November 2024 – Volume 28, Number 3
https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.28111r1
Fundamental Considerations in Technology Mediated Language Assessment |
|||
| Author: | Karim Sadeghi and Dan Douglas (2023) |  |
|
| Publisher: | Routledge | ||
| Pages | e-ISBN | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| XXV + 275 | 978-1-003-29239-5 | $41.59 (Paperback) | |
Computer-based testing has been widely used across many testing environments, serving both high-stakes and low-stakes contexts. Its global use calls for the language assessment community’s attention to reevaluate some fundamental issues, in particular the extent to which these test scores are reliable, consistent, and meaningful. In light of these needs, Sadeghi and Douglas’s recently published edited volume Fundamental Considerations in Technology-Mediated Language Assessment provides a timely treatment on this topic, exploring not only critical issues in computer-based testing but also topics related to the implementation of technology in other aspects of language assessment. This book will appeal to a broader audience beyond just professionals in the field of language assessment because it offers research-based and theoretical-based knowledge for professionals, teachers, and policymakers interested in exploring and developing computer-based tests.
The book is structured into four parts, each discussing different issues regarding technology in language assessment. Section 1 of the book focuses on critical aspects of interpreting test scores from a range of perspectives, emphasizing test validity. From the introduction of computer-based testing (Chapter 1) to the usefulness and impact of a national test in Finland (Chapter 6), these chapters highlight different aspects that build readers’ knowledge on how test scores should be meaningfully evaluated. For example, Chapter 2 explores the aspect of behavioral differences between face to face and online tests, while Chapter 3 promotes the aspect of self-learning through an automated diagnostic feedback tool. On the other hand, Chapter 4 emphasizes the need for careful consideration of test constructs and the use of multistage adaptive testing, and Chapter 5 stresses the technical issues and the clarity of instructions of language placement tests in Australia. This section may help language teachers and teacher educators design and improve the accuracy of their language tests.
Section 2 of the book builds on Section 1 by extending the discussion to the quality of test construction. These topics include questions of rater behavior and their scoring consistency (Chapters 7 and 8) as well as a method to identify language patterns in automated scoring (Chapter 9). Language teachers and teacher educators will find this section useful, as it provides them with knowledge about what computer-based testing can and cannot achieve in terms of test reliability. Section 3 of the book discusses crucial issues, like impact, security, and ethics, often observed in the application of computer-based testing. These chapters include problems and solutions on various issues, such as the fairness of a test faced by English learners in the US (Chapter 10), the technology of diagnostic L2 assessment (Chapter 11), and authentication, data security, and cheating (Chapter 12). The challenges and the solutions set out in this section prepare teachers to be aware of potential problems they might face in their teaching and testing contexts.
The book’s final section explores learning oriented assessment (Carless, 2015; Purpura, 2024) as a key framework to contextualize computer-based testing in classroom settings. These chapters underpin different sub-topics, such as interdisciplinary collaboration (Chapter 13), interactional competence (Chapter 14), English learners’ test-taking strategies (Chapter 15), English for academic purposes assessment (Chapter 16), and remaining issues to be addressed (Chapter 17). With these sub-topics presenting real-world examples from across the globe, this section provides teachers with substantial evidence that technology can be adopted as an assessment method in the classroom and offer them the necessary knowledge to accelerate the adoption of learning-oriented assessment into their classroom contexts.
Fundamental Considerations in Technology-Mediated Language Assessment is a useful resource for preparing teachers to address the complexities they might face when they decide to evaluate their students online fully. Although the book focuses on research and theory, it provides teachers with pedagogical knowledge that can be translated as guidelines for them to start the adoption of computer-based testing. Teachers with or without any prior knowledge of computer-based testing can utilize the solutions offered to solve their specific problems due to its straightforward and understandable explanations. However, the book’s primary strength lies in its ability to support teachers in developing their online tests for their classrooms. With a new understanding of online and traditional testing qualities, the book brings teachers’ attention to the importance of carefully implementing these characteristics for their classroom assessment. Lastly, teachers might find the book useful with its clear and effective organization, allowing them to explore topics specific to their interests.
Despite these strengths, some limitations are worth noting. First, although the book provides readers with a thorough theoretical foundation, adding a practical section illustrative of testing projects would enable them to better understand the application of these theories in real-world classroom contexts. This section could showcase a variety of blueprints of language tests assessing different abilities and skills. Second, given that the book introduces a new concept, Technology-Mediated Language Assessment, it is important to include a discussion of how this term differs from other similar terms, such as computer-based assessment and computer-mediated language assessment. Finally, as the book targets academics and professionals in second language assessment as its main audience, another limitation is that the book can be technically challenging due to a lack of definitions of specific language assessment terms. Short glosses after introducing terms could have made the volume more reader-friendly.
To sum up, Fundamental Considerations in Technology-Mediated Language Assessment is a useful reference for professionals, teachers, and policymakers developing computer-based tests. The content of the book is tailored to provide comprehensive knowledge necessary to implement the fundamental principles of computer-based testing. Specifically, the book introduces teachers to a variety of studies, allowing them to perform research in their classrooms to improve the quality of their assessments.
About the reviewer
Widya Kusumaningrum is a PhD student at Iowa State University majoring in Applied Linguistics and Technology. Her research interest lies in second language assessment. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6816-7956 <widya@iastate.edu>
To Cite this Review
Kusumaningrum, W. (2024). [Review of the book. (2023), Fundamental Considerations in Technology Mediated Language Assessment by Karim Sadeghi & Dan Douglas]. Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ), 28 (3). https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.28111r1
References
Carless, D. (2015). Exploring learning-oriented assessment processes. Higher Education, 69, 963-976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9816-z
Purpura, J. E. (2024). Learning-oriented language assessment. In A. J. Kunnan (Ed,), The concise companion to language assessment (1st ed., pp. 22–39). Wiley-Blackwell.
| © Copyright rests with authors. Please cite TESL-EJ appropriately. Editor’s Note: The HTML version contains no page numbers. Please use the PDF version of this article for citations. |