From Testing to Assessment: English An International Language (Applied Linguistics and Language Study)

The testing and assessment of literacy skills of English language students is a key area of debate among educators. This book presents a critical review of both conventional and alternative approaches to the testing and assessment of English literacy, based on empirical studies carried out in various parts of the world. Based on empirical studies carried out by the contributors and editors themselves, key features of this book include: relation of important recent debates on the nature of literacy; the inclusion of different perspectives and approaches from i) multilingual countries which use English as the national language for education and government, such as Nigeria and Zimbabwe; ii) countries who use English as the international language for trade and commerce, such as Japan and Brazil; and iii) countries where English is the dominant language, eg. UK, Canada and USA. discusses the policy implications for the educational decision makers taking account of such factors as human and material resources. The text is designed for use by educational policy-makers, teacher trainers, students in applied linguistics and international education/literacy.