10 Questions
What is the primary characteristic of a reliable test?
High true score variance and low error score variance
What type of reliability is affected by factors such as anxiety, illness, and fatigue?
Student-related Reliability
What happens when a test is completely error-free?
The true score is equal to the observed score
Which type of reliability is concerned with inconsistent scores yielded by different scorers?
Inter-Rater Reliability
What is the primary source of Test Administration Reliability?
Physical factors such as noise and lighting
What is the primary concern of content validity in a test?
Sampling the subject matter about which conclusions are to be drawn
What type of validity refers to the extent to which a test measures a specific ability?
Construct validity
What is the primary concern of practicality in a test?
The resources required to design and use the test
What type of validity is based on the subjective judgment of the examinees?
Face validity
What is the primary concern of authenticity in a test?
The degree of correspondence between tests and real-life language use
Study Notes
Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices
Reliability
- Reliability refers to the extent to which a test produces consistent scores at different administrations to a similar group of examinees.
- It is synonymous with dependability, stability, consistency, predictability, and accuracy.
- A reliable test has a high true score variance and low error score variance.
- There are four kinds of reliability:
- Student-related reliability: affected by psychological and physical factors, such as anxiety, illness, and fatigue.
- Rater reliability: includes inter-rater reliability (scorers yield inconsistent scores) and intra-rater reliability (unclear scoring criteria, bias, and carelessness).
- Test administration reliability: affected by conditions in which the test is administered, such as noise, lighting, and chairs.
- Test reliability: affected by the test's fit with time constraints, clarity of test items, and other factors.
Validity
- Validity is the degree of correspondence between the test content and the content of the material to be tested.
- A valid test measures what it is supposed to measure.
- There are five ways to establish validity:
- Content validity: the test samples the subject matter being tested.
- Criterion validity: the test performance is related to a criterion or indicator of the ability being tested.
- Construct validity: the test measures the construct it is supposed to measure.
- Consequential validity: the test has positive or negative consequences, such as impact on test takers and learners.
- Face validity: the test appears to measure the ability being tested, based on subjective judgment.
Practicality and Authenticity
- Practicality: the relationship between the resources required for the test and the resources available.
- Authenticity: the degree of correspondence between the test and real-life language use.
- Factors influencing authenticity:
- The language in the test is natural and realistic.
- Items are contextualized and reflect real-life situations.
- The test tasks are similar to normal language use.
This quiz covers the concept of reliability in language assessment, including its definition, importance, and relationship with error-free testing. The quiz also touches on the idea that obtained scores are a partial representation of one's true ability.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
