Introduction to the International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning Special issue on Language Testing

Abstract

BackgroundAssessment is and should rightly be at the heart of any pedagogical activities to make them more accountable and explain the success or otherwise of the teaching/learning systems. Among the many roles of assessment is the determination of whether the pedagogies in place are achieving what they must achieve, hence the classical requirement for any valid and working educational system. This is a special theme issue that focuses on the interfaces between pedagogies and assessment. It reflects both the ongoing work of specialists in the research field and teachers who as professionals today are under increasing pressure to assess and report on their students' performance, and the emerging new ideas about the relationships between pedagogies and assessment of learning. The articles in this issue shed light on testing and assessment topics in language learning contexts and make strong cases for further research and studies in the area.OverviewThe first article, by Mignette Garvida, presents the historical background of the Diplomas de Espanol como Lengua Extranjera (DELE). In addition, the author discusses the issues related to content and construct validation and the reliability of this internationally renowned assessment instrument.The second article is authored by three academics in an Iranian university. In their contribution, Bahman Gorjian, Alireza Jalilifar and Halimeh Mousavi determine the effect of redundant and consistent stems in multiple-choice vocabulary tests on pre-university students' performance. In an experimental study, the authors examined the impact of redundant stems in multiple-choice teachermade achievement tests on a group of English language learners. The authors found no statistical relationship between the performance of their sample groups on the two different types of tests rendering both tests equally useful in measuring pre-university students' English language ability.Hongli Li in article three investigates whether teachers are really teaching to the test in the case of a high-stakes test of English in China. The findings of Hongli's research indicate that the teachers are not as much influenced by the writing section of the test as they claimed. In other words, teachers are not really teaching to the test in the classical and extreme sense of the word. They list a series of reasons in relation to why teachers are not teaching strictly teaching to the test. Hongli suggests that rigorous teacher training must be in place to improve the efficiency of classroom teaching.In the fourth paper, Seyyed Abbas Mousavi examines the effect of the use of digital video in the development of a general proficiency of spoken English language test. His article is part of a larger study in which he developed and validated a computer-based general English proficiency test. Other than the usability and usefulness of videos in oral tests obtained from the administration of a post- test feedback questionnaire to his study sample, he highlights some of the technical issues in this respect and suggests a workable set of solutions. The post-test feedback as reported by the testtakers indicates the presence of a highly positive washback in the use of digital videos in testing oral language proficiency.In the fifth article the author, Shirley O'Neill, looks at the views of high school students on EFL pedagogy and investigates the reasons behind the differential perspectives of the students according to their English as a foreign language proficiency level. Comparing the performances of higher proficiency level students with those of lower proficiency, the higher proficiency students were found to have greater awareness of the kinds of language learning experiences that would best facilitate their acquisition of the language. In addition, their recommendations for pedagogical change concurred substantially with the gaps identified in the teachers' current practice. …