A Study On Construct Validity Of Business English Certificate Speaking Test

BEC(Business English Certificate)was originally developed to meet a specific demand in the Asia-Pacific region for tests of English language in a business context. It has been increasingly gaining influence in recent years. BEC is taken as the necessary requirement of the University and Recruitment's English language proficiency, with acknowledged by many international educational institutions and enterprises. BEC is now well established as a large-scale standardized test and is widely recognized in China. Also, for English learners, it's a good way for Business English staff and learners to evaluate and improve themselves. It is even named as"Business Career Passport". BEC was introduced into China by China Education Bureau Testing Center in 1993.The speaking skill is one of the most important language competences, especially for the English learners, so I choose BEC speaking test as my research focus.The BEC speaking test is a direct speaking test, which is composed of three parts. The study is under the theory of the British testing experts, Dr. Cyril Weir's new validation framework module, which focuses on the multiple facets of validity from angles of theory-based validation, context validation, scoring validation, criterion-related validation and consequential validation. Qualitative analysis has been done via three questionnaires, orienting to business professionals, test experts and test-takers separately. The research is carried out in various aspects, such as oral testing material and tested language competence. On the base of the positive validity analysis results, the high construct validity of BEC is proved. The scientific scoring system, strict testing procedures, effective testing methods and complete testing content ensure its high validity. Because of the limited resource and capability, the current study mainly focused on construct validity research from views of theory-based validation, context validation, criterion-related validation and consequential validation. Lastly, recommendations and suggestions from both theoretical and empirical perspectives are put forward for further improvement, such as test-takers'individual factor effect and exam's executive organization.With a view to demonstrating the validity of the speaking test as well as to obtaining beneficial feedback for effective Business English language learning and teaching in the future, the present study is significant theoretically and practically.