Investigating the relative effects of persons, items, sections, and languages on TOEIC score dependability

Abstract

This study applied generalizability theory to investigate the contributions of persons, items, sections, and language backgrounds to the score dependability of the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). I replicated and extended Brown’s (1999) study of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), using data from two language groups who took the same form of the TOEIC: 45 156 Japanese examinees and 46 067 Korean examinees. Both classical reliability analyses and generalizability analyses found the TOEIC scores of the examinees in question to be highly reliable/generalizable. The items within a section varied greatly in difficulty. An examinee who scored relatively high in one section was likely to score high in the other section. The findings regarding the effect of language backgrounds on TOEIC score dependability were inconclusive, which suggests directions for future research. TOEIC test developers might explore design alternatives with fewer items per section.