Research group

Special Interest Group in Language Testing and Assessment (SIGLTA)

Three young researchers in an old library taking notes

Our research into educational measurement and language assessment aims to widen understanding of language testing, societal impact, mixed-research methodologies, statistical practice, and influence industry practice.

About

SIGLTA brings together students and staff working within the field of language testing and assessment and quantitative research methodologies to present research on a range of subjects, including language testing, feedback and assessment. 

The aims of SIGLTA are to:

  • understand fundamental aspects of language testing
  • research test impact on society and educational systems
  • investigate current issues in language testing and assessment through mixed-research methodologies
  • practise statistical packages in conducting research studies
  • bridge testing research with testing industry practices 

People, projects and publications

People

Mr Ahmad Alzahrani

Research interests

  • Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 
  • Assessment Identity 
  • English as a Medium of Education 
Connect with Ahmad

Miss Jiachen Pan

Research interests

  • Chinese as a second language;
  • Language assessments
Connect with Jiachen

Dr Ying Zheng PhD

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Psychometrics and test validation; Human scoring vs. machine scoring; Statistics in applied linguistics; Comparative Judgement in language testing
  • Mandarin exams in the UK school system, including A-Level and GCSE exams; Mandarin Chinese teachers’ professional development
  • Learner motivation and language teaching pedagogy; ESL/EFL learner characteristics and test performance

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Ying

Connect with us

Get in touch

We welcome enquiries.