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Product Description
This accessible book examines issues such as test design, the rating process, validity, measurement, and the social dimension of language testing. It looks at both traditional and newer forms of language assessment, and the challenges posed by new views.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
"Language Testing" is a short, little book, yet very concise. There is no waste of words, each page containing concepts clearly addressed, precisely highlighting and emphasizing the most relevant issues on this topic. Despite its brevity, the book displays an overview of the assessment of modern languages and encourages reflection on such matter. Even if referred to as an "introduction", it goes far beyond this and focuses on issues to which other titles devote many more pages without thereby achieving greater content and depth. I regard it as a basic reference in the field of language assessment.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Concise and Efficient
27 Aug 2007
Format:Paperback
Like all of the "Oxford Introductions to Language Study", I found "Language Testing" to be both accessible and an informative, yet brief, introduction to the whole area of testing in language. Written with the absolute ignoramus in mind, (that would include me), McNamara's book is simply excellent.
Although it is not an in-depth analysis of the field, there is enough substance to give you a good overview and equip you with some of the more salient terminology and concepts. Lots of the terminology is printed in bold face, which makes it easy to highlight those words that will be used again and again throughout the book, and other books should you read more.
The book itself covers some of the history that has gone before us in testing, as well as chapters that discuss some of the issues facing test designers today. These include aspects like test design cycles, test validation, the rating process and more. There is also a good section of selected readings at the rear that relate to the chapters in the previous section.
Overall, if you are looking at beginning some reading on language testing, I would seriously recommend this book as the launching point. Pithy, concise and without a shred of waffling tripe, McNamara cuts to the chase effectively. It is a great book.
Although it is not an in-depth analysis of the field, there is enough substance to give you a good overview and equip you with some of the more salient terminology and concepts. Lots of the terminology is printed in bold face, which makes it easy to highlight those words that will be used again and again throughout the book, and other books should you read more.
The book itself covers some of the history that has gone before us in testing, as well as chapters that discuss some of the issues facing test designers today. These include aspects like test design cycles, test validation, the rating process and more. There is also a good section of selected readings at the rear that relate to the chapters in the previous section.
Overall, if you are looking at beginning some reading on language testing, I would seriously recommend this book as the launching point. Pithy, concise and without a shred of waffling tripe, McNamara cuts to the chase effectively. It is a great book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Perspective Matters
13 April 2011
Format:Paperback
Testing in TESOL is, as seen by many in the area, a business. This book does not address this, but it does address concepts, construction, and considerations necessary for someone in the industry.
It looks at types of tests, tests that attepmy to assess various aspects of language (listening, speaking), and how valid tests are (test validity). If you are doing an MA in language teaching and are new to such concepts I would really suggest adding this to the cart. I think it is a great review regardless of your vantage point: excluding advanced authors in the field.
Great book
It looks at types of tests, tests that attepmy to assess various aspects of language (listening, speaking), and how valid tests are (test validity). If you are doing an MA in language teaching and are new to such concepts I would really suggest adding this to the cart. I think it is a great review regardless of your vantage point: excluding advanced authors in the field.
Great book
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Short and to the point
6 April 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is very short. That is a good and a bad thing.
It is good because the book strips down the elements of language testing to the bare essentials. Most of the important issues are dealt with, and all are dealt with succinctly and in plain language.
It is bad if, as a reader, you are hoping for an in-depth discussion of testing-related issues.
I read the book because it was a core text for a course I took as part of an MA Applied Linguistics. Each chapter served as a bare-bones introduction to the topic of the week. It served this purpose well, but it was necessary for my lecturer to supplement each chapter with other readings.
The book is a good introduction to language testing in the EFL/ESL environment, and did a good job of structuring the university course that I took. I'd recommend it for both of those purposes.
It is good because the book strips down the elements of language testing to the bare essentials. Most of the important issues are dealt with, and all are dealt with succinctly and in plain language.
It is bad if, as a reader, you are hoping for an in-depth discussion of testing-related issues.
I read the book because it was a core text for a course I took as part of an MA Applied Linguistics. Each chapter served as a bare-bones introduction to the topic of the week. It served this purpose well, but it was necessary for my lecturer to supplement each chapter with other readings.
The book is a good introduction to language testing in the EFL/ESL environment, and did a good job of structuring the university course that I took. I'd recommend it for both of those purposes.
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