The relationship of test takers’ learning motivation, attitudes towards the actual test use and test performance of the College English Test in China

Abstract

Test takers’ individual characteristics may have a significant impact on their test performance (e.g. Bachman & Palmer, Language assessment in practice: Developing language assessments and justifying their use in the real world, 2010). However, given their dynamic and context-sensitive nature, different variables of test takers’ individual characteristics were explored in previous empirical research and the multivariate relationships among these variables and test performance varied in different research contexts. This study explored the relationships of test takers’ English learning motivation, attitudes towards the actual test use of the College English Test (CET), a high-stakes test in China, and their test performance. The findings revealed two distinctive dimensions with regards to English leaning motivation and embedded value implications in test use. Meanwhile, test takers’ test performance was positively and negatively affected by their supportive attitudes towards the actual test use of the CET and test-related learning motivation, respectively.