Teaching pragmatics is crucial in the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL) since it is one of the primary indications of successfully and appropriately communicating in a target language. To our knowledge, there are not many studies on teaching pragmatics and no thoroughly designed measurement tools to investigate the perspectives of…

The teaching of English as a foreign language in Indonesia has a long history, and it is always important to ask whether the assessment of the students' language skills has been valid and reliable. A screening of many articles in several prominent databases reveal that a number of evaluation studies have been done by Indonesian scholars in the…

This article offers a critical review of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology English Proficiency Test (MSRT), a high-stakes exam required for postgraduate graduation, scholarships, and certain employment positions in Iran. Despite its widespread use, the design and implementation of the MSRT raise concerns about its validity and…

Studies have shown that raising L2 learners' metaphor awareness contributes to the acquisition of figurative language, which fosters students' development of language skills. However, the instruments measuring metaphor awareness, in the majority of relevant research, did not seem to have undergone proper methodological procedures for checking…

Grit--"perseverance and passion for long-term goals" (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007, p. 1087)--has attracted the attention of researchers in fields ranging from psychology to business to education (e.g., Robertson-Kraft & Duckworth, 2014; Robins, 2019). Continuing the line of research that explores the domain…

This paper discusses the challenges of defining coherence in the context of oral language assessment literacy and proposes that better understanding of the construct can be achieved through a systemic-functional linguistic lens. Coherence is taken to be a foundational quality of written and spoken discourse and is a standard feature in the…

This academic article provides the essential steps for designing an effective English questionnaire in social science research, with a focus on ensuring clarity, cultural sensitivity and ethical integrity. Developed from key insights from related studies, it outlines potential practice in questionnaire design, item development and the importance…

Reading self-efficacy performs a fundamental role in gaining academic achievement in college education. Review of the related literature unveils that it needs to be enriched by conducting further research on college students' reading self-efficacy. The paucity of investigations into college students' reading self-efficacy could have a connection…

This study discusses the characteristics of test specifications (specs) and item writer guidelines (IWGs), their role in item development of English as a Second Language (ESL) reading tests, and the use of the CEFR for specs development. This mixed-method study analyzed specs, IWGs, tests, and the Pearson Test of English General test statistics.…

The study seeks to conceptualise foreign language learning burnout and provide its corresponding measurement. The 15-item "Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey" (MBI-SS) was rephrased to fit an English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learning context. The modified MBI-SS was then assessed among 1718 Chinese secondary EFL students. A…

This technical manual describes the purpose and intended uses of the TOEFL iBT test, its target test-taker population, and relevant language use domains. The test design and scoring procedures are presented first, followed by a research agenda intended to support the interpretation and use of test scores. Given the updates to the test starting…

The present study aimed to empirically examine the validity of grit among language learners and its relation to vocabulary knowledge. Grit is defined as a trait that is characterised by a tendency to be passionate about and persevere towards the achievement of long-term goals. A newly developed questionnaire, L2-Grit Scale, which assesses…

The English Diagnostic Test aims to assess reading comprehension skills for first-year students at the University of Costa Rica. In 2022, this test consisted of four instruments with 55 items. Instruments were based on an academic reading, following the criteria B2+ or C1 level according to Common European Framework of Reference for languages.…

Teacher support, as an essential type of social support and an important antecedent of many key outcomes in L2 learning, can significantly contribute to foreign language achievement. Although teacher support has received considerable attention in education and educational psychology, it has drawn scanty attention in foreign language and applied…

Teacher agency is a pivotal element of professionalism and second/foreign language (L2) education. However, its role in L2 assessment has remained under-researched. Part of this negligence is due to the absence of a validated questionnaire to measure the construct and its underlying components. To address this gap, drawing on the ecological…