On Topic Validity In Speaking Tests Nahal Khabbazbashi by Nahal Khabbazbashi instant download after payment.

Topics are often used as a key speech elicitation method in
performance-based assessments of spoken language, and yet the validity
and fairness issues surrounding topics are surprisingly
under-researched. Are different topics ‘equivalent’ or ‘parallel’? Can
some topics bias against or favour individuals or groups of individuals?
Does background knowledge of topics have an impact on performance?
Might the content of test taker speech affect their scores – and perhaps
more importantly, should it? Grounded in the real-world assessment
context of IELTS, this volume draws on original data as well as insights
from empirical and theoretical research to address these questions
against the backdrop of one of the world’s most high-stakes language
tests.

This volume provides:

• an up-to-date review of theoretical and empirical literature related
  to topic and background knowledge effects on second language
  performance
• an accessible and systematic description of a mixed methods research
  study with explanations of design, analysis, and interpretation
  considerations at every stage
• a comprehensive and coherent approach for building a validity argument in a given assessment context.

The volume also contributes to critiques of recent models of
communicative competence with an over-reliance on linguistic features at
the expense of more complex aspects of communication, by arguing for an
expansion of current definitions of the speaking construct emphasising
the role of content of speech as an important – yet often neglected –
feature.

This volume will be a valuable resource for postgraduate students,
those working professionally in the field of speaking assessment such as
personnel in examination boards, item writers and curriculum
developers, and anyone seeking to better understand and improve the
fairness and validity of topics used in assessments.