On Dec. 11th, an inspiring lecture on test preparation was delivered by Professor Liying Cheng, Yunshan Scholar of GDUFS and Director of the AEG at the Faculty of Education, Queens’s University, at the Research Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics.
This lecture was primarily based on one of Professor Cheng’s recent research programs, of which the main purpose was to investigate the nature of test preparation for four English tests (CET, TOEFL, IELTS and PTE) and its relationship with test performance and English proficiency. Following a brief introduction of how to apply research fund in Canada, Professor Cheng detailed the research rationale and framework of her project. She pointed out the gap between the common practices and beliefs：test preparation could help increase the test score and enhance language proficiency on the one hand, and on the other hand the scarcity of research evidence to support the effectiveness of test preparation. She also cited other researchers’ work, such as Messick (1982) and Green (2007) etc. to indicate that different kinds of test preparation (e.g. teach to the curriculum, teach to the test, teach test-taking skills and teach the test) could have different influences on the underlying construct as well as the teaching and learning content. Some of the findings in relation to China’s CET were then shared with the audience, showing that none of the test preparation behaviors could significantly predict test-takers’ scores or language proficiency. At the end of the lecture, there was a heated discussion on how to design and develop tests so that inappropriate test preparation would no longer threaten the measured construct.
Professor Liying Cheng’s lecture helps us get a clearer idea about the nature and effect of test preparation, and also raises a new challenge for test design and development.
