Examining the Internal Structure of the Test of English‐for‐Teaching (TEFT™)

Abstract

ELTeach is an online professional development program developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) in collaboration with National Geographic Learning. The ELTeach program consists of two courses: English‐for‐Teaching and Professional Knowledge for English Language Teaching (ELT). Each course includes a coordinated assessment leading to a score report and certificate for teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL). The Test of English‐for‐Teaching (TEFT™), the assessment component of the English‐for‐Teaching course, measures EFL teachers' command of English for teaching English in classroom settings, as presented in the course. In this study, we examined the internal structure of the TEFT assessment. Results of the analyses demonstrated the role of both skill and content in representing the test's internal structure. The final parcel model had a higher‐order general factor and four first‐order factors corresponding to reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The findings support the current score reporting practice, that is, to report a total scaled score along with score information on language skills and on language use in specific content areas.