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

Hamid, M. Obaidul; Hardy, Ian; Reyes, Vicente

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.

Citation

Hamid, M. O., Hardy, I., & Reyes, V. (2019). Test-takers’ perspectives on a global test of English: questions of fairness, justice and validity. Language Testing in Asia, 9(1), Article 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-019-0092-9

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 31, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Sep 17, 2019
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Deposit Date: Jun 12, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 16, 2020
• Journal: Language Testing in Asia
• Electronic ISSN: 2229-0443
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 16
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-019-0092-9
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4577206
• Publisher URL: https://languagetestingasia.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40468-019-0092-9
• Additional Information: Received: 10 May 2019; Accepted: 21 July 2019; First Online: 17 September 2019; : M. Obaidul Hamid (Orcid: 0000-0003-3205-6124) is Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, The University of Queensland. Dr. Hamid’s research focuses on the policy and practice of TESOL education in Asia. He is co-editor of Language planning for medium of instruction in Asia (Routledge; 2014).Ian Hardy (Orcid: 0000-0002-8124-8766) is Associate Professor in the School of Education, The University of Queensland. His research focuses on the politics of educational policy and practice, with particular attention to the nature of teachers’ work and learning. He is author of The politics of teacher professional development: Policy, research and practice (Routledge; 2012).Vicente Reyes (Orcid: 0000-0002-1539-1839) is Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, The University of Queensland. His research focuses on educational transformations, technology innovations in education and comparative education reform. His latest book is entitled Mapping the Terrain of Education Reform: Global Trends and Local Responses in the Philippines (Routledge; 2016).; : The authors declare that they have no competing interests.