Test-takers\u2019 perspectives on a global test of English: questions of fairness, justice and validity

M Obaidul Hamid,Vicente Reyes,Ian Hardy

doi:10.1186/s40468-019-0092-9

Abstract

Although language test-takers have been the focus of much theoretical and empirical work in recent years, this work has been mainly concerned with their attitudes to test preparation and test-taking strategies, giving insufficient attention to their views on broader socio-political and ethical issues. This article examines test-takers’ perceptions and evaluations of the fairness, justice and validity of global tests of English, with a particular focus upon the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Based on relevant literature and theorizing into such tests, and on self-reported test experience data gathered from test-takers (N = 430) from 49 countries, we demonstrate how test-takers experienced fairness and justice in complex ways that problematized the purported technical excellence and validity of IELTS. Even as there was some evidence of support for the test as a fair measure of students’ English capacity, the extent to which it actually reflected their language capabilities was open to question. At the same time, the participants expressed concerns about whether IELTS was a vehicle for raising revenue and for justifying immigration policies, thus raising questions about the justness of the test. The research foregrounds the importance of focusing attention upon the socio-political and ethical circumstances that currently attend large-scale, standardized English language testing.

Highlights

Language test-takers have been the focus of much theoretical and empirical work in recent years
This article reports on an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) study in an Australian university, focusing upon test-takers’ perceptions and evaluations of the test from the perspective of the interrelated concepts of fairness, justice and validity
Deygers (2017) in his recent article on the principles of justice in language testing questions: Is it just for a university to demand that international Second Language (L2) students meet language requirements that are not met by all L1 students, who are exempt from taking the test? Is it just for a country to raise the language requirements for citizenship to a literacy level that de facto excludes people who have not had access to organized education or schooling? [ ... ]. (p. 143, emphases added)

Summary

Introduction

Language test-takers have been the focus of much theoretical and empirical work in recent years. This article reports on an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) study in an Australian university, focusing upon test-takers’ perceptions and evaluations of the test from the perspective of the interrelated concepts of fairness, justice and validity.

Results

Conclusion