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Volume 12, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2213-8706
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Abstract

Abstract

This study presents the development and validation of a Chinese cloze test for second language (L2) learners in U.S. university-level programs, targeting proficiency levels typical of large public universities, especially those using the textbook series. Constructed using a rational deletion method, the test contains 40 blanks within a passage of approximately 400 characters and takes about 20 minutes to complete. Validation was conducted with students from a large state university and benchmarked against multiple proficiency measures, including a placement test and a final exam. Results demonstrate that the cloze test effectively differentiates between adjacent proficiency levels and correlates with both placement and final exam scores, supporting its use as a practical in-house assessment tool. The study also investigates the reliability of self-assessment as a supplementary measure of proficiency. Findings indicate that self-assessments are more accurate within proficiency levels than across them: lower-proficiency learners more accurately evaluate reading and writing skills, while higher-proficiency learners better assess listening and speaking. Framed as a curriculum-based classroom assessment project, this study offers a quick, effective, and easy-to-administer tool for both instructional and research use.

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2025-10-06
2025-11-14

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/content/journals/10.1075/ijchl.00041.qia
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Cloze test and self-assessment as measures of L2 Chinese proficiency
International Journal of Chinese Linguistics 12, 315 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1075/ijchl.00041.qia
/content/journals/10.1075/ijchl.00041.qia
/content/journals/10.1075/ijchl.00041.qia
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): Chinese cloze test; Chinese language proficiency; curriculum-based assessment; second language assessment; self-assessment reliability

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