Validity is an ominous word. The Oxford English Dictionary assigns it several meanings, deriving from Latin origins of 'powerful, effective': 'possessing legal authority or force', 'technically perfect or efficacious', as well as 'sound and to the point; against which no objections can fairly be brought'.
These senses are all relevant to current uses of the term validity in language testing. But as the chapters in the present volume make clear, various practices, modes of argumentation, sources of information, and complex conceptual issues exist for establishing the validity of language testing instruments, procedures, and their uses in educational settings.
Moreover, many valuable analytic approaches and theoretical considerations have only recently been explored, applying innovative measurement techniques, corresponding to the complex nature of language proficiency itself, and accounting for the diverse purposes for which languages are learned as well as settings in which languages are used.
The present book is unique in offering a single volume that displays the wide range of current approaches to the technical methods, conceptual issues, and broader implications of establishing validity in language assessment. Its 12 chapters were all originally presented as refereed papers
