earticle

영어

In order to provide an accurate measure of test-takers’ English language abilities, test developers should minimize the influence of intervening factors such as raters’ backgrounds on test results. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of raters’ language backgrounds and their attitudes toward WEs on the assessment process and to analyze the complex relationships among rater, task, and test scores in English language oral proficiency tests. Three groups of English teachers from the UK, Malaysia, and Japan took part in the study, providing scores for 12 Korean students’ speech samples. The main finding was that raters’ English language backgrounds and their attitudes toward WEs had a significant impact on their rating perceptions of rating criteria. In addition, raters’ language backgrounds, their attitudes toward WEs, and the task-type were also revealed as significant factors that influence the assessment process of English language oral proficiency tests. These results suggest that well-structured test-type and well- trained raters enhance the validity of English language oral proficiency tests.