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CATSS Vocabulary Test

This document describes the Basic Assumptions and Testing methodology of the Computer Adaptive Test of Size and Strength (CATSS). It was developed to assess vocabulary size and strength in a more detailed manner than traditional size tests. It tests words across four degrees of strength (productive recall, receptive recall, productive recognition, receptive recognition) using different task types. It assumes that vocabulary knowledge exists on a continuum of strength and that knowing more words is more useful than knowing fewer deeply. It provides individual scores for each modality and an overall size and strength score.

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216 views13 pages

CATSS Vocabulary Test

This document describes the Basic Assumptions and Testing methodology of the Computer Adaptive Test of Size and Strength (CATSS). It was developed to assess vocabulary size and strength in a more detailed manner than traditional size tests. It tests words across four degrees of strength (productive recall, receptive recall, productive recognition, receptive recognition) using different task types. It assumes that vocabulary knowledge exists on a continuum of strength and that knowing more words is more useful than knowing fewer deeply. It provides individual scores for each modality and an overall size and strength score.

Uploaded by

Peter
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© © All Rights Reserved
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About CATSS

Basic assumptions

The rationale for this test is based


on three assumptions:

The most important component of


word knowledge is the ability to
establish the link between word form
and word meaning.

Knowledge of meaning is not an ‘all or


nothing’ phenomenon but can have
different degrees of strength (here
characterised as productive recall,
receptive recall, productive
recognition  and  receptive
recognition) which, it is
hypothesised, constitute an
implicational scale.

Knowing  many  words (units of


meaning) is more important than
knowing few words in depth. Hence, a
good vocabulary test should test how
many words  are known, or try to
provide a picture of the learner's
overall vocabulary.

Testing vocabulary size and


strength

CATSS aims to assess vocabulary


size, i.e. knowledge of word meaning.
However, in an attempt to overcome
the basic limitation of size tests by
testing each word in more detail,
four degrees of strength of
knowledge are assessed. Each word is
tested in four modalities
(i.e.  productive recall, receptive
recall, productive recognition,
receptive recognition), as
demonstrated using the word ‘melt’
below.

Productive recall

The task is to supply


the L2 target
word  (melt). The first
letter of the word is
provided in order to
avoid non-target words
which have the same
meaning.

Turn into
water                       
m___________

(In the bilingual


version, the prompt
is the L1 translation
of ‘melt’)

Receptive recall

The task is to
demonstrate
understanding of the
meaning of the L2
word (melt)  which is
embedded in a phrase,
or a short sentence to
be completed by the
test taker.

In this instance there


are a range of
acceptable responses
(e.g.  water, fluid,
liquid).

When something
melts, it turns into
______________.

(In the bilingual


version, the word
'melt' is presented
and learners are
asked to translate it
into L1.)

Productive recognition

The task is to choose


the target word from
four options (a b c d).
The distractors, which
are semantically
unrelated (as we are
not testing fine
shades of meaning),
are taken from the
same frequency level
as the target word. 

Turn into water

a. elect

b. blame

HOME
c. melt

d. threaten

(In the bilingual


version, the L1
translation of 'melt'
is provided as the
prompt)

Receptive recognition

The task is to choose


the meaning of the
target word from the
four options provided.
Most of these options
are paraphrases of the
distractors that
appear in the
productive recognition
mode.

When something
melts, it

a. chooses

b. accuses

c. makes threats

d. turns into water

(In the bilingual


version, the
distractors are
translations into L1)

Our studies showed that the four


modalities constitute a hierarchy of
difficulty and are implicationally
scaled. Therefore, if a test-taker
answers an item correctly in one
strength modality, it will not be
necessary to test the same word in
the subsequent strength modalities.
For example, if a test taker has
correctly recalled the target word
in productive recall  mode, that word
will not appear again in the other
three modalities (i.e.  receptive
recall, productive
recognition or receptive recognition).
Where no response, or an incorrect
response is given, the computer
keeps the word in its memory for
presentation in the next modality,
but only after all the other words at
the same frequency level have been
tested in that modality. Once it has
been answered correctly,
the word is not presented again.

Scoring

The answers provided by the test-


taker are matched against a pre-
specified marking key and are scored
as correct or incorrect. 
A word
answered correctly at productive
recall receives 1 point, a word
answered correctly at receptive
recall receives 0.75 points,
at productive recognition - 0.5
points, at receptive recognition -
0.25 points.
At the end of the test,
test takers can see their results in a
table.

The table provides the following


information:

- the number of correct answers for


each modality at each frequency
level

- the total vocabulary size score per


modality

- the total vocabulary size score in


the test 

- the total vocabulary strength


scores per modality 

- the total vocabulary strength score


in the test

(The strength score is a weighted


score which takes into account the
modality at which each word was
answered correctly and its
corresponding score).

Sources

Aviad-Levitzky, A., Laufer, B., &


Goldstein, G. (in press). The new
computer adaptive test of size and
strength (CATSS): Development
and validation. Language
Assessment Quarterly.
Laufer, B. and Levitzky-Aviad, T.
(2018). Loanword proportion in
vocabulary size
tests: Does it make
a difference? International Journal
of Applied Linguistics, 169(1), 95-
114.
Laufer, B. and Levitzky-Aviad, T.
(2017). What type of vocabulary
knowledge predicts
reading
comprehension: Word meaning
recall or word meaning recognition?
The Modern
Language Journal,
101(4),729-741.
Laufer, B. and Z. Goldstein. 2004.
Testing Vocabulary Knowledge:
Size, Strength, and Computer
Adaptiveness. Language Learning
54: 469-523
Laufer, B., Elder, C., Hill, K., Congdon,
P. 2004. Size and strength: do we
need both to measure vocabulary
knowledge? Language Testing, 21:
202-226
Prof. Batia Laufer's homepage

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