state assessment data, in this paper we focus on time used for testing…

Although the history of translation is almost as old as the history of humankind, it was not until the second half of the twentieth century that translation studies were recognized as an independent discipline. Perhaps due to this fact, translation and interpreting programs at the higher education level started to be introduced in Turkey in the…

The present study explored the comparability in performance scores between the computer-delivered and face-to-face modes for the two speaking tests in the Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency (VSTEP) (the VSTEP.2 and VSTEP.3-5 Speaking tests) according to Vietnam's Six-Level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework (VNFLPF) and test…

While several studies support the appropriateness of tasks delivered through Spoken Dialog Systems (SDSs) for L2 oral communication assessment, few studies have explored the construct of interactional competence (IC) as measured by such tasks. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by investigating the use of IC features by high-…

This study investigated to what extent the scores of two English tests are correlated to each other, namely, the English test of the "Common Test for University Admissions" (Common Test, henceforth) in Japan and the "TOEIC Bridge", a commercially available English test developed by "Educational Testing Service" (ETS)…

Applicants must often demonstrate adequate English proficiency when applying to postsecondary institutions by taking an English language proficiency test, such as the TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic, or Duolingo English Test (DET). Concordance tables aim to provide equivalent scores across multiple assessments, helping admissions officers to make fair…