Liu Jianda is a professor and dean of the National Key Research Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. He is currently vice-president of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. He has worked in designing, developing, and validating language tests in China. His research interests include language testing, pragmatics, and second language acquisition. He has published many papers in different academic journals. His recent book entitled Measuring Interlanguage Pragmatic Knowledge of EFL Learners was published by Peter Lang. He is now leading the development of China’s Standards of English.
Abstract: Validating the Levels of China’s Standards of English
The State Council of the People’s Republic of China issued a document in 2014 entitled “The Implementation Opinions of the State Council on Deepening the Reform of the Examination and Enrollment System”, designating the construction of a comprehensive assessment system of foreign language proficiency. Among the different tasks, developing China’s Standards of English (CSE) is the fundamental task.
CSE describes what Chinese learners and users of English can do with the target language. It defines the English language proficiency levels, in the Chinese EFL context, comprehensively with specific, accurate and easy-to-understand descriptors in terms of language communicative functions and language skills, serving as one of the fundamental strategies to promote English learning, teaching and assessment in China.
This presentation first introduces briefly the CSE, followed by a detailed explanation of the procedures adopted and measures taken to ensure the reliability and validity of the descriptor levels. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of questionnaires and interviews from language experts, teachers, and learners (users). Various statistical procedures were conducted before the final levels of the descriptors were determined. Suggestions on the use of the CSE were given at the end of this talk.