Language Testing: The Social Dimension

摘要

In recent years, language testing scholars have been pondering more and more the social effects of their work. In the USA and elsewhere, attempts to use test-administered standards to control education have raised new ethical questions -not just about the reliability and validity of tests in a theoretical sense, but also about their appropriateness in making critical decisions about the future of diverse populations. For example, many American states have been using tests written for native speakers of English to measure the academic achievement of new immigrants, with drastically distorted results. Also, and particularly in Europe, new concerns about immigrants and asylum-seekers have led some countries to use language tests in socially questionable ways. While not yet taking pride of place in the journals, one of the hottest topics on language testing email lists is the social dimension, especially the responsibility of testers for the use made of their work. This book is a pioneering contribution to current concerns about language testing, efficiently and fairly summarising recent relevant studies to characterise the social dimensions of assessment.