Construct validity
The present study is concerned with investigating the construct validity of the IELTS Academic
Reading test.
In terms of reading tests, ‘construct validity’ is a mea
sure of how closely a test reflects
the model of reading underlying the test. In other words, the concept of ‘construct validity’ is related
to those abilities it is thought readers need to
possess in order
to handle the demands of the target
language do
ma
in. In the case of the IELTS Academic Reading test
, this domain is study at university
level.
Thus
, if the ability to scan for specific information is considered an important part of university
reading requirements, then the reading construct should includ
e scanning and the test should diagnose
the ability to quickly locate specific information (Alderson, 2000). Whilst construct validity is often
associated with skills, anothe
r dimension is task structure.
Bachman and Palmer (1996) suggest that a
focus on t
he structure as well as the skills