Demystifying the TOEFL® Reading Test

Abstract

Despite the growing international influence of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), no articles have been published on how the test is actually developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). In this article, the author, who worked in the Test Development department at ETS from 1984 to 1987, seeks to demystify the TOEFL reading test at both a descriptive and theoretical level. First, the author draws on data from a case study of a reading test she developed in 1986 to illustrate the technical rigor with which the test is developed, and to raise questions about its theoretical adequacy. Second, the author draws on the theory of genre proposed by Kress (1989, 1991) to (a) illustrate how the unequal relationship between test makers and test takers predisposes TOEFL candidates to a particular reading of TOEFL texts; and (b) locate the TOEFL reading test within the larger social context of the TOEFL internationally, where competence in English means access to power. The author concludes that the TOEFL–2000 test development team at ETS, who are currently reviewing the test, needs to address the washback effect of the test in consultation with both ESOL teachers and TOEFL candidates internationally.