2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The systematic Validation of a Japanese University English Language Placement Test
| Project/Area Number |
16520353
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Foreign language education
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| Research Institution | Tokai University |
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Principal Investigator |
FUJITA Tomoko Tokai University, Foreign Language Center, Associate Professor, 外国語教育センター, 助教授 (80329002)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2006
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| Keywords | Test Validity / Placement test / Item Response Theory (IRT) / Validation Framework / classes of homogeneous language ability / Test Information Function (TIF) / validity as a unitary concept / University English Language Program |
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| Research Abstract |
The primary purpose of this study was to revise the in-house placement test used in a Japanese university foreign language program in order to more precisely measure and classify 5,500 incoming students' proficiency levels. Following Messick's theoretical view of validity as a unitary concept, a framework for the systematic validation of the placement test was created. Through the validation procedures, more plausible evidence was provided to support test score interpretations and uses for the revised test. Six approaches for determining the validity of both the original and the revised tests were conducted. Descriptive statistics, a three-parameter IRT analysis, and phi lambda dependability index indicated that the revised test more accurately measured and classified the incoming students, especially those students whose scores were around the higher cut-point. The three-parameter IRT analysis also indicated that the number of problematic items on the revised test decreased from 31 to 6. The dimensionality of the internal structure of the tests was investigated through correlation and PCA analyses. Finally, questionnaires from students and teachers showed that teachers' attitudes toward placement decisions were more positive than the students'. Both teachers and students who were in classes around the higher cut-point showed more positive attitudes toward placement decisions than those in classes around the lower cut-point.
Giving a placement test that is suitable for the examinees and the language program, and placing students in classes appropriate for their proficiency levels are two procedures crucial to the efficiency of the whole language program. As my future research, I would like to develop the methods for evaluating the whole language programs with the use of a placement test and a post test.
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Research Products
(12 results)
