1. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS

2. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS
Reference
Alderson, J.C. (2000) Assessing reading. (pp. 85-115). C.U.P

3. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS
Research into the assessment of reading.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE DIFFICULTY OF READING
TEST ITEMS
 Language of questions
 Types of Questions
 Testing Skills
 Role of Grammar in Reading Tests
 Role of Vocabulary in Reading Tests
 Use of Dictionaries in Reading Tests
Exercise: Understanding Fact and Opinion
FACTORS AFFECTING THE DIFFICULTY OF READING
TEST TEXTS
 Background knowledge Vs Text Content
 Text length

4. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS
Background Knowledge versus Text Content
Conclusions
1.Testing Techniques and Background knowledge
have a great effect on test scores.
2.Content familiarity may enable linguistic skills
and reading comprehension skills.
3.Students do not necessarily do better on
materials in their own academic field.
4.Language level is a better predictor than
knowledge of the subject area.

5. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS
FACTORS AFFECTING THE
DIFFICULTY OF READING
TEST TEXTS
Text Length

6. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS
Text Length
Alderson (2000. p.108) A problem all reading-test
developers face is how long the texts should be on
which they base their tests.
Engineer (1997) cited in Alderson (2000. p.108) “found that
when texts longer than 1.000 words were used, the
abilities that could be measured changed”
What does a longer text measure then?

7. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS
Text Length
“” (p.103).
“Erickson and Molly (1983) study suggests that facilitating effect of content
familiarity may extend to enabling linguistic skills to be better deployed and
displayed” (p.103)

8. THANK YOU

9. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS
Text Length
“Long texts allow testers to assess syntactic and lexical
knowledge more than discourse processing abilities.
Similarly, the ability to identify the main idea of long texts
might be thought to be qualitatively different from the
ability to identify the main idea in short texts.
It is also likely to be much easier to measure
reading speed using longer texts than with a
number of short passages with associated
questions” Alderson (p.108-109)

10. READING AS A STRATEGIC PROCESS
Background Knowledge versus Text Content
Experimental language programs whose failure over the
20past two decades is demonstrated by the current high
drop-out rate and low English literacy levels of many
immigrant children; and whereas young immigrant
children can easily acquire full fluency in a new language,
such as English, if they are heavily exposed to that
language in the classroom at an early age.
25Therefore, it is resolved that: all children in California
public schools shall be taught English as rapidly and
effectively as possible.