Language testing as "border work": A critical perspective on the role of language tests in immigration and citizenship contexts (MOSAIC Seminar)

MOSAIC Group for Research on Multilingualism Seminar Series 2023-24

Speaker: Professor Luke Harding, Lancaster University

In this talk, I will discuss how language testing can function as “border work” (Khan, 2017) when language tests are used for decision-making in immigration and citizenship contexts. First, I will introduce a brief historical trajectory of critical approaches to language testing and assessment. Then, I will focus on a specific domain where language tests are used for high-stakes purposes: immigration and citizenship applications. I will present the results of a study which explored the discursive construction of ‘Secure English Language Testing’ in the United Kingdom through an analysis of Home Office tender documents (Harding, Brunfaut & Unger, 2019), providing insights into how language testing – and language testers – were positioned as key elements in border work processes. In the final part of the talk, I will discuss how the increasing role of digital technology in language testing gives rise to the potential for even more complex ethical challenges, and how the field of language testing might respond.

Biography

Luke Harding is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University (UK). His research interests are in language assessment and applied linguistics more broadly, particularly listening and speaking assessment, language assessment literacy, World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca, and the role of technology in language assessment.

All welcome at this free seminar. Those who register will be sent details in the confirmation email.