Open AccessNATIVE LANGUAGE, ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Author(s) -
Oltman Philip K.,
Stricker Lawrence J.,
Barrows Thomas S.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
ets research report series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.235
H-Index - 5
ISSN - 2330-8516
DOI - 10.1002/j.2330-8516.1988.tb00282.x
Subject(s) - test of english as a foreign language , psychology , language proficiency , salience (neuroscience) , test (biology) , construct validity , language assessment , competence (human resources) , mathematics education , linguistics , psychometrics , social psychology , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , paleontology , philosophy , biology
Responses on the TOEFL© test may reflect both the influence of the examinees' native language and their level of English proficiency. The aim of this study was to appraise the effect of these examinee variables on the structure of the test. The interrelations among TOEFL items, using all of the information provided by the various responses to the items (the four alternatives, omitted, and not reached), were analyzed by three‐way multidimensional scaling for samples of examinees systematically varying in native language and level of English proficiency. Four dimensions were identified: three corresponded to the sections of the test, and the fourth was an end‐of‐test phenomenon. The dimensions were predominantly defined by easy items and were most salient for low‐scoring examinees. The salience of the dimensions did not differ for the various language groups, except for the end‐of‐test dimension. Major conclusions were that the TOEFL's construct validity is supported, the test's interpretation varies with the examinees' English proficiency, easy and difficult items differ in their potential for diagnosis and global screening, and the dimensionality of the TOEFL and of competence in English depend on the examinees' English proficiency.