Language Testing Reconsidered

"Language Testing Reconsidered" provides a critical update on major issues that have engaged the field of language testing since its inception. Anyone who is working in, studying or teaching language testing should have a copy of this book. The information, discussions, and reflections offered within the volume address major developments within the field over the past decades, enlivened by current "takes" on these issues. The real value of this collection, however, lies in its consideration of the past as a means of defining the future agenda of language testing.The editors gratefully acknowledge the support provided for publication of Language Testing Reconsidered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the University of Ottawa's Second Language Institute, and Carleton University's School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies.1. On Second Thoughts (Bernard Spolsky) 2. The Challenge of (Diagnostic) Testing: Do We Know What We Are Measuring? (J. Charles Alderson) 3. What Is the Construct? The Dialectic of Abilities and Contexts in Defining Constructs in Language Assessment (Lyle F. Bachman) 4. Assessing Academic English Language Proficiency: 40+ years of U.K. Language Tests (Alan Davies) 5. The Coming of Age for Research on Test-Taking Strategies (Andrew D. Cohen) 6. Qualitative Research Methods in Language Test Development and Validation (Anne Lazaraton and Lynda Taylor) 7. Language Testing: A Question of Context (Tim McNamara) 8. Tests as Power Tools: Looking Back, Looking Forward (Elana Shohamy