A Study Of Context Validity Of Guangdong MET Writing Test(2009-2019)

As a comprehensive skill in language learning,writing has attracted much attention from teachers and researchers.However,amongst the relevant domestic research,there are few works on the context validity of writing tests,especially English writing tests.In view of this,this thesis focuses on the context validity of the English writing test of Guangdong MET from 2009 to 2019,in hope to provide insights into the teaching and learning of English writing tests for the test writers,English teachers and test takers.Based on the context validity framework proposed by Xiaoju Li,this study employs text analysis to explore the context validity of the English writing test of Guangdong MET from 2009 to 2019.The main purpose of this study is to answer the following questions:(1)What is the change in the context validity of Guangdong MET writing test from 2009 to 2019?(2)What are the problems with the context validity of Guangdong MET writing test from 2009 to 2019?(3)What backwash effects do the changes and problems of context validity of Guangdong MET writing test from 2009 to 2019 bring to English writing teaching and learning?The results show that:(1)From 2009 to 2015,due to the lack of communication elements and the difficulty of the output requirements,the context validity of Guangdong MET writing test is not very high;and from 2016 to 2019,the context validity of Guangdong MET writing test is relatively high and largely meets the communication requirements.That is to say,the context validity of Guangdong MET writing test from 2009 to 2019 has experienced a process of improvement.(2)There exist some problems with the context validity of Guangdong MET writing test from 2009 to 2019 such as the situation setting and input setting are provided only by means of language,some of the situation settings are not authentic enough,and certain writing tasks are too difficult for test takers,et.(3)From 2009 to 2019,the changes and problems of context validity of Guangdong MET writing test bring both positive and negative backwash effects to English writing teaching and learning,but in general,the positive backwash effects are greater than the negative backwash effects.