Fukuoka JALT:

2013 Fukuoka JALT One-day Conference and Ordinary General Meeting

Date: Sunday, September 29th, 2013 Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Speaker: Plenary presentation: Barry O'Sullivan; plus Malcolm Swanson, Trevor Holster, Robert Cochrane, Bill Pellowe, J. Lake, Joseph Tomei, Kate Parkinson, Kathleen Fukuhara, Misuzu Okada, and Steve Paton

Description:
Short paper presentations by Malcolm Swanson, Trevor Holster, Robert Cochrane, Bill Pellowe, J. Lake, Joseph Tomei, Kate Parkinson, Kathleen Fukuhara, Misuzu Okada, and Steve Paton. The full schedule will be available on the Fukuoka JALT website. The one-day conference will also include their Ordinary General Meeting.

Plenary presentation by Dr. Barry O'Sullivan:
Localisation and Validation: making tests more accessible

In order to ensure that the language test, or any other educational test for that matter, is appropriate for a particular population we must take into consideration the profiles of individuals which typify this population. In addition, we should take into account the context in which the particular skills we are attempting to measure are performed. In time, this will mean that we must also ensure that any scoring system (which is an attempt to help us understand and communicate test performance) is also appropriate. Attempting to balance all of these variables is now referred to as localisation.

The importance of localisation was recognised when O'Sullivan and Weir (2011) and O'Sullivan (2011) began to re-conceptualise their model of test validation. While we are still working on operationalizing definitions of localisation, we have begun to learn how it operates in the real world of test development. Much of this experience has stemmed from the development of the recently launched British Council language testing service known as Aptis. This service is a new concept in language testing in that it is built around the concepts of flexibility and accessibility, key elements of localisation.

In this paper I will attempt to further define what aliquot localisation means in relation to test validation and development. In order to achieve this I will take examples of localisation that have been undertaken within the British Council Aptis testing service, when describing this service in some detail.

Barry O'Sullivan is Senior Advisor, English Language Assessment at the British Council, working with a team of developers on the creation of innovative assessment systems. He also advises government and corporate institutions around the world on behalf of the British Council on aspects of assessment. Barry is also Honorary Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Roehampton, London. He has written extensively on language testing and assessment and has presented his ideas at numerous international conferences. He has taught in Ireland, the UK, and South America and spent many years at Okayama University, Japan.

Organization: Fukuoka Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Fukuoka JALT)

Cost: JALT Members: free
Non-members: 1,000 yen

Venue: Seinan Gakuin Community Center (East Campus) 1F Meeting Rooms 1, 2 and 3 (map)

Location: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

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Contact Fukuoka JALT

Website: www.fukuokajalt.org

Trevor Holster
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