Discusses the merits of a practice examination modeled after the final examination administered in German classes at the University of Nebraska. (RL)

States that "objective tests" are based on suppositions. Different types yield different results; therefore they cannot all be objective. The commonly accepted idea that multiple-choice tests are the most objective is attacked. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The first part of this annotated bibliography on foreign language testing covers articles that have appeared in periodicals over the past ten years; abstracts of the contents of each article are provided. The coverage is nearly complete for articles appearing in major journals. The second part consists of a selected list of books dealing with…

The experiment described here was designed to find out which of two methods of testing--blank-filling and translation--gave the more accurate guide to linguistic ability. Two tests were devised to elicit identical correct answers using different means (blank-filling and translation). They were administered to two different classes of Guinean lycee…

This digest discusses the simulated oral proficiency interview (SOPI), a performance-based, tape-mediated speaking test. The SOPI follows the general structure of the oral proficiency interview (OPI) used by government agencies and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) to measure speaking proficiency. Whereas the OPI is…

Language samples were obtained from 12 Head Start preschool children under the following three experimental conditions: Condition I, Retelling a Story with Toys; Condition II, Playing with Toys; Condition III, Toys with Questions. Results indicated that retelling a story produced the largest mean length of utterance, but toys and questions…

Describes procedures implemented by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for the development of national versions of the assessment instruments in all instruction languages used in the participating countries. Presents data that provide empirical information on the effectiveness of these procedures. (VWL)

Introduces a framework for systematizing the design of language performance assessments and explicating the role of tasks within them. Their design outlines fundamental components that must be rationalized and operationalized in order for performance assessment to produce coherent evidence of examinees' abilities. (Author/VWL)

This simulation study considered the effects on statistical measures of test dimensionality that result from systematic sampling variation in both a single- and a double-trait assessment model. Results suggest that there are distinct psychological and psychometric states of test dimensionality, and that psychometric unidimensionality may be…

This study examines whether readers of German can identify correctly the coreferents of anaphoric expressions in a German text and whether this ability is related to their overall comprehension of the text and their baseline German language ability. Findings reveal a positive relationship between the ability to resolve anaphoric references and…

Investigates potential presence of a topic effect for the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment using the mechanism of choice. Sought to determine whether test-takers given a choice of topic perform significantly differently from test-takers not given a choice. English-as-a-Second-Language university applicants were assigned one of…

Outlines an agenda for a dialogue that focuses on the relation between acquired language proficiencies (verbal abilities) and non-verbal abilities. Shows the relevance of this to language testing, framing the problem within a general theory of signs and deriving certain testable hypotheses concerning it. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the phenomenon of communicative language testing as it emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a reaction against tests constructed of multiple choice items and the perceived overemphasis of reliability. Traces the legacy of the communicative movement from its first formulation, through present conundrums, to tomorrow's research…

Explores developments in the philosophy and epistemology of language testing with particular reference to the notion of "responsibility." Argues that as the millennium changes, language testing is at a point of change, as well. (Author/VWL)

Recent developments in cognitive linguistics have highlighted the importance as well as the ubiquity of metaphor in language. Despite this, the ability of second language learners to use metaphors is often still not seen as a core ability. In this paper, we take a model of communicative competence that has been widely influential in both language…