Exploring Item-Examinee Response Characteristics in Search of Diagnostic Functions of TOEIC[R] Tests for University Students in Japan (The Best Paper of the Year)

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Abstract

TOEIC[R] tests have been used extensively for placement or proficiency decisions at universities in Japan. However, the amount of diagnostic information they make available to individual candidates is fairly limited. In fact, providing such TOEIC[R] examinees/learners with substantial formative feedback has often been deemed impractical. The purpose of this study is to help bridge the gap between the publicized results of official TOEIC[R] tests and additional findings which can be derived from the analyses of individual item-examinee responses to TOEIC[R] Practice Tests, so as to benefit both TOEIC[R] examinees and English learners. Different versions of TOEIC[R] Practice Tests, as developed by the Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC), were administered to a sample of 136 university students in Japan and a separate sample of 86, employing a common set of anchor items to calibrate all the items from different test forms on the same latent scale. A series of analyses were conducted to delineate salient characteristics of 800 items involved. The results and implications of the study were addressed in terms of diagnostic functions of TOEIC[R] tests for university students in Japan.

Journal

  • JLTA Journal

    JLTA Journal 14 (0), 1-20, 2011

    Japan Language Testing Association

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