Achievement Test Development and Validation: A Measure of Reading Comprehension Strategies for Iranian Learners of English

Abstract

This study investigated the validity of an achievement test as a measure for Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ reading comprehension strategies at the pre-intermediate level at Ilam University. Different reading strategies have been introduced to aid learners in the process of comprehension, four of which, namely making connections, visualizing, inferencing (inferring), and questioning the author were selected for the purpose of the study. Adopting a reductionist approach to collecting validity evidence for the sake of practicality, the researchers made an attempt to focus merely on construct validity based on the Bachman and Palmer’s (1996) framework. The evidence to examine the construct validity of the developed test was gathered through the differential-groups design, which involves selecting a sample with two mastery and non-mastery groups. The results demonstrate that the developed achievement test is a valid measure to assess the above-mentioned reading comprehension strategies for Iranian EFL learners.