Assessing Reading Proficiency in Turkish as a Foreign Language: A Validation, Skill and Standardisation Study

Abstract

Language assessment has long become an independent academic discipline, producing and contributing to a large body of literature. However, key considerations in testing and assessment in the context of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language (TTFL) has been often neglected so far, leading to exams that lack evidence for validation. The present study aims to address this shortcoming by offering a standardized validation approach for assessing reading skills in Turkish proficiency exams, using several theoretically robust validity frameworks and cognitive models. The study particularly focussed on the development and validation of B2-C1 reading proficiency descriptors using a mixed-methods approach with the participation of 8 field experts. The findings from the study can provide guidance to item writers in the design and development of standardized test specifications and test items compatible with the levels intended to be assessed.