The eye of the beholder: authenticity in an embedded assessment task

Abstract

Authenticity is now firmly established as a central concern in test design and test validation (Bachman, 1990). However, there is disagreement about what authenticity is and about the degree of authenticity that can realistically be achieved. This article explores the theoretical and practical issues surrounding authenticity in course-based assessment, drawing on data from a university-level Japanese language course in Australia. It examines a teaching and assessment activity based around interviewing native speakers outside the classroom, which was designed to optimize authenticity. Using tapes that students made of the interview for assessment and retrospective interviews, the study examines various dimensions of authenticity and reveals a wide diversity in individual experiences. The article argues that the addition of an assessment dimension fundamentally changes the nature of a task, and thus compromises authenticity. It further suggests that authenticity must be viewed in terms of the implementation of an activity, not its design, and examines the various factors that affect the degree of authenticity experienced by individual students. The implications of this diversity for the validity of the activity are discussed.