Exploring the construct measured by PSU-TEP Reading Test: a cognitive processing model of reading
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
One of the main concerns of a test is constructed validity - whether it tests what it is designed to test. The primary aim of this study was to explore the construct underlying the PSU-TEP reading test. The stimulated recall data produced by 16 proficient participants in the four parallel forms of the test were analyzed for cognitive processes the participants relied on to complete the reading test. The findings showed that slow and careful global reading was the most predominant strategy the participants used to get correct answers. Other frequently-used strategies were choice elimination, the use of vocabulary knowledge, local-search reading based on lexical access, and slow and careful local reading, respectively. The findings were consistent in all four test forms. The results suggest that the PSU-TEP reading test measured the construct of reading abilities which all contribute to reading comprehension: careful local and global reading, and vocabulary knowledge. In other words, the participants who achieved high scores on the PSU-TEP reading test possessed the abilities they need in real-life reading, especially the ability to read slowly and carefully to comprehend sentences and overall texts, and had a good command of vocabulary, which plays an important role in reading. The fact that choice elimination emerged as one of the frequently-used strategies was because of the use of multiple-choice questions in the test. Recommendations for further research and reading test developers are provided.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Alderson, J.C. (2000). Assessing reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University press.
Anderson, N. J., Bachman, L., Perkins, K. & Cohen, A. (1991). An exploratory study into the construct validity of a reading comprehension test: triangulation of data sources. Language Testing, 8(1), 41-66.
Bax, S. (2013). The cognitive processing of candidates during reading tests: Evidence from eye-tracking. Language Testing, 30(4), 441-465.
Brunfaut, T. & McCray, G. (2015). Looking into test-takers’ cognitive processing while completing reading tasks: A mixed-method eye-tracking and stimulated recall study. British Council English Language Assessment Research Group.
Gass, S. M. & Mackey, A. (2017). Stimulated recall methodology in applied linguistic and L2 research. New York: Routledge.
Green, A. (1998). Verbal protocol analysis in language testing research: A handbook. In M. Milanovic (Ed.), Studies in Language Testing 5, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Heaton, J. B. (1988). Writing English language tests. Longman: New York.
Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Khalifa, H. & Weir, C. J. (2009). Examining reading: Research and practice in assessing second language reading. In M. Milanovic & C. Weir (Eds.), Studies in Language Testing 29, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lim, H.J. (2017). Exploring test-takers’ cognition in a high-stakes reading test: An eye-tracking study. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 14(3), 482-500.
Messicks, S. (1989). Meaning and values in test validation: The Science and ethics of assessment. American Educational Research Association, 18(5), 5-11.
Rupp, A. A., Ferne, T., & Choi, H. (2006). How assessing reading comprehension with multiple-choice questions shapes the construct: A cognitive processing perspective. Language Testing, 23(4), 441-474.
Weir, C. J. (2005). Language testing and validation: An evidence-based approach. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Weir, C. J., Hawkey, R., Green, A. & Devi, S. (2012a). The cognitive processes underlying the academic reading construct as measured by IELTS. In L. Taylor & C. J. Weir (Eds.), Studies in Language Testing 34 (pp. 212-269). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weir, C. J., Hawkey, R., Green, A., Unaldi, A. & Devi, S. (2012b). The relationship between the academic reading construct as measured by IELTS and the reading experiences of students in their first year of study at a British university. In L. Taylor & C. J. Weir (Eds.), Studies in Language Testing 34 (pp.37-119). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
