The Construct of Reading and its Operationalization in the Internet-Based Test of English as a Foreign Language
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/philologia.2011.9.9.8Keywords:
construct, language skills, reading comprehension, question format, TOEFL iBTAbstract
In this paper an effort is made to define the construct of reading followed by the operationalization of the construct through texts and tasks selected in order to assess reading comprehension in a standardized test exemplified by TOEFL iBT. As defining a construct is by no means an easy task for researchers or test developers, a number of potentially useful methods is suggested to help them struggle through test development process. In the second part of the paper, abilities deemed necessary for efficient text processing, text comprehension, and responding to the tasks designed to measure comprehension in this test are analyzed. TOEFL iBT makes use of academic reading as it is academic environment which is defined as a target language domain. Given that the test is administered by computer and via the Internet, there is an overview of question formats utilized in the test in order to operationalize the construct of reading.
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