Language Testing and Intelligence Testing: Friends or Foes? [electronic resource] : Occasional Papers on Linguistics, No. 1 / Paul J. Angelis.
This paper discusses the relationship between language proficiency and intelligence. In particular, the paper is concerned with the elements of intelligence testing which creep into tests designed to determine language proficiency, and the proliferation of testing of all types and the kinds of inter...
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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1977.
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| Summary: | This paper discusses the relationship between language proficiency and intelligence. In particular, the paper is concerned with the elements of intelligence testing which creep into tests designed to determine language proficiency, and the proliferation of testing of all types and the kinds of interpretations made of these tests. Particular reference is made to the non-native adult speaker of English who is frequently subject to these types of tests. Native-speaker data indicate that the reading section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) presents difficulty for the native and non-native speaker of English alike, and that both groups find this section the most difficult of the test. A comparison of TOEFL and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for foreign students applying for admission to Texas A&M University did not show a very high correlation. A Swedish study which attempted to examine the relationship between proficiency in English as a second language and various intelligence factors was also unable to find high correlation between the two types of test. Indications are that the GRE and similar tests are not appropriate for determining second language proficiency. More investigation is needed of the relationship between language and intelligence; in particular, joint research on this question by linguists, psychologists, and measurement specialists is needed. (Author/AM) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED145677. ERIC Note: Proceedings of the International Conference on Frontiers in Language Proficiency and Dominance Testing (1st, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, April 21-23, 1977). Educational level discussed: Higher Education. |
| Physical Description: | 9 p. |