Development of a Computer Adaptive English Language Proficiency Test through Application of Latent Rank Theory

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25284112
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan University
• Principal Investigator: SUGINO Naoki 立命館大学, 情報理工学部, 教授 (30235890)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 清水 裕子 立命館大学, 経済学部, 教授 (60216108) ; 荘島 宏二郎 独立行政法人大学入試センター, 研究開発部, 准教授 (50360706) ; 山川 健一 安田女子大学, 文学部, 准教授 (00279077) ; 大場 浩正 上越教育大学, 学校教育研究科(研究院), 教授 (10265069) ; 中野 美知子 早稲田大学, 教育・総合科学学術院, 名誉教授 (70148229)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: コンピュータ適応型テスト / 潜在ランク理論 / 能力記述文 / 項目特性 / 英語熟達度 / 文法性判断

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The goal of this project has been the development of a computer-adaptive test of English as a foreign language that feeds back to learners their proficiency levels in terms of what they can do with the target language. In order to achieve this goal, we employed Latent Rank Theory to equate different scales so that items therein can be compared on one scale, and to detect developmental stages based on learners’ performance. Our contention is that by examining what items in one developmental stage require of the learners, we would be able to compile the can-do statements of that particular stage. Although we have failed to develop the CAT, the developmental stages of several grammatical features have been identified.

Free Research Field

英語教育学