This paper provides a narrative review of empirical research on the assessment of speaking
proficiency published in selected journals in the field of language assessment. A total of 104 …

Argument-based validation requires test developers and researchers to specify what is
entailed in test interpretation and use. Doing so has been shown to yield advantages …

Fluency is one of the most commonly used dimensions of proficiency in the assessment of
foreign and second language (L2) oral skills. However, as is the case with many other …

Rating scale development in the field of language assessment is often considered in
dichotomous ways: It is assumed to be guided either by expert intuition or by drawing on …

Rating scales that language testers design should be tailored to the specific test purpose
and score use as well as reflect the target construct. Researchers have long argued for the …

This study investigated the impact of different lengths of pre-task planning time on
performance in a test of second language speaking ability for university admission. In the …

It is often argued that, to achieve a high quality of rating in writing assessment, it is important
to nurture a comprehensive measurement ecosystem involving experienced raters and …

It is widely believed that human rating performance is influenced by an array of different
factors. Among these, rater-related variables such as experience, language background …

With the present study I investigated the sources of score variance and dependability in a
local oral English proficiency test for potential international teaching assistants (ITAs) across …

In Japanese secondary schools, speaking assessment in English classrooms is designed,
conducted, and scored by teachers. Although the assessment is intended to be used for …