The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) : assessing lecturers’ English proficiency in Flanders
- Author
- Frank van Splunder, Catherine Verguts (UGent) , Tom De Moor (UGent) and Sarah De Paepe (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- In Flemish higher education, lecturers teaching in a language other than their mother tongue need official proof of their C1 level in that language. As a result, Flemish universities developed the ITACE (Interuniversity Test of Academic English), a domain-specific and purpose-built language test linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and validated by an independent audit commission. Yet, the introduction of a mandatory language test was heavily contested in Flemish academia and in the media. In addition, the ITACE was perceived as a political tool of the government to enforce its language policy. Almost ten years after its introduction, the ITACE now appears to be widely accepted. The introduction of the test revealed that initial scepticism can be overcome through development, proper contextualization, and use of a high-quality, target-specific instrument. The article discusses the context in which the test was created, the construction of the test (addressing issues of reliability and validity), and the implications of the test, including its pedagogical and societal relevance.
- Keywords
- EMI English, CEFR, English-medium instruction, Flanders, higher education, ITACE, language policy
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8764566
- MLA
- van Splunder, Frank, et al. “The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) : Assessing Lecturers’ English Proficiency in Flanders.” JOURNAL OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION, vol. 1, no. 2, 2022, pp. 255–74, doi:10.1075/jemi.21007.van.
- APA
- van Splunder, F., Verguts, C., De Moor, T., & De Paepe, S. (2022). The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) : assessing lecturers’ English proficiency in Flanders. JOURNAL OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION, 1(2), 255–274. https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.21007.van
- Chicago author-date
- Splunder, Frank van, Catherine Verguts, Tom De Moor, and Sarah De Paepe. 2022. “The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) : Assessing Lecturers’ English Proficiency in Flanders.” JOURNAL OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 1 (2): 255–74. https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.21007.van.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- van Splunder, Frank, Catherine Verguts, Tom De Moor, and Sarah De Paepe. 2022. “The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) : Assessing Lecturers’ English Proficiency in Flanders.” JOURNAL OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 1 (2): 255–274. doi:10.1075/jemi.21007.van.
- Vancouver
- 1.van Splunder F, Verguts C, De Moor T, De Paepe S. The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) : assessing lecturers’ English proficiency in Flanders. JOURNAL OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION. 2022;1(2):255–74.
- IEEE
- [1]F. van Splunder, C. Verguts, T. De Moor, and S. De Paepe, “The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) : assessing lecturers’ English proficiency in Flanders,” JOURNAL OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 255–274, 2022.
@article{8764566,
abstract = {{In Flemish higher education, lecturers teaching in a language other than their mother tongue need official proof of their C1 level in that language. As a result, Flemish universities developed the ITACE (Interuniversity Test of Academic English), a domain-specific and purpose-built language test linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and validated by an independent audit commission. Yet, the introduction of a mandatory language test was heavily contested in Flemish academia and in the media. In addition, the ITACE was perceived as a political tool of the government to enforce its language policy. Almost ten years after its introduction, the ITACE now appears to be widely accepted. The introduction of the test revealed that initial scepticism can be overcome through development, proper contextualization, and use of a high-quality, target-specific instrument. The article discusses the context in which the test was created, the construction of the test (addressing issues of reliability and validity), and the implications of the test, including its pedagogical and societal relevance.}},
author = {{van Splunder, Frank and Verguts, Catherine and De Moor, Tom and De Paepe, Sarah}},
issn = {{2666-8882}},
journal = {{JOURNAL OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION}},
keywords = {{EMI English,CEFR,English-medium instruction,Flanders,higher education,ITACE,language policy}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{255--274}},
title = {{The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) : assessing lecturers’ English proficiency in Flanders}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.21007.van}},
volume = {{1}},
year = {{2022}},
}
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