An Investigation into the Validity of the TOEFL iBT Speaking Test for International Teaching Assistant Certification

Autor/in	Farnsworth, Timothy L.
Titel	An Investigation into the Validity of the TOEFL iBT Speaking Test for International Teaching Assistant Certification
Quelle	In: Language Assessment Quarterly, 10 (2013) 3, S.274-291 (18 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1543-4303
DOI	10.1080/15434303.2013.769548
Schlagwörter	Test Validity; Language Tests; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Oral Language; Language Proficiency; Construct Validity; Factor Analysis; Teaching Assistants; Teacher Certification; Foreign Students; Research Universities; Factor Structure; Goodness of Fit; Sample Size; Graduate Students; Structural Equation Models; Test of English as a Foreign Language + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Testvalidität; Language test; Sprachtest; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Faktorenanalyse; Forschungseinrichtung; Faktorenstruktur; Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin
Abstract	This study examined the construct validity of the TOEFL iBT Speaking subsection for the purposes of international teaching assistant (ITA) certification, a purpose for which it was not specifically designed. The factor structure of the new TOEFL was compared with that of another language performance test in use at a major American research university for ITA certification. A quantitative, confirmatory factor analytic approach used data from 85 participants to analyze the extent to which the two tests measured the same constructs and to what extent some particular aspects of communicative language ability were measured by the new TOEFL Speaking test. Results suggest that the new TOEFL Speaking test measures the same general speaking proficiency construct, to a large degree, as the test designed specifically for teaching assistant screening. Implications for ITA testing programs and future validation work are discussed. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10