A process approach to test taking

One of first requests that more attention be paid to the processes of respondents in giving answers on language tests was issued by Bormuth (1970):

Bormuth's book outlines the objectives and major components of a theory for writing items for achievement tests, drawing on structural linguistics, semantics, and logic. Subsequently, studies began to appear that entailed observation and description of how learners at different age levels actually accomplish first language (LI) testing tasks. For example, with respect to a teacher's oral questioning of young children, it has been suggested that “the interrogator and respondent work together to jointly compose the ‘social fact’ we call an answer-to-a-question” (Mehan 1974: 44). On the basis of his research efforts, Mehan indicated that it may be misguided to conclude “that a wrong answer is due to a lack of understanding, for the answer may come from an alternative, equally valid interpretation.”