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Critical Language Testing

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Language Testing and Assessment

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Language and Education ((ELE))

Abstract

Critical language testing (CLT) refers to the examination of the uses and consequences of tests in education and society (Shohamy 2001a, 2001b; Spolsky 1995). The topic gained attention by various scholars and particularly Messick (1981, 1989), who argued for expanding the definition of construct validity as a criterion for evaluating the quality of tests, to include components related to tests use, such as values, impact, and consequences. CLT emerged from the realization that tests are powerful tools in education and society, which may lead to unintended consequences that need to be examined and evaluated. It is the power of tests, especially those of high stakes, that causes test takers and educational systems to change their educational behaviors and strategies as they strive to succeed in tests given their detrimental impact.

Ample research on CLT exists which focuses mainly on the uses of tests with regard to high-stakes tests such as the TOEFL, school leaving exams, entrance and placement tests, as well as international/comparative tests such as PISA and TIMMS. These studies pointed to the misuses of tests and their impact that goes far beyond learning and teaching into issues of identity, educational policies, as well as marginalization and discrimination against immigrants and minority groups. The chapter ends with a discussion of alternative testing strategies, developed over the past decade, which aim at minimizing the power and negative consequences of tests mostly by including democratic approaches of formative and dynamic assessment, multilingual testing, inclusive assessment, and bottom-up testing policies and tasks, all aiming to use tests in constructive and positive ways, diminishing their excessive power.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Elana Shohamy

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  1. Elana Shohamy
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Correspondence to Elana Shohamy .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tel-Aviv University School of Education, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Elana Shohamy

  2. Tel-Aviv University School of Education, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Iair G. Or

  3. Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, School of Critic, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen May

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Shohamy, E. (2016). Critical Language Testing. In: Shohamy, E., Or, I., May, S. (eds) Language Testing and Assessment. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02326-7_26-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02326-7_26-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02326-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02326-7

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