Vocabulary Learning and Instruction


Published in association
with the JALT VOCAB SIG




Related Publications

Online Language Teaching: Crises and Creativities

Online Language Teaching: Crises and Creativities

Edited by Ursula Stickler , Martina Emke  (expected April 20, 2023) Online Language Teaching: Crises and…
Insights into Teaching and Learning Writing

Insights into Teaching and Learning Writing

Edited by Hassan Mohebbi  & Yijen Wang  (2023) Writing is one of the most challenging skills…
Insights into Autonomy and Technology in Language Teaching

Insights into Autonomy and Technology in Language Teaching

Chun Lai  (2023) Drawing on the literature and research findings from relevant research fields, including…
Insights into Flipped Classrooms

Insights into Flipped Classrooms

Adrian Leis  (2023) This book is aimed at those interested in the flipped learning model as…
Insights into Task-Based Language Teaching

Insights into Task-Based Language Teaching

Sima Khezrlou  (2022) This book aims to offer a unique contribution to the expanding literature on…
Proceedings of the XXIst International CALL Research Conference

Proceedings of the XXIst International CALL Research Conference

Edited by Jozef Colpaert , Yijen Wang , Glenn Stockwell  (2022) The theme of the XXIst International CALL…
Insights into Professional Development in Language Teaching

Insights into Professional Development in Language Teaching

Thomas S.C. Farrell  (2022) From entering a teacher education program for initial qualifications onwards, language teachers…
Smart CALL: Personalization, Contextualization, & Socialization

Smart CALL: Personalization, Contextualization, & Socialization

Edited by Jozef Colpaert , Glenn Stockwell  (2022) The contributions in this volume focus on a…
Open Access

Rater judgments and word difficulty: Conceptualizing the substantive validity of the VST

Derek N. Canning, Stuart McLean, Joseph P. Vitta

– The substantive component of construct validity requires a confrontation between empirical test results and content relevance.


Author(s)

, ,

Paper type

Regular Article

Pages

30-37

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2.canning

Year



Abstract
The substantive component of construct validity requires a confrontation between empirical test results and content relevance. The Vocabulary Size Test (VST) has been extensively validated in terms of empirical results. Less is known, however, about expert judgments of content relevance. The VST was constructed and validated according to the principle that frequency underlies vocabulary acquisition. This does not mean, however, that the two are equivalent. To better understand the construct of word difficulty as it is measured in VSTs, the results of two Rasch analyses, one on the VST, the other a Multi Facet Rasch Model (MFRM) of a questionnaire distributed to education practitioners were correlated (n = 80, r = 0.67, p < 0.001, 95% CI = [0.53, 0.77]). Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to explore how practitioners understand the concept of word difficulty. Findings indicate that word difficulty is understood to encompass more than frequency, validating recent research into the predictive power of lexical sophistication variables. [single-article-view-pdf-block journal="VLI" year="2022" volume="11" number="2" pages="30-37" ojs_reference="v03" authors="Canning, D. N., McLean, S., & Vitta, J. P." title="Rater Judgments and Word Difficulty: Conceptualizing the Substantive Validity of the VST"]  

%d bloggers like this: