Tests are important artifacts in the software development process. Testing activities such as test automation, test maintenance, and test suite optimization mainly rely on an in-depth understanding of test specifications. The manual process of writing testspecifications in natural language can create many different quality issues such as ambiguous, incomplete, redundant, or inconsistent test cases. Nowadays, the concept of test smells is proposed by several researchers to be used as indicators of low-qualityattributes in test specifications. Quality assurance processes for test specifications often rely on manual reviews to detect these smells. The manual process of detecting these smells is considered time consuming and costly. However, there is currently no work that implements a comprehensive quality model that classifies and identifies these smells by using a systematic strategy. As a result, there is a need for machine-supported analytical measures that decrease the time and effort needed to detect these smells manually, especially when it comes to reviewing and validating large test specifications.This study aims to investigate which natural language smell metrics implemented in NALABS can be found in test specifications and to measure the sufficiency of those smellmetrics. It also aims to extend these smell metrics by exploring, proposing, or combining with new bad smell metrics to cover more aspects of natural language test quality. The results of the study show that the smell metrics exists in real-world test specifications and can uncover many potential quality issues by assisting test designers in identifying certain types of quality issues pertaining to for example the understandability and complexity of test specifications. Moreover, the results show thatthe list of smell metrics implemented in NALABS is incomplete and can be extended to cover more aspects of test quality.

This thesis examines the different uses of a large-scale and high-stakes national English test in China—the College English Test (CET), together with their social and educational impacts. The research takes a multi-method, qualitative approach to collect different sources of data. The primary data were drawn from a series of face-to-face in-depth interviews with university students, lecturers, administrators, employers, a test designer and a bookseller. Other supporting data were collected through observations, email interviews, and a variety of documentary and online sources. The data show that the CET results have been used for both intended and unintended purposes by intended and unintended users. The main focus of the study is on the test takers—the university students. It was found that the CET, through the various uses made of the results, had a significant impact on the learning of English and subjects in other disciplines in the universities. There are also significant influences on test takers’ ethical conduct and their fairness perceptions of both the test itself and its uses. These impacts are multifaceted and they have chain consequences. The relation between the several uses of the CET results and their impacts can be represented by a model of ‘impact introducers (test users)—impact medium (test itself)—impact context—impact receivers (e.g. test takers)’. The study provides empirical evidence that the four elements in the model play different roles in the impact processes, and the impact is reciprocal between introducers and receivers. It also shows that test uses and their impacts are mediated by a number of factors, among which contextual factors (e.g. cultural, social and economic) tend to play more significant roles than the test itself. The study concludes with a discussion of the role of the four elements in the CET impact processes from different perspectives.

In view of the difficulty of recruiting staff to care profession and in terms of the increasing need to find ways of ensuring a good language level in the profession, have an interest in language tests been revealed. The purpose of this paper is therefore to highlight the use of language tests for admission to the care courses for adults in Värmland. What provided This is a survey of the prevalence and an examination of the validity of the test. The issue that this study assumed is: How is language test in connection with admission to the certified health and social care courses for adults in Värmland? How well correlates intent of the use of the language test with the test's validity and reliability? The methods used to seek answers to these questions has been a combination of questionnaires and experiments. The questionnaire was used to map the use of the language test whereas the experiment was to investigate the validity and reliability of the used language test. The result shows that there are municipalities that use or plan to use language test for admission to nursing and care programs. Of a total of six answered the survey responses, showed three an affirmative answer to the question of the existence of language tests. As the intention of this use was to define "Mapping the student's language skills," "In order to determine whether the student can assimilate the content of education", and "as a basis for any linguistic support to be given". The individuals included in this testing are in a municipality only Swedish as a second language students in two municipalities all students. When asked about how well språktestets validity and reliability correlates with the intent specification, illustrate this study that there are some difficulties. The language test which formed the basis of this experiment showed deficiencies in, among other things, data content, question design and pragmatic application.

This thesis aims at studying customer perceived value in language test training industry through an empirical research on four dominate IELTS training institutes in China. Customer questionnaires are used to get customers’ preferences about language test training service, as well as their perceived value of each institute. Based on that, a measurement of each institute’s performance according to the customer preferences is conducted. After analysis, the strength and weakness of each institute is clearly showed, followed by relative explanations and suggestions for their weaknesses.

Thesis (D.A.)--Illinois State University, 1995. / Title from title page screen, viewed May 8, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Irene Brosnahan (chair), Janice Neuleib, Maurice Scharton. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-248) and abstract. Also available in print.

Submitted by GABRIELA MELLO COSTA null (gabrielaunesp@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-12-06T21:36:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_versão_final.pdf: 2352782 bytes, checksum: 9e7339bc0f6604b9f2fcf6dbfbdb95d0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-12-09T12:49:04Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 costa_gm_me_mar.pdf: 2352782 bytes, checksum: 9e7339bc0f6604b9f2fcf6dbfbdb95d0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-09T12:49:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 costa_gm_me_mar.pdf: 2352782 bytes, checksum: 9e7339bc0f6604b9f2fcf6dbfbdb95d0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-25 / Item merged in doublecheck by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-01-20T15:57:42Z Item was identical to item(s): 138251, 145119 at handle(s): http://hdl.handle.net/11449/139438, http://hdl.handle.net/11449/145029 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / A narrativa oral de história tem sido amplamente utilizada em pesquisas para identificação de alterações na linguagem. Existe ainda escassez de procedimentos sistemáticos no Brasil para avaliação da habilidade de narrativa oral. O Test of Narrative Language é um teste norte-americano que avalia compreensão e produção de histórias, e possui três formatos de apresentação: (1) sem figuras, (2) figuras em sequência, (3) figura única. O objetivo geral desse trabalho foi investigar o desempenho de falantes do português brasileiro na versão brasileira do Test of Narrative Language. Os objetivos específicos foram: (1) comparar o desempenho entre as diferentes faixas etárias de crianças com desenvolvimento típico de linguagem, falantes do português brasileiro, na versão brasileira do TNL; (2) correlacionar o desempenho das crianças com desenvolvimento típico de linguagem, falantes do português brasileiro, nas tarefas de produção e de compreensão da narrativa, da versão brasileira do TNL; (3) comparar o desempenho das crianças com desenvolvimento típico de linguagem, falantes do português brasileiro, nos diferentes formatos de apresentação propostos pelo TNL. Participaram dessa pesquisa 140 sujeitos, entre cinco e 11 anos e 11 meses de idade com desenvolvimento típico de linguagem, divididos em sete grupos, de acordo com a faixa etária prevista pelo teste. Os resultados da comparação entre os grupos etários apontaram para diferenças com significância estatística entre o grupo de cinco anos quando comparado a todos os outros grupos, bem como para o grupo de seis anos quando comparado ao grupo de oito, nove, dez e onze anos. O grupo de sete anos não diferiu estatisticamente dos grupos de seis e oito anos, e uma das explicações para esse resultado foi a escolaridade dos sujeitos dessa faixa etária, já que metade do grupo cursava o primeiro ano e metade o segundo ano. Os grupos a partir de oito anos não tiveram diferença estatisticamente significante entre eles, e as explicações levantadas para esse resultado foram: (1) o teste adaptado para o português brasileiro teria um “efeito teto” na faixa etária de oito anos, ou (2) a partir dos oito anos as crianças apresentariam “estabilidade” no desenvolvimento da habilidade de narrativa oral. Observou-se que há correlação do desempenho de compreensão e produção nos grupos etários de cinco, seis e sete anos, o que não ocorre para os demais grupos. Quanto aos formatos, podemos observar que o método visual de sequencia de figuras mostrou ser um facilitador para a compreensão das histórias para todos os grupos etários e que o melhor desempenho para produção de história foi com uma única figura para as faixas etárias de nove e 11 anos. Conclui-se que, na análise da narrativa, deve-se levar em conta tanto a faixa etária quanto a escolaridade da criança, e tanto as habilidades de compreensão quanto as de produção, pois estas podem se correlacionar no início do desenvolvimento da habilidade narrativa e só se tornarão independentes quando a criança adquirir grande repertório narrativo. É necessário também considerar qual o método utilizado para eliciar narrativa e qual a natureza do apoio visual fornecido, pois estes fatores têm influencia no desempenho da criança. / FAPESP: 2014/08040-4

Die "Research Papers in Assessment" sind eine Reihe des Instituts für Testforschung und Testentwicklung e.V. (ITT), in der Forschungsergebnisse, Tagungsbeiträge und wichtige Einzeldarstellungen veröffentlicht werden.

Das aussagekräftige Messen und Bewerten von Fremdsprachenkenntnissen gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung. Sowohl in den Bereichen Beruf und Bildung, aber auch im Privaten und nicht zuletzt im Zuge erheblicher Zu- und Abwanderungsbewegungen weltweit spielt das Beherrschern, Fördern und Evaluieren von Sprachen eine maßgebliche Rolle. Die Reihe Research Papers in Assessment, herausgegeben vom Vorstand des Instituts für Testforschung und Testentwicklung e.V., präsentiert aktuelle Studien zur validen und reliablen Messung von Sprachkenntnissen, zu High- und Low-Stakes-Tests, zu Testkonzepten für Unterricht und Lehrmaterialien, zu diagnostischen Testverfahren und damit verbundener individueller Sprachförderung, Sprachbedarfsanalysen und allen damit verbundenen Themen. Die Reihe erscheint als Online-Publikation, um aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse möglichst rasch interessierten issenschaftlerInnen, Lehrkräften und mit dem Testen von Fremdsprachenkenntnissen betrauten Institutionen zugänglich zu machen und diese in die Testpraxis umsetzen zu können.

Das aussagekräftige Messen und Bewerten von Fremdsprachenkenntnissen gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung. Sowohl in den Bereichen Beruf und Bildung, aber auch im Privaten und nicht zuletzt im Zuge erheblicher Zu- und Abwanderungsbewegungen weltweit spielt das Beherrschern, Fördern und Evaluieren von Sprachen eine maßgebliche Rolle. Die Reihe Research Papers in Assessment, herausgegeben vom Vorstand des Instituts für Testforschung und Testentwicklung e.V., präsentiert aktuelle Studien zur validen und reliablen Messung von Sprachkenntnissen, zu High- und Low-Stakes-Tests, zu Testkonzepten für Unterricht und Lehrmaterialien, zu diagnostischen Testverfahren und damit verbundener individueller Sprachförderung, Sprachbedarfsanalysen und allen damit verbundenen Themen. Die Reihe erscheint als Online-Publikation, um aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse möglichst rasch interessierten issenschaftlerInnen, Lehrkräften und mit dem Testen von Fremdsprachenkenntnissen betrauten Institutionen zugänglich zu machen und diese in die Testpraxis umsetzen zu können.

This study was designed to determine whether varying criterion for pass/fail on the Mini-Screening Language Test for Adolescents (Mini-STAL) would increase accuracy of predicting outcome of the Screening Test of Adolescent Language (STAL). The Mini-STAL was developed by Prather et al. (1981) to identify rapidly those students between grades six through twelve who are in need of language intervention. Using Prather's established criterion (one or more errors equal failure), the Phoenix school district (Prather, 1981) found too many of their school population (20 percent) were failing the Mini- STAL. Thus, they established an experimental criterion (two or more errors equal failure) to identify those students with language problems. The present study sought to determine what proportion of students with language disorders was not detected by the Mini-STAL and what proportion of students without language disorders failed the Mini-STAL using the two criteria.