| Language test plays an indispensible role in language teaching and learning, and in closely interrelated and interdependent relations between teaching and testing, therefore, scientific test is one important means for evaluating, adjusting and improving and guiding language teaching and learning. Nowadays, as more and more English placement teaching has been carried out across the whole land and the test results will be one of the most important criterions for placing the candidates into different classes. Therefore, it is important to make sure the English placement test is reasonable and scientific.Based on Language Assessment Theory put forward by Bachman & Palmer, the author adopt a combination of quantitative and qualitative studies in which test evaluation is dominant and descriptive study of the questionnaire serves as an important supplement. This thesis attempts to explore answers for the following three questions: firstly, to what extent the students improve their performances after the placement teaching? Secondly, to what extent the postgraduate English placement test is scientific and reasonable in terms of construct validity, reliability, difficulty and discrimination? Furthermore, to what extent the candidates accept the test and find it useful and how is the face validity of PEPT?We find out that the language performances of the candidates have improved after one year’s placement teaching; PEPT has good construct validity and reliability as well as difficulty and discrimination, however, the reading comprehension and Chinese vocabulary and Chinese comprehension have, to some extent, higher difficulty and low discrimination;80% of the candidates find it useful. There are still some test items which are needed to be improved.Tentative suggestions for the future construction and evaluation of the placement test are provided on the basis of findings of the present research in order to better serve and improve English placement teaching and learning. |
PDF Full Text Request