Routledge Research in English for Specific Purposes

<p><em>** <strong>WINNER OF </strong></em><strong>ILTA/SAGE Best Book Award 2020 </strong>**</p><p><em>Assessing English for Professional Purposes</em> provides a state-of-the-art account of the various kinds of language assessments used to determine people’s abilities to function linguistically in the workplace. At a time when professional expertise is increasingly mobile and diverse, with highly trained professionals migrating across national boundaries to apply their skills in English-speaking settings, this book offers a renewed agenda for inquiry into language assessments for professional purposes (LAPP). Many of these experts work in high-risk environments where communication breakdowns can have serious consequences. This risk has been identified by governments and professional bodies, who implement language tests for gate-keeping purposes. Through a sociological lens of risk and responsibility, this book:</p><ul> <p> </p> <li>provides a detailed overview of both foundational and recent literature in the field;</li> <p> </p> <li>offers conceptual tools for specific purpose assessment, including a socially oriented theory of construct;</li> <p> </p> <li>develops theory and practice in key areas, such as needs analysis, test development, validation and policy;</li> <p> </p> <li>significantly broadens the scope of the assessment of English for professional purposes to include a range of assessment practices for both professionals and laypeople in professional settings.</li> </ul><p>Assessing English for Professional Purposes is key reading for researchers, graduate students and practitioners working in the area of English for Specific Purposes assessment.</p>