The Impact of Test Content Validity on Language Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of content validity of language tests on both teacher and learner. Educational evaluation produces too much stress in both teacher and learner, but it is given less attention by the teacher than any other teaching tasks. This inconvenience comes from the doubt with which this topic is approached. Tests are supposed to focus on core syllabus constituents to find how much the learner achieved. In this attempt we went through some examinations that seemed to lack content validity. We found that when the exam lacked this feature, most of the teaching would be focused in the techniques of examination rather than doing real teaching. It was also found that students did not refer to their textbooks as source of knowledge but exerted all efforts only to collect marks. The result of these practices yielded failure in the achievement of pedagogical objectives of language education.