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A Comparative Study of Construct Validity of Graduation English Proficiency Tests between Universities in Taiwan and Mainland China

This paper reports findings from an analytical study of how construct validity is reflected in national mandatory English graduation tests that have been widely conducted at universities in Taiwan and Mainland China. The findings relate to key test perceptions for test designers and stakeholders toconsider should the mandatory testing systems in use be further endorsed by the educational authorities in the greater China area in the new wave of standardized university graduation English proficiency tests. This study analyzes the impact of backwash effects on normal tertiary ELT (EnglishLanguage Test) programmes based on certain construct validation.Theoretically and empirically, the study employed documentary analysis, interviews, and investigation of test formats used in most universities in Taiwan and China. On the basis of the analysis, it is argued that positive backwash effects on national ELT programmes can be enhanced only when constructvalidation can be supported with a needed rationale. In this respect, the state college English test policy in Mainland China exerts a more desirable influence on national college English education while the college English test policy in Taiwan forms construct validity from a different perspective.

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