Ute Knoch
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 4593462 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Ute Knoch |
| PRENOMES | Ute |
| SOBRENOME | Knoch |
| ASSINATURA | KNOCH U |
| AFILIAÇÕES | The University of Melbourne |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3306-337X |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 31 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 16 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 31 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2005 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 2 |
Examining the relevance of three Toefl Essentials writing tasks to the accounting profession
Large-scale English language proficiency tests are increasingly used to make decisions about professional registration despite not originally being developed to make predictions about language use in the workplace. Domain experts can play a valuable role as informants in establishing the relevance of test tasks to a specific TLU domain. However, this practice has seldom been critically examined. In particular, no studies to date have examined the…
From Red Pen to Algorithm
The proliferation of automated writing feedback tools over the past decade has been remarkable. While artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT have gained prominence, automated writing evaluation tools, like Criterion ® , widely used to support formative assessment of second language (L2) writing, also remain relevant in educational settings due to their alignment with curriculum objectives. Previous studies have predominantly focused on l…
Modelling workplace communicative competence
Previous models of communicative competence in applied linguistics have largely focused on general language proficiency, with few addressing the specific demands of workplace communication. This interview-based study investigated language-related challenges faced by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrant workers in the food services sector. The participants included 20 migrant workers in Australia and New Zealand and two educators r…
The path to professionalism
This paper outlines the changing functions of language testing and assessment from the era of the White Australia policy to the present day. Key contributors to the academic and professional status of the field are identified along with influential tests and assessment frameworks emerging from particular policy contexts. Attention is drawn to the expanding scope of the discipline, which now encompasses diverse domains of language use and demonstr…
Modelling the communication challenges of care workers from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds
Effective communication is central to the majority of activities in care settings. In many English-speaking countries, carers working in care settings are increasingly from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds, with many growing up in countries where English is not the primary language. Communication difficulties may impede carers creating meaningful relationships with residents or successful working relationships with colleagues. Misunders…
Expanding Kane's argument‐based validity framework
Test score comparison tables
While several test concordance tables have been published, the research underpinning such tables has rarely been examined in detail. This study aimed to survey the publically available studies or documentation underpinning the test concordance tables of the providers of four major international language tests, all accepted by the Australian Department of Home Affairs for Australian visa purposes. To evaluate the concordance studies, we first iden…
Can L2 course duration compensate for the impact of demographic and educational background variables on second language writing development
The challenges of providing expert advice in policy contexts
Language testers can have various roles in relation to the use of language tests and policy. One such role may be to provide expert advice in policy formation or policy review contexts. Such instances are often not documented systematically, as advice may be provided in informal or closed meetings, or confidential documents, which are not available to the public. The challenges associated with providing such advice are also rarely recorded. In th…
Trust the test
English language proficiency is a deciding factor in the life opportunities of many thousands of applicants for Australian skilled migration every year. This paper focuses on the perspectives of professional bodies that use English language tests in their decisions. Taking an interpretative approach, we explore the meanings that policy makers from these organisations ascribe (as score users) to test standards (cut-scores) so that we can better un…
Revisiting rating scale development for rater-mediated language performance assessments
Rating scale development in the field of language assessment is often considered in dichotomous ways: It is assumed to be guided either by expert intuition or by drawing on performance data. Even though quite a few authors have argued that rating scale development is rarely so easily classifiable, this dyadic view has dominated language testing research for over a decade. In this paper we refine the dominant model of rating scale development by d…
Validation of Writing Assessment
The validation of writing assessments is conducted through research investigating how appropriate an assessment is for its intended uses. Validation research occurs in a variety of contexts in which writing assessments are used. The most widely published validation activities often center around high‐stakes writing assessments such as the Internet‐based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testin…
Validity evidence for a sentence repetition test of Swiss German Sign Language
In this study we seek evidence of validity according to the socio-cognitive framework (Weir, 2005) for a new sentence repetition test (SRT) for young Deaf L1 Swiss German Sign Language (DSGS) users. SRTs have been developed for various purposes for both spoken and sign languages to assess language development in children. In order to address the need for tests to assess the grammatical development of Deaf L1 DSGS users in a school context, we dev…
Drawing on repeat test takers to study test preparation practices and their links to score gains
A key concern of washback research in language testing is with the value of test preparation for facilitating learning and improving test performance. Although test takers may draw on a wide range of preparation activities, the majority of research studies examining test preparation have taken place in classroom settings, leaving self-access approaches largely unexamined. The aim of the current study was to (a) explore possible links between self…
The impact of national standardized literacy and numeracy testing on children and teaching staff in remote Australian Indigenous communities
All educational testing is intended to have consequences, which are assumed to be beneficial, but tests may also have unintended, negative consequences (Messick, 1989). The issue is particularly important in the case of large-scale standardized tests, such as Australia’s National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), the intended benefits of which are increased accountability and improved educational outcomes. The NAPLAN purpose is…
Validation of rating processes within an argument-based framework
Argument-based validation requires test developers and researchers to specify what is entailed in test interpretation and use. Doing so has been shown to yield advantages (Chapelle, Enright, & Jamieson, 2010), but it also requires an analysis of how the concerns of language testers can be conceptualized in the terms used to construct a validity argument. This article presents one such analysis by examining how issues associated with the rating of…
Research in language assessment
Since its inception in 1990, the Language Testing Research Centre (LTRC) at the University of Melbourne has earned an international reputation for its work in the areas of language assessment and testing as well as program evaluation. The mission of the centre is: (1) to carry out and promote research and development in language testing; (2) to develop tests and other appropriate proficiency measurement instruments for English and other languages…
Language test as boundary object
Objects that sit between intersecting social worlds, such as Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) tests, are boundary objects – dynamic, historically derived mechanisms which maintain coherence between worlds (Star & Griesemer, 1989). They emerge initially from sociopolitical mandates, such as the need to ensure a safe and efficient workforce or to control immigration, and they develop into standards (i.e. stabilized classifying mechanisms). In t…
Written corrective feedback studies
The question of whether written corrective feedback (CF) has a role to play in second language (L2) development has been controversial since Truscott (1996) published an article in Language Learning calling for the abandonment of the practice on theoretical, empirical and pedagogical grounds. As a result of his claims, an on-going debate about the efficacy of the practice has ensued while a number of dedicated researchers have focused their atten…
The Rasch wars
This paper examines the uptake of Rasch measurement in language testing through a consideration of research published in language testing research journals in the period 1984 to 2009. Following the publication of the first papers on this topic, exploring the potential of the simple Rasch model for the analysis of dichotomous language test data, a debate ensued as to the assumptions of the theory, and the place of the model both within Item Respon…
Investigating the effectiveness of individualized feedback to rating behavior — a longitudinal study
The effectiveness of individualized feedback on rater behavior has been investigated in several previous studies (e.g. Elder, Knoch, Barkhuizen, & von Randow, 2005; Lunt, Morton, & Wigglesworth, 1994; O’Sullivan & Rignall, 2007; Wigglesworth, 1993). The findings of these studies are somewhat inconclusive. However, all of these studies investigated the value of such feedback on a one-off basis, and it is thus not clear how raters use this type of …
Raising the linguistic accuracy level of advanced L2 writers with written corrective feedback
The Contribution of Written Corrective Feedback to Language Development
The call for longitudinal evidence on the efficacy of written corrective feedback (WCF) for ESL (English as a second language) writers has been made repeatedly since Truscott (1996) claimed that it is ineffective, harmful, and should therefore be abandoned. This article discusses some of the theoretical issues raised against the practice, outlines the status of recent empirical evidence and presents a 10-month study of the effects of WCF on two f…
Validity and fairness implications of varying time conditions on a diagnostic test of academic English writing proficiency
Diagnostic assessment of writing
Alderson (2005) suggests that diagnostic tests should identify strengths and weaknesses in learners' use of language and focus on specific elements rather than global abilities. However, rating scales used in performance assessment have been repeatedly criticized for being imprecise and therefore often resulting in holistic marking by raters (Weigle, 2002). The aim of this study is to compare two rating scales for writing in an EAP context; one `…
The relative effectiveness of different types of direct written corrective feedback
Missing Afrikaans
Immigrants arriving in a new country typically have varying ideas about the relative status of their native language and the language of the receiving society, and some have strategies for dealing with maintenance and shift. In all cases there are differences between the immigrants' language experiences in the two countries. This paper reports on a study which investigated what it is that Afrikaans speakers who have immigrated to New Zealand miss…
Language Practices, Preferences and Policies
Although the majority of New Zealanders speak English, and only English, the 1987 Maori Language Act and immigration from both Asia and the Pacific have had a significant impact on New Zealand society. Because increasing numbers of children are entering school with limited English language ability, students are arguably the group with the most exposure to New Zealand's changing social and linguistic demography. Yet little is known about how these…
Written corrective feedback studies
The question of whether written corrective feedback (CF) has a role to play in second language (L2) development has been controversial since Truscott (1996) published an article in Language Learning calling for the abandonment of the practice on theoretical, empirical and pedagogical grounds. As a result of his claims, an on-going debate about the efficacy of the practice has ensued while a number of dedicated researchers have focused their atten…
Missing Afrikaans
Immigrants arriving in a new country typically have varying ideas about the relative status of their native language and the language of the receiving society, and some have strategies for dealing with maintenance and shift. In all cases there are differences between the immigrants' language experiences in the two countries. This paper reports on a study which investigated what it is that Afrikaans speakers who have immigrated to New Zealand miss…
Language Practices, Preferences and Policies
Although the majority of New Zealanders speak English, and only English, the 1987 Maori Language Act and immigration from both Asia and the Pacific have had a significant impact on New Zealand society. Because increasing numbers of children are entering school with limited English language ability, students are arguably the group with the most exposure to New Zealand's changing social and linguistic demography. Yet little is known about how these…
Evaluating rater responses to an online training program for L2 writing assessment
The use of online rater self-training is growing in popularity and has obvious practical benefits, facilitating access to training materials and rating samples and allowing raters to reorient themselves to the rating scale and self monitor their behaviour at their own convenience. However there has thus far been little research into rater attitudes to training via this modality and its effectiveness in enhancing levels of inter- and intra-rater a…
The value of written corrective feedback for migrant and international students
This article provides an overview of research that has investigated the effectiveness of written corrective feedback (WCF) on ESL student writing. In doing so, it highlights a number of shortcomings in the design of some studies and explains what needs to be done in future research so that answers to the issues that have been raised can be effectively addressed. The article reports on a two-month study (with 144 international and migrant ESL stud…
Diagnostic assessment of writing
Alderson (2005) suggests that diagnostic tests should identify strengths and weaknesses in learners' use of language and focus on specific elements rather than global abilities. However, rating scales used in performance assessment have been repeatedly criticized for being imprecise and therefore often resulting in holistic marking by raters (Weigle, 2002). The aim of this study is to compare two rating scales for writing in an EAP context; one `…
The relative effectiveness of different types of direct written corrective feedback
Diagnosing the Support Needs of Second Language Writers
Raising the linguistic accuracy level of advanced L2 writers with written corrective feedback
The Contribution of Written Corrective Feedback to Language Development
The call for longitudinal evidence on the efficacy of written corrective feedback (WCF) for ESL (English as a second language) writers has been made repeatedly since Truscott (1996) claimed that it is ineffective, harmful, and should therefore be abandoned. This article discusses some of the theoretical issues raised against the practice, outlines the status of recent empirical evidence and presents a 10-month study of the effects of WCF on two f…
Validity and fairness implications of varying time conditions on a diagnostic test of academic English writing proficiency
Investigating the effectiveness of individualized feedback to rating behavior — a longitudinal study
The effectiveness of individualized feedback on rater behavior has been investigated in several previous studies (e.g. Elder, Knoch, Barkhuizen, & von Randow, 2005; Lunt, Morton, & Wigglesworth, 1994; O’Sullivan & Rignall, 2007; Wigglesworth, 1993). The findings of these studies are somewhat inconclusive. However, all of these studies investigated the value of such feedback on a one-off basis, and it is thus not clear how raters use this type of …
The Rasch wars
This paper examines the uptake of Rasch measurement in language testing through a consideration of research published in language testing research journals in the period 1984 to 2009. Following the publication of the first papers on this topic, exploring the potential of the simple Rasch model for the analysis of dichotomous language test data, a debate ensued as to the assumptions of the theory, and the place of the model both within Item Respon…
Written corrective feedback studies
The question of whether written corrective feedback (CF) has a role to play in second language (L2) development has been controversial since Truscott (1996) published an article in Language Learning calling for the abandonment of the practice on theoretical, empirical and pedagogical grounds. As a result of his claims, an on-going debate about the efficacy of the practice has ensued while a number of dedicated researchers have focused their atten…
Language test as boundary object
Objects that sit between intersecting social worlds, such as Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) tests, are boundary objects – dynamic, historically derived mechanisms which maintain coherence between worlds (Star & Griesemer, 1989). They emerge initially from sociopolitical mandates, such as the need to ensure a safe and efficient workforce or to control immigration, and they develop into standards (i.e. stabilized classifying mechanisms). In t…
Research in language assessment
Since its inception in 1990, the Language Testing Research Centre (LTRC) at the University of Melbourne has earned an international reputation for its work in the areas of language assessment and testing as well as program evaluation. The mission of the centre is: (1) to carry out and promote research and development in language testing; (2) to develop tests and other appropriate proficiency measurement instruments for English and other languages…
Validation of rating processes within an argument-based framework
Argument-based validation requires test developers and researchers to specify what is entailed in test interpretation and use. Doing so has been shown to yield advantages (Chapelle, Enright, & Jamieson, 2010), but it also requires an analysis of how the concerns of language testers can be conceptualized in the terms used to construct a validity argument. This article presents one such analysis by examining how issues associated with the rating of…
The impact of national standardized literacy and numeracy testing on children and teaching staff in remote Australian Indigenous communities
All educational testing is intended to have consequences, which are assumed to be beneficial, but tests may also have unintended, negative consequences (Messick, 1989). The issue is particularly important in the case of large-scale standardized tests, such as Australia’s National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), the intended benefits of which are increased accountability and improved educational outcomes. The NAPLAN purpose is…
Validation of Writing Assessment
The validation of writing assessments is conducted through research investigating how appropriate an assessment is for its intended uses. Validation research occurs in a variety of contexts in which writing assessments are used. The most widely published validation activities often center around high‐stakes writing assessments such as the Internet‐based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testin…
Validity evidence for a sentence repetition test of Swiss German Sign Language
In this study we seek evidence of validity according to the socio-cognitive framework (Weir, 2005) for a new sentence repetition test (SRT) for young Deaf L1 Swiss German Sign Language (DSGS) users. SRTs have been developed for various purposes for both spoken and sign languages to assess language development in children. In order to address the need for tests to assess the grammatical development of Deaf L1 DSGS users in a school context, we dev…
Drawing on repeat test takers to study test preparation practices and their links to score gains
A key concern of washback research in language testing is with the value of test preparation for facilitating learning and improving test performance. Although test takers may draw on a wide range of preparation activities, the majority of research studies examining test preparation have taken place in classroom settings, leaving self-access approaches largely unexamined. The aim of the current study was to (a) explore possible links between self…
The challenges of providing expert advice in policy contexts
Language testers can have various roles in relation to the use of language tests and policy. One such role may be to provide expert advice in policy formation or policy review contexts. Such instances are often not documented systematically, as advice may be provided in informal or closed meetings, or confidential documents, which are not available to the public. The challenges associated with providing such advice are also rarely recorded. In th…
Trust the test
English language proficiency is a deciding factor in the life opportunities of many thousands of applicants for Australian skilled migration every year. This paper focuses on the perspectives of professional bodies that use English language tests in their decisions. Taking an interpretative approach, we explore the meanings that policy makers from these organisations ascribe (as score users) to test standards (cut-scores) so that we can better un…
Revisiting rating scale development for rater-mediated language performance assessments
Rating scale development in the field of language assessment is often considered in dichotomous ways: It is assumed to be guided either by expert intuition or by drawing on performance data. Even though quite a few authors have argued that rating scale development is rarely so easily classifiable, this dyadic view has dominated language testing research for over a decade. In this paper we refine the dominant model of rating scale development by d…
Can L2 course duration compensate for the impact of demographic and educational background variables on second language writing development
Expanding Kane's argument‐based validity framework
Psychology (24 obras) · Computer Science (17 obras) · Mathematics education (17 obras) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (16 obras) · Student Assessment and Feedback (14 obras) · Language assessment (10 obras) · Linguistics (10 obras) · Political science (10 obras) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (10 obras) · Multilingual Education and Policy (8 obras)