For the first time, this study combined models and principles of authentic assessment from two parallel fields of applied linguistics as well as general education to investigate the authenticity of the TOEFL iBT speaking module. The study consisted of two major parts, namely task analysis and task survey. Utilizing Bachman and Palmer’s (1996) definition of authenticity, the task analysis examin...

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The present study investigated the factor structure of a field trial sample of the Test of English as a Foreign LanguageTM Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT). An item-level confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted for a polychoric correlation matrix of items on a test form completed by 2,720 participants in the 2003–2004 TOEFL iBT Field Study. CFA-based multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) analys...

This study compares the language learner and test-taking strategies used by Chinesespeaking graduate students when confronted with familiar versus unfamiliar topics in an English multiple-choice format reading comprehension test. Thirty-six participants at a large mid-western university performed three tasks: A content knowledge vocabulary assessment, two practice reading comprehension passages...