[ p. 15 ]
Differential item functioning is a necessary condition but not sufficient condition for bias because a test item that functions differently for two groups might do so because it advantages one group in a construct-irrelevant way, but there might also be a legitimate reason for differential functioning. (p. 83)
"Though much of the socially-oriented research studies cited in this text are still underdeveloped, the authors do succeed in offering persuasive reasons why the somewhat narrow field of language testing needs to expand its scope." |
In a weak profession, like language testing, no professional association regulates the right to practice: membership in a professional organization is voluntary, it is not a precondition for practice, and, consequently, there are no serious sanctions against members who violate codes of ethics. The association might exclude them, but they cannot be stopped from continuing to practice, ethically or unethically. (p. 139)
. . . we cannot afford to be merely naive players in the discursively constructed world in which language tests are located. Appropriate intellectual and analytical tools enable us to recognize the roles that tests will play in the operation of power and systems of social control. We will be less inclined to seek shelter in the impersonality and purely technical aspects of our work. We need critical self-awareness in order for us to first recognize and then to decide whether or not to accept or to resist our own subject position in the system of social control in which tests play such a part. (p. 198)
[ p. 16 ]
the underlying construct [of current high school EFL tests in Japan] is not communicative proficiency in English . . . but, rather, diligence and hard work - attributes highly valued in Japanese society . . . the actual content of the test and its validity in terms of conformity to the curriculum guidelines . . . are not the central issue; what matters is that the test be difficult and play the role of selecting the character attributes of diligence and effort. (p. 208)
the relatively narrow intellectual climate of language testing will need to be broadened, with openness to input from such diverse fields as sociology, policy analysis, philosophy, cultural theory, social theory, and the like, in addition to the traditional source fields. (p. 254)
- Reviewed by Tim Newfields
Toyo University
Categorical Index | Subject Index | Title Index |
[ p. 17 ]