Adapting Instruments for Use in Multiple Languages and Cultures: A Review of the ITC Guidelines for Test Adaptations

Abstract

Summary: To facilitate the development of valid multicultural/multilingual tests, the International Test Commission (ITC) prepared the ITC Guidelines on Test Adaptations. This paper reviews the current version (cf. Van de Vijver & Hambleton, 1996 ), which consists of 22 guidelines on recommended practices pertaining to context, development, administration, documentation, and test-score interpretation, by identifying key principles in test adaptations and comparing them to a content analysis of the ITC Guidelines. The content analysis revealed a number of inconsistencies and ambiguities in a few guidelines, and proposals for reformulating them are given. A checklist to supplement the more narrative guidelines would also be helpful. Nevertheless, the review clearly demonstrates that the ITC Guidelines on Test Adaptations address key principles in test adaptations and constitute a significant standard or “code of conduct” in this field.