Assistant professor , sharif university of technology
Abstract
University of Tehran administers a test known as The University of Tehran English Proficiency Test (the UTEPT) to PhD candidates on a yearly basis. By definition, the test can be considered a high-stakes one. The validity of high stakes tests needs to be known (Roever, 2001). As Mesick (1988) maintains, if the validity of high stakes tests are not known, it might have some undesirable consequences for the society at large. To investigate the construct validity of the test, factor analysis was employed (Farahdy, 1983). The factor analysis of choice was exploratory factor analysis with varimx rotation strategy. In the reading section, the factor analysis produced eleven factors. Furthermore, the use of Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was complemented with Principal Axis Factoring (PAF). Overfactoring was an issue. This overfactoring can be attributed to the heterogeneous nature of items; different paradigms from which items were taken: iBT TOEFL, ILTES, and FCE.
Salehi, M. (2011). On the Construct Validity of the Reading Section of the University of Tehran English Proficiency Test. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2(222), 129-159.
MLA
Salehi, M. . "On the Construct Validity of the Reading Section of the University of Tehran English Proficiency Test", Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2, 222, 2011, 129-159.
HARVARD
Salehi, M. (2011). 'On the Construct Validity of the Reading Section of the University of Tehran English Proficiency Test', Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2(222), pp. 129-159.
CHICAGO
M. Salehi, "On the Construct Validity of the Reading Section of the University of Tehran English Proficiency Test," Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2 222 (2011): 129-159,
VANCOUVER
Salehi, M. On the Construct Validity of the Reading Section of the University of Tehran English Proficiency Test. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2011; 2(222): 129-159.
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