THEORY AND PRACTICE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING
Success in language teaching and learning is a multidisciplinary process in which language testing is an important pillar of success beside the other surrounding factors which range from the teaching learning context to the learners and teachers’ personal and educational factors. The aim of the present study is to identify to what extent there is a harmony between the teaching learning context on one hand and the theories and techniques of language testing on the other, and whether there is a matching between these theories of language testing and the practicality of these theories. We believe that there is a great mismatch between theories and practice of language testing as a result of the practices and the necessary expertise and knowledge needed in testing. This situation affects, to a great extent, the experience of language teaching learning process. This paper is a qualitative historical survey on language teaching learning context and theories of testing and language testing in particular. To process the study some related studies and literature will be explored, and some instances of language testing will be used to support this theoretical framework and to confirm our hypothesis that there is a gap between what is taught and what is examined. The study will include its importance, the methodological procedures that will be followed to attain the findings, recommendations and suggestions for future studies to let discussion in this area furthered in the future.
Keywords: Theory, Practice, Language Testing, Validity, Reliability, Mismatch, Testing Approaches, Testing Techniques, Learners' Orientation, Motivation, Anxiety, Learning Materials.