Researching English Language Assessment Practices in a Transnational World

Abstract

This critical review aims to examine how English language assessment practices take place in the transnational world today. Much research has been conducted to investigate the impact of transnationalism on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) teacher education. However, critical reviews examine how transnationalism issues in relation to English language assessment practices have remained relatively unexplored. To fill this gap, this critical review evaluated 52 papers published in international refereed journals and book chapters between 2000 and 2021 to focus on transnationalism and English language assessment practices. The findings of the review are presented in three parts. The first part provides an overview of the current English language assessment practices in the transnational world with a focus on emerging trends and challenges. The second part summarizes the theoretical and methodological approaches adopted by existing research on transnationalism and language assessment. The third part presents suggestions for future research directions. The findings are hoped to shed light on the understanding of key issues of English language assessment in relation to transnationalism.