Assessing language proficiency: A rasch analysis of ELT assessment tools

Abstract

This paper now addresses the important role of Rasch analysis in ensuring high-quality assessments in the English Language Teaching (ELT) context. Assessment is at the core of ELT; it verifies student learning and lends an ear to teaching methodologies. Current assessment methodologies often fail to measure learners' competencies accurately. Rasch analysis, on the other hand, provides a process to assess test items so that they are as fair and equal as possible in a given assessment. Rasch analysis converts raw scores into interval-level measurements, allowing for precise comparisons between learners. The tool is an important driver in identifying central items, such as item bias and DIF (Differential Item Functioning), that must be addressed for fair assessments. In this review, we present the strengths of Rasch Analysis in a wide range of ELT contexts, including reading, listening, speaking, and writing assessments. Although Rasch analysis has strengths, it is not without limitations, such as requiring large sample sizes and understanding the results' meaning. Even so, it helps in knowing more about how assessment quality can be improved. It concludes by summarizing the impact of Rasch on assessment, providing a fair and valid method for measuring from both learners' and educators' perspectives in various types of educational settings. Further studies should be conducted to demonstrate its utility in smaller-scale designs and to investigate its effects in conjunction with other assessment methodologies.