Designing Of A Listening Comprehension CAT Model

Despite its popularity, Classical Test Theory (CTT) has many shortcomings that limit its application in modern testing situations. Recent development in measurement theory indicates advantages in approaching test construction and development from other perspectives, among which Item Response Theory (IRT), or Latent Trait Theory, as it may be termed, became the most notable one and has attracted considerable interest from psychometricians. Meanwhile, the rapid progress in computer technology has resulted in the increasing preference for Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) whose underlying theory is IRT. Compared with traditional paper-and-pencil test, CAT boasts superior efficiency and precision.For the purpose of realizing the merits of CAT and facilitating college English education as well as web-based language testing, a listening comprehension CAT program, with Rasch model as its underlying measurement tool, was designed to assess nonpaticipatory listening comprehension ability for college students. The implementation of the listening comprehension CAT program and final experiment results have on the one hand proved the advantages of CAT and on the other hand brought forward more room for improvement in CAT model design, construction and development.