1st Edition

English Language Assessment and the Chinese Learner

Edited By Liying Cheng, Andy Curtis Copyright 2010
    304 Pages
    by Routledge

    320 Pages
    by Routledge

    'This volume addresses a very timely and important topic, and provides both broad and in-depth coverage of a number of large-scale English tests in China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, and about the Chinese learner.'Lyle F. Bachman, From the Foreword

    Building on current theoretical and practical frameworks for English language assessment and testing, this book presents a comprehensive, up-to-date, relevant picture of English language assessment for students in China (Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and for Chinese learners of English around the world. Written by well-recognized international scholars in language testing, it covers:

    • the history of tests and testing systems, issues and challenges, and current research in China
    • both test-designers’ and test-users’ points of view on test development and test validation within a range of political, economical, social, and financial contexts in China
    • theoretical/conceptual perspectives on the use of the English language assessment at different levels, including societal, university, and schools
    • empirical research related specifically to test development, curricular innovation, and test validation

    Given the long history of objective testing and its extensive use in Chinese society, and considering the sheer number of students taking various tests in English in China and elsewhere, an understanding of the impact of English language testing is essential for anyone involved in testing and assessment issues in China and elsewhere in the world. This is a must-read volume for testing and assessment policy makers, curriculum designers, researchers, ESL/EFL materials writers, graduate students, and English language teachers/researchers at all levels.

    Foreword. Lyle F. Bachman

    Preface

    Part 1 Setting the Scene

    Chapter 1 The Realities of English Language Assessment and the Chinese Learner in China and Beyond

    Liying Cheng, Queen’s University

    Andy Curtis, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

    Chapter 2 The History of Examinations: Why, How, What, and Whom to Select?

    Liying Cheng, Queen’s University

    Part 2 Validity and Test Validation: Views from Test Designers

    Chapter 3 The National Education Examinations Authority and its English Language Tests

    Qingsi Liu, The National Education Examinations Authority

    Chapter 4 The National College English Testing Committee

    Yan Jin, Shanghai Xiaotong University

    Chapter 5 Developments of English Language Assessment in Public Examinations in Hong Kong

    Chee-cheong Choi and Christina Lee, The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority

    Chapter 6 The Language Training and Testing Center, Taiwan: Past, Present and Future

    Antony John Kunnan, California State University, Los Angeles

    Jessica R. W. Wu, The Language Training and Testing Center

    Part 3 Test Use and Consequences: Views from Test Users

    Test Quality: Theoretical/Conceptual Points of Views

    Chapter 7 From TOEFL pBT to TOEFL iBT: Recent Trends, Research Landscape, and Chinese Learners

    David D. Qian, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    Chapter 8 IELTS: International English Language Testing System

    Janna Fox, Carleton University

    Andy Curtis, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

    Chapter 9 Chinese Test-takers’ Performance and Characteristics on the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery

    Xiaomei Song, Queen’s University

    Chapter 10 The Public English Testing System

    Jianda Liu, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

    Chapter 11 The Graduate School Entrance English Examination

    Lianzhen He, Zhejiang University

    Chapter 12 The General English Proficiency Test

    Viphavee Vongpumitch, National Tsing Hua University

    Part 4 Test Use and Consequences: Views from Test Users

    Test Quality: Empirical Studies

    Chapter 13 Chinese EFL Learners’ Discoursal Performance in Cambridge ESOL FCE Speaking Test: Culture-specific or Test-driven?

    Yang Lu, The University of Nottingham

    Chapter 14 Exploring the Relationship Between Chinese University Students’ Attitudes toward the College English Test and Their Test Performance

    Jing Zhao, The Ohio State University

    Liying Cheng, Queen’s University

    Chapter 15 Chinese EFL Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom Assessment Environment and Their Goal Orientations

    Xiaoying Wang, Beijing Foreign Studies University

    Liying Cheng, Queen’s University

    Chapter 16 Should proofreading go? Examining the Selection Function and Washback of the Proofreading Subtest in the National Matriculation English Test

    Luxia Qi, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

    Chapter 17 The Computerized Oral English Test of the National Matriculation English Test

    Yongqiang Zen, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

    Chapter 18 The Hong Kong Certificate of Education: School-Based Assessment Reform in Hong Kong English Language Education

    Chris Davison & Liz Hamp-Lyons, The University of Hong Kong

    Part 5 The Link between Test Validity and Validation, and Test Use and the Consequences: Conclusion and Beyond

    Chapter 19 The Impact of English Language Assessment and the Chinese Learner in China and Beyond

    Liying Cheng, Queen’s University

    List of Contributors

    Biography

    Liying Cheng is Associate Professor, and a Director of the Assessment and Evaluation Group, at the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University.

    Andy Curtis is Director of the English Language Teaching Unit at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, China, where he is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction within the Faculty of Education.

    "The book’s broad coverage and state-of-the-art description of language testing in China will definitely help interested researchers and stakeholders alike better understand Chinese test-takers and shed light on a variety of validation studies, whether Chinese test-takers are involved or not." - Zhi Li, System , System, Volume 40 (2), June 2012