CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND
1
Where did performance assessments come from?............ 2
Where does performance assessment fit within language testing?............ 3
What constitutes second language performance assessment?............ 5
What are the advantages and disadvantages of second language performance assessment?... 7
What distinguishes task-based assessment from other forms of performance assessment? .... 8
What is the role of task difficulty in task-based performance assessment?...........11
A few definitions...........12
Purpose of initial investigations...........14
CHAPTER TWO: TEST DEVELOPMENT
17
Conducting a needs analysis...........17
Grading and sampling tasks...........18
Operationalizing test tasks and forms...........26
Developing rating scales...........27
CHAPTER THREE: METHOD
35
Examinees...........35
Materials...........37
Procedures...........38
Data summary...........41
Data analyses...........41
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
43
Multi-faceted Rasch model analyses...........55
Reliability estimates...........62
Correlational analyses...........67
Further interpretive analyses...........70
Effects of revision...........84
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION
89
Research question 1...........89
Research question 2...........92
Research question 3...........97
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VII
Research question 4...........98
Research question 5...........98
CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION
98
Limitations and implications...........98
Future research...........98
REFERENCES
98
APPENDICES
98
Appendix A: Components of the new revised task difficulty matrix:
Foreign language performance assessment for university FL learners...........98
Appendix B: Assigning task difficulty ratings...........98
Appendix C: Assessment of language performance Form Q...........98
Appendix D: Assessment of language performance form P...........98
Appendix E: Example instructions from all of the ALP tests...........98
Appendix F: Task-independent ratings...........98
Appendix G: Example administration guidelines for a single item...........98
Appendix H: Directions to proctors for administering the self-ratings...........98
Appendix I: Correlation matrix of all variables...........98
Appendix J: Implicational scaling: Form P...........98
Appendix K: Implicational scaling: Form Q...........98
Appendix L: Implicational scaling: Form J...........98
Appendix M: Implicational scaling based on best fit: Form P...........98
Appendix N: Implicational scaling based on best fit: Form Q...........98
Appendix O: Implicational scaling based on best fit: Form J...........98
Appendix P: Implicational scaling based on revised test: Form P...........98
Appendix Q: Implicational scaling based on revised test: Form Q...........98
Appendix R: Implicational scaling based on revised test: Form J...........98
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
VIII
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