语言测试的主要研究范式及其发展趋势

Major Inquiry Paradigms of Language Testing Research and Future Trends

研究范式是指导某一领域研究的本体论、认识论和方法论的立场、观点的总和。社会科学领域的四大研究范式,即实证主义、后实证主义、批判理论以及建构主义,对包括语言测试在内的社会科学各学科都有着极其重要的指导作用。由于语言测试的核心活动是测量,因而长期以来,该领域一直受到实证主义范式的支配。然而近年来,受社会科学领域研究范式发展的影响,语言测试领域的研究范式也开始呈现出多元化、综合化的特征。但考虑到测试活动的本质属性等因素,实证主义和后实证主义范式仍将支配这一领域未来的研究;而批判理论和建构主义研究范式也将通过与传统范式相结合等方式,对测试研究产生持续的影响。

An inquiry paradigm is the sum of positions and beliefs on ontological, epistemotogical and methodological levels that drive the research in a certain field. The four major research paradigms of social sciences,namely,positivism,postpositivism,critical theory and constructivism, have a powerful influence over all research fields within social sciences, including the field of language testing. With measurement as its core activity,language testing has, for a long time, been dominated by positivism. However, over the last few decades,influenced by the development of inquiry paradigms in social sciences,a richer variety of paradigms has appeared in language testing. However,owing to factors such as the essential attribute of language testing,in the future positivism and postpositivism will most likely retain their dominance in the field. Studies featuring a mixed-paradigm, namely a combination of alternative paradigms such as critical theory and constructivism, and the more traditional paradigms, will also have a lasting influence on language testing research.