This volume reconsiders the problem of context in language testing and other modes of assessment from the perspective of transdisciplinarity.
This volume reconsiders the problem of context in language testing and other modes of assessment from the perspective of transdisciplinarity. Transdisciplinary assessment research brings together collaborators who draw on the strengths of their differing backgrounds and expertise in order to address high-stakes complex socially-relevant problems. Traditional treatments of context in language assessment research have generally been informed by individualist cognitive theories within measurement and psychometrics. The additive potential of alternative social theories, including theories of genre, situated learning, distributed cognition, and intercultural communication, has largely been overlooked. In this book, the benefits of socio-theoretical reconsiderations of context are discussed and further exemplified in transdisciplinary research studies that investigate the use of assessment in classroom and workplace settings. The book offers a renewed view of context in arguments for the validity of assessment practices, and will be of interest to assessment researchers, practitioners, and students in applied linguistics, education, educational psychology, language testing, and other related disciplines and fields.
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vii | |
Acknowledgements |
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viii | |
Introduction: Theory, research, reflection, and action: what is this book about? |
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1 | (18) |
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PART I Building foundations for transdisciplinary dialogue: new directions in language assessment research |
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19 | (142) |
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1 The problem of context in language assessment: validity, social theories, and a transdisciplinary research (TR) agenda |
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21 | (24) |
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2 Validity as an evolving rhetorical art: context and consequence in assessment |
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45 | (35) |
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3 Unpacking the conundrum of context in language assessment: why do social theories matter? |
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80 | (38) |
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4 The contributions of language assessment research: evolving considerations of context, constructs, and validity |
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118 | (43) |
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Ana Lucia Tavares Monteiro |
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PART II Transdisciplinary research (TR) in practice: building connections |
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161 | (90) |
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5 Clarifying the testing of aural/oral proficiency in an aviation workplace context: social theories and transdisciplinary partnerships in test development and validation |
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163 | (35) |
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Ana Lucia Tavares Monteiro |
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6 Validation of a rating scale in a post-admission diagnostic assessment: a Rhetorical Genre Studies perspective |
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198 | (25) |
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7 Social theories and transdisciplinarity: reflections on the learning potential of three technologically mediated learning spaces |
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223 | (28) |
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PART III Transdisciplinarity in practice: moving the research agenda forward |
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251 | (34) |
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8 Language assessment in the wild: storying our transdisciplinary experiences |
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253 | (32) |
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References |
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285 | (45) |
Index |
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330 | |
Janna Fox is Professor Emerita of Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Carleton University. Her research interests include language assessment (test development, diagnostic and portfolio assessment); the consequences of assessment use on teaching, learning, policy and decision-making; and transdisciplinary partnerships in validation research.
Natasha Artemeva is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Carleton University. Her research interests include social theories of learning and practice, genre studies, disciplinary and professional communication, forensic linguistics, and research ethics.