Fairness, Justice and Language Assessment

This book explores the difference between fairness and justice in language assessment, and shows how test fairness can be demonstrated and improved.

Home to the most innovative studies in its field, the Oxford Applied Linguistics series furthers research in English teaching and learning, and provides strong foundations for language pedagogy.This book has two goals, each related to the validity of language assessment. The first goal is to explore the difference between fairness and justice in language assessment. The authors distinguish internal and external dimensions of the equitable and just treatment of individuals taking language tests which are used as gatekeeping devices to determine access to education and employment, immigrant status, citizenship, and other rights. The second goal is to show how the extent of test fairness can be demonstrated and improved using the tools of psychometrics, in particular the models collectively known as Rasch measurement.