Providing Validity Evidence for a Speaking Test Using FACETS

Abstract

Speaking has been considered one of the most important skills in second language teaching and assessment. However, to date there has not been a clear definition of speaking ability. The present study attempts to examine what it means to be able to speak a second language using a newly designed computer-delivered speaking test. The test was created based on a theoretical definition of speaking ability, and then administered to 95 ESL students. A variety of statistical analyses were employed to examine the validity of the test, including reliability analyses, correlation analyses, and a many-facet Rasch measurement (Linacre, 1989) analysis. Results seem to provide some evidence for the validation of the test.