Chinese Users’ Perceptions of the Use of Automated Scoring for a Speaking Practice Test

The use of automated scoring in large-scale testing for high-stakes purposes has generated a lot of debate and controversy in the last decade, and researchers have described a variety of ways in which the use of automated scoring may impact validity (e.g., Clauser, Kane, & Swanson, 2002; Weigle, 2010; Xi, 2010). Validity frameworks that tie automated scoring into the overall validity argument for using an assessment (Williamson, Xi & Breyer, 2012; Xi, 2012) highlight the many ways in which the use of automated scoring may impact the validity argument for the entire assessment, including test takers’ interactions with assessment tasks; the accuracy and generalizability of assessment scores; test takers’ interpretations and uses of assessment scores; and the overall consequences for test takers, the educational system, and the broader society.