Consequences of English Tests on Young Learners: Test-Takers’ Experiences in Context of Complex and Dynamic Learning Environments

Liying Cheng, Jia Guo

doi:10.32038/ltrq.2025.51.08

European KnowledgeDevelopment Institute

Original Research

Consequences of English Tests on Young Learners: Test-Takers’ Experiences in Context of Complex and Dynamic Learning Environments

Liying Cheng

Jia Guo

Language Teaching Research Quarterly, Volume 51, Pages 325-352, https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2025.51.08

Abstract
Full text
Metrics

This study examines the test uses and consequences of English tests for young learners in China from a sociocultural validation perspective. Drawing on Hofstede et al.’s (2010) Layered Structure of Culture and in response to Chapelle’s (2020) special call for investigating consequences of language test use throughout the world, we analyzed how English tests for young learners have shaped young learners’ experiences through five aspects (1) emotions, (2) family and social interaction, (3) efforts and supports, (4) barriers and challenges, and (5) motivation and aspiration. Employing the draw-a-picture technique and follow-up interviews with 14 young test-takers aged five to ten, we probed into the complex interplay of their emotions, family support, peer pressure, and societal expectations involved in their testing experience in context. The findings reveal that test uses and consequences are deeply mediated by sociocultural factors such as the supporting system, social dynamics, and cultural value within the given sociocultural context.

Loading PDF…

Page 1 of

Download Count : 15

Visit Count : 40

Keywords

Young Learners; English Tests for Young Learners; Sociocultural Validation Perspective; Test Uses; Test Consequences

Previous article in volume

Pre-Service Language Teachers’ Perceptions and Applications of Generative AI for Future Teaching

Next article in volume

Linguistic Progression in IELTS Speaking and Learner Background Factors

Author(s) Information

Liying Cheng

Liying Cheng (PhD) is Professor and Dean, School of Education, the City University of Macau. Prior to joining the City University of Macau, she has been Professor and Director of Assessment and Evaluation Group at the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada. Her seminal research on washback illustrates the global impact of large-scale testing on instruction, and the relationships between assessment and instruction. Dr. Cheng focuses her research on using assessment to support student learning and teacher teaching involving linguistically and culturally diverse peoples around the world.

Jia Guo

Dr. Guo obtained her PhD degree from Queen’s University specialized in test uses and consequences of young learners' English tests. With a decade of secondary education experience and expertise in applied linguistics, she explores the sociocultural dimension of language testing. Her work concentrate on understanding the underneath reason behind the test experience from the stakeholders’ perspective and has earned her recognition, including Ontario Graduate Scholarship, TOEFL Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment, and Duolingo English Test Doctoral Dissertation Award.

Publisher’s Note

The claims, arguments, and counter-arguments made in this article are exclusively those of the contributing authors. Hence, they do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the authors’ affiliated institutions, or EUROKD as the publisher, the editors and the reviewers of the article.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the participants of this study, who entrusted us with their experiences and generously made themselves available for data collection amid their work and personal commitments. Their confidence in this research, as well as their openness and sincerity throughout the process, made this study possible.

Funding

This research was supported by Queen’s Graduate Award, Education Graduate Expansion Award, Rosa Baier and Luis Bruno Fund Award, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), the TOEFL Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment, and the 2023 Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Duolingo English Test.

CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement

Liying Cheng: Conceptualization, Writing-Review & Editing, Supervision

Jia Guo: Writing-Original Draft, Methodology, Validation, Investigation, Funding Acquisition, Data Curation, Project Administration

Generative AI Use Disclosure Statement

Based on the APA journals policy on generative artificial intelligence and LTRQ generative AI disclosure framework, the authors affirm that no generative AI tools were used at any stage of this research or manuscript preparation. Specifically, no generative AI was used to generate resources for literature review, draft manuscript content, analyze data, produce or edit figures or tables, or develop research design. All the study content was conducted solely by the authors.

Ethics Declarations

World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki–Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Participants

This study was conducted in full accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. All procedures involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the appropriate institutional ethics board. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and parental/guardian consent was obtained for minors prior to participation. Participants were informed of their rights, including voluntary participation and the ability to withdraw at any time without consequence. All data were anonymized to protect confidentiality.

Competing Interests

The author declares that there are no competing interests related to the research, authorship, or publication of this manuscript.

Data Availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the author upon reasonable request. To protect participant confidentiality and comply with ethics approval requirements, only de-identified data may be shared.