A closer look at the construct validity of C-tests
- ISSN: 02655322
- DOI: 10.1191/0265532206lt330oa
Abstract
What C-tests actually measure has been an issue of debate for many years. In the present research, the authors examined the hypothesis that C-tests measure general language proficiency. A total of 843 participants from four independent samples took a German C-test along with the TestDaF (Test of German as a Foreign Language). Rasch measurement modelling and confirmatory factor analysis provided clear evidence that the C-test in question was a highly reliable, unidimensional instrument, which measured the same general dimension as the four TestDaF sections: reading, listening, writing and speaking. Moreover, the authors showed that language proficiency was divisible into more specific constructs and that examinee proficiency level differentially influenced C-test performance. The findings have implications for the multicomponentiality and fluidity of the C-test measurement construct.
Sign up today - FREE
Mendeley saves you time finding and organizing research. Learn more
- All your research in one place
- Add and import papers easily
- Access it anywhere, anytime