The specific—and varied—ways in which assessment and evaluation can impact learning and teaching have become an important language education research concern, particularly as educators are increasingly called on to implement these processes for improvement, accountability, or curricular development purposes. Useful Assessment and Evaluation in Language Education showcases contemporary research that explores innovative uses of assessment and evaluation in a variety of educational contexts.
Divided into three parts, this volume first examines theoretical considerations and practical implementations of assessment conducted for the purpose of enhancing and developing language learning. Part 2 addresses novel assessment development and implementation projects, such as the formative use of task-based assessments, technology-mediated language performance assessment, validation of educational placement tests for immigrant learners, and the use of assessment to help identify neurolinguistic correlates of proficiency. The final section of the book highlights examples of argument-based approaches to assessment and evaluation validation, extending this critical framework to quality assurance efforts in new domains. Adding to research on traditional and conventional uses of testing and evaluation in language education, this volume captures innovative trends in assessment and evaluation practice that explicitly aim to better inform and enhance language teaching and learning.
Contributions by: John McE. Davis, Richard Kiely, Yuko Butler, Viviane Bagio Furtoso, Michael J. Ferreira, Keiko Koda, Junko Yamashita, Constant Leung, Chris Davison, Martin East, Michael Evans, Yongcan Liu, Liz Hamp-Lyons, James E. Purpura, Svetlana V. Cook, Shauna J. Sweet, Alia Lancaster, Nicholas B. Pandža, Scott R. Jackson, Eric Pelzl, Catherine J. Doughty, Kira Gor, Larry Davis, Veronika Timpe-Laughlin, Lin Gu, Gary Ockey, Koen Van Gorp, Taina Tammelin-Laine, Ari Huhta, Reeta Neittaanmäki, Tuija Hirvelä, Sari Ohranen, Elina Stordell, Bart Deygers, Justin Kelly, Jennifer Renn, Jennifer Norton, Chih-Kai Lin, David MacGregor, Michael Kane, Jim Ranalli