Negotiating the boundaries of responsibility: Rethinking test takers and the ethics of testing

Abstract

While the importance of accounting for the use of tests as policy instruments is by now widely acknowledged, validation frameworks in language testing rest on core assumptions which, I argue, preclude consideration of the lived experiences and subjectivities of test takers, and of the intentions and purposeful actions these experiences and subjectivities engender. As a result, the complex and dynamic ways that test taker actions are implicated in generating test and policy consequences remain hidden from view, as do the ethical implications of the wider societal impacts of testing practices. Drawing on studies examining test taker experiences of the use of English testing for immigration purposes in the Australian context, I highlight the disconnect between how test takers, test users and language testers come to attribute meanings to testing practices in this complex policy setting, and the types of conflicting decisions and actions which then emerge. To conclude, I argue for a renewed criticality in language testing that extends beyond evaluations of how well, if at all, test uses align with the expectations of test users and/or language testers, to a focus on the expectations of test takers as the stakeholder group to whom we must be primarily accountable. This demands not only further research into the lived experiences of those subjected to testing practices, but also an engagement with the wider discursive space within which problems of language and of policy are imagined, and the ways in which language testing, as a discipline, is implicated in the production of idealised language users, workers, and citizens, together with the various exclusions these entail.

Review of selected research in applied linguistics published in Australia (2015–2022)

“…Given the high stakes nature of these language tests, it is crucial for the test validation research to focus on both the language test use and the consequences resulting from implementing a policy-focused testing agenda (McNamara, 2021). The conceptual advancement extends the analysis of the design validity and construct specification (e.g., McNamara & Roever, 2006) to encompass the ethical use of the test and its consequences in the policy context (Frost, 2021;Macqueen et al, 2021). This shift in perspective is captured in a dedicated special issue comprising four papers featuring an introduction by McNamara (2021) and a concluding contribution by Lo Bianco (2021).…”

“…Other studies continue the discussion by directing attention to the actual uses of language tests and the impact of tests and standards on policy development (Frost, 2021;Macqueen et al, 2021). Applying Macqueen and Ryan's (2019) innovative approach to analysing 'mandate discourse' in policy documents, Macqueen et al (2021) make a significant contribution to our understanding of how English langauge test scores are interpreted by professional bodies for skilled migration decisions in policy settings.…”

“…Applying Macqueen and Ryan's (2019) innovative approach to analysing 'mandate discourse' in policy documents, Macqueen et al (2021) make a significant contribution to our understanding of how English langauge test scores are interpreted by professional bodies for skilled migration decisions in policy settings. Frost (2021) challenges the limitation of prevailing validation frameworks in language testing that often fail to consider test takers' perspectives, masking complex consequences and ethical implications, using Australian immigration related language testing as an example. The study argues for a shift to a more critical testing approach that attends to test takers' expectations and broader context that shape language, policy and societal impacts.…”