ERIC Number: EJ1215528
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-May
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1072-4303
EISSN: N/A
Topic Familiarity Matters: A Critical Analysis of TOEFL iBT Reading Section
Toker, Deniz
TESL-EJ, v23 n1 May 2019
The central purpose of this paper is to examine validity problems arising from the multiple-choice items and technical passages in the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) reading section, primarily concentrating on construct-irrelevant variance (Messick, 1989). My personal TOEFL iBT experience, along with my knowledge of assessment issues, urged me to critically analyze this particular section so that stakeholders and test designers might revisit the construct of reading, particularly on high-stakes tests, ensuring that test-takers are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged at the time of the test. I attempted to bring to light, or at least point out, the inevitable consequences of using multiple-choice items and the presence of technical terminology in reading passages in such a critical test by drawing on pertinent research. While the findings of some of the research concur with the primary assertion of this paper, others contrast with it. These different perspectives are discussed thoroughly in order to include two sides of the story. I conclude that investigating the significant ramifications of aforementioned factors is a crucial step in establishing the validity of reading sections of all similar tests serving as "both door-openers and gatekeepers" (Bachman & Purpura, 2008).
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Language Tests, Second Language Learning, Computer Assisted Testing, Test Validity, Multiple Choice Tests, Test Items, Reading Tests, High Stakes Tests, Advantaged, Disadvantaged, Familiarity, Test Wiseness, Construct Validity
TESL-EJ. e-mail: editor@tesl-ej.org; Web site: http://tesl-ej.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Test of English as a Foreign Language
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A